What did you do to your connect today?

[u076216]

First a short introduction of me and my Connect. I'm Matthias and i sit on the wrong side of the road Ok, in your country ... i come from germany and here i sit on the right side. Please excuse my englisch, i leave school a long time ago and i can practise my englisch only in the short period of time i'm travelling around England, Scottland, Wales, Ireland and so on

My Transit Connect is a 2008 lwb. I purchased it with 47.311 Km in 2014 for 6.500 € and converted it in a normal day car used for the drive to my work and in holiday in a one person camper. There is a lot of work to do till the cheapest Version has the comfort i want.

MeinFTC.jpg

As i search on the net for other Connects i found this Forum and it is more fun than german Forums because in Germany the most Connects are cars for craftsman and they aren't interest in working on the interior of there working car. So i think it will be more fun posting my changes here, if you are interestet to see them ?


I will start with the interior lighting. My Connect is the cheapest version you can get So my Interior lighting is a standard bulb and a switch for the cargo room lighting. I want a lighting with reading and room lights and i love the ambient light of the Mondeo interior lighting. So i search for the Mondeo lamp, found one and forgot it immediately because of the price. I found a Mondeo 3 Lamp with normal and reading lights. I change the normal bulbs to LED, add some red LED for the ambient Light and two switches for cargo room lighting and ambient light and ready is the comfort lighting i want The price: 25 € for the used Lamp, some LEDs and the switches. Here are some pictures:

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The Lamp switched of

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Ambient on

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Reading light

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Normal light

Hope you like it

[ucmanster]

why just one person camper. I have SWB and I converted it to 2 person camper. Since you now have red lighting, it wold be interesting how will red light efect to some girls passing by your car. I think they would running around your car like some insects around lights

you can see may conversion at page 214 of this forum.

as I see, those pictures are from before I made improvement vith fridge and toilet. I will took some pictures and post later

[u076216]

Another reason for red light

I use the red light on german highways. It is easier if you search for something in the car. It is easier for the eyes to handle the red light instat a bright white light.

[u076216]

Another Modification.

If you order only one cigarette lighter socket you can save 10 € on your new "old Connect" in 2008. The buyer of my Connect save the 10 €, so i received a car with only one 12 Volt socket and a empty cover on the co-drivers site. But if i use my car on vacation i need one 12 volt socket, 12 volt Banana sockets and a USB socket for using my Navigation Tablet. So my plan was using the wiring of the 12 volt socket to supply the rest. After removing the radio part of the dashboard i found behind the empty cover the same plug as on the cigarette lighter socket (the orange plugs). But there was no power on the plug. I search in the manuel for the second cigarette lighter socket and found the fuse number for it. This fuse was missing in the fuse box. After plugging in the fuse, the plug has power. So there is a second electric circuit for my connection to load my second battery (banana sockets) and powering my navigation Tablet or charching my phone. Here are some picture of the work:

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The open dashboard and the wiring. The left orange plug was connected to my cigarette lighter socket, the right one was not connected to something and was without power.

SAM_0373.JPG

Here you can see the banana sockets powered with 12 volt to charge my second battery (via special routing over a stepup converter and a solar charching controller) when i'm on vacation.

SAM_0375.JPG

And here is the result of my tinkering. Left the original cigarette lighter socket, right the USB socket 2,1 A and in the middle the switch für the USB because it consume 1,4 A unused.

It workes fine. Used it three weeks during my tour around Wales and four weeks in Greece.

[ucmanster]

Hi guys.

I was going to change the bulbs at interior lights, but I made myself a problem.

During replacing a bulb at overhead light, it looks that I made some shortcut. And since then there is no electricity in wires at overhaed lights. Fuse at interior box for interior light is OK.

It is interesting to me, that there is electricity at contacts, where the fuse is, only when I put the ignition key to position II. (to give contact), but before lights could have been turn on even if key was not at the ignition lock.

Is there any fuse for some timer or controler of interior liglts at external fuse box?

[blue estate]

Hi guys.

I was going to change the bulbs at interior lights, but I made myself a problem.

During replacing a bulb at overhead light, it looks that I made some shortcut. And since then there is no electricity in wires at overhaed lights. Fuse at interior box for interior light is OK.

It is interesting to me, that there is electricity at contacts, where the fuse is, only when I put the ignition key to position II. (to give contact), but before lights could have been turn on even if key was not at the ignition lock.

Is there any fuse for some timer or controler of interior liglts at external fuse box?

Go through every fuse as Ford like changing thing around and sharing fuses

[ucmanster]

It was my fault. I was counting fuses from wrong side

[Graham Taylor]

Not posted much lately but heres a recent photo of my van and have a few mods lined up for it in the near future

[mrtn]

Nice bridge. Is it yours?

[Graham Taylor]

Nice bridge. Is it yours?

Yes runs across my pond

[ucmanster]

Nice bridge. Is it yours?

[u076216]

As i searching the connect (used) i hat several requests. I want a air condition, park heating, a window in the sliding door and every colour will be ok ... except white.

Ok, after a half year the only fulfilled request was: except white. Additional air condition was possible, but it costs around 4.000 € to install, ok no holidays in warm areas. Also no park heating, ok no holidays in cold areas. But no window in the sliding door ... no go.

IMGP8317.JPG

(Germany, Sliding door on the other side )

I need a window for observing traffic on the passenger side. So i contact a local Mobilehome Dealer with workshop an he offer me a window and the mounting. So i get a window which can be opened. Now the view on passenger side traffic is ok, the look on the outside is nice ...

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... but the look on the woodframe inside is ugly.

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So i shoot a bargain on ebay and add a isolation and a wood cover for the field ...

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... and now i can open the window with closed screen door and no moskito will disturb my sleep and i can close the sun shade if i want to sleep late

[ucmanster]

Hey Mathias! , tell me something.

when you were installing LED bulb to the interior lightings. In front (above head) light... there are three bulbs in the middle. One C5W bulb in the middle and two H6W on each side. What type of bulbs did you put on the sides ( H6W).?

its like this... this ford is made like that - connects to the bottom of the bulb and + (ground) goes to the side of the bulb. But every bulb I can buy has poles just opposite. All bulbs has + at the bottom and - at the sides.

The only solution I found is to buy the bulb where doesn't maters the poles. But that kind of bulb has Canbus and I am afraid that it will become to hot.

What is your suggestion?

[u076216]

My solution was quick and dirty I change wiring. All ports are plugged with the same crimp sleeves, so i change positiv and negativ and the cheap chinese LED bulp illuminate.

[ucmanster]

My solution was quick and dirty I change wiring. All ports are plugged with the same crimp sleeves, so i change positiv and negativ and the cheap chinese LED bulp illuminate.

in my light - comes with port for 2 wires (one for manual and one for automatic switching) and + (ground) comes with port for one wire. so I can't just change this two ports... Did you change wires before automat. can you picture your light inside, please..