Ford Transit Connect

[RS Grant]

Firstly, this is a slow project... in every way.

I did a deal plus cash for my ageing Mondeo ST200 ( Thread Here) which was starting to require some money spent on it to keep it looking it's best, which I couldn't justify given I'd driven it about 1500 miles in a year. So when I got offered this van, it made sense to let go of the Mondeo.



Details of the van:

2008
T200
1.8 TDCi (75bhp version)
67k miles
Full Ford/Iveco Service History
Only two previous owners

Wasn't sure whether to do a thread on the van or not, but since I'll be doing wee bits here and there then I guess it qualifies. I'll throw up pictures from time to time too... just don't be expecting to see crazy big BHP Focus RS conversions or anything like that, it's a daily driver, so it'll be staying a 1.8 TDCi.

When I got the van, it had already been lowered with an axel flip kit and front lowering springs because it looked like an off road buggy with the 19" Focus RS wheels fitted, haha. Yes, it's lost some load carrying ability given the suspension/wheel choice, but for me, it's still capable of being very practical... two Labradors, mountain bike or two or some boiler suits/boots/tools is about as loaded as it'll get with me.

Here are a couple of photos, I've just finished upgrading the sound system in it actually, but I'll sort those photos out and post another update about that in a wee while.





...and the downside of having no bulkhead:




Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Liquid Tuna said:

Ignoring the fact you've swapped a 200BHP petrol V6 Ford for a 75BHP diesel Ford it's definitely different! I've never driven a Connect. How refined is it to drive?

Yeah, lets skip past the power/noise that I gave up, it's still a sore subject and wasn't a decision taken lightly.

It's not the most refined thing around, having no bulkhead probably doesn't help since the noises from the load area carry through without interruption. But it's way better than a Vauxhall Combo which I used at a job a wee while ago... even a ratty company Connect at the last place I worked, 140k+ with zero mechanical sympathy shown by anybody that drove it, seemed better than that Combo though.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

f1nn said:

I've driven a few, think of them as a slightly noisier (without the bulkhead) slightly busier riding (thanks to the cruder rear suspension set up) Focus of the same vintage and you are in the right ballpark.

Very car like to be honest.

Yeah it hustles down the road quite well, feels quite harmless given it's current 75bhp, you're able to keep on the throttle without fear of going too fast. That may change once I get a remap at some point... overtaking might actually be an option after that.

Baryonyx said:

I'd rather take the Connect out if it the choice of that or the Astra. But I'd take the Focus before the Connect.

Nicely put.. the Connect is good compared to some cars. But the Focus is good compared to most cars.

Baryonyx said:

They can get really, really smokey if the EGR valve blocks up, which is entertaining.

Fingers crossed/touch wood, but there have been no issues with it so far. I *think* that the EGR gets deleted with the remap, however, will have to double check that.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

addz86 said:

I used to have one as my work van, did drive nice and pretty nippy too. It had a odd fault where it'd cut out though at a certain steering wheel degree which was annoying but funny having to over/under steer it to avoid it cutting out

Sounds like one of those annoying faults which would take a lot of patience and time to investigate, not my idea of fun... so fingers crossed that I swerve this joy!!


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

itcaptainslow said:

OP-no FRS conversion? You disappoint me...

Well never say never and all that!! ...but it was bought with the intention of spending very little on modifications and using it the way it is. The stereo was the beginning, now thinking about a remap and colour coding/skirts... so I can see it costing me a wee bit more than I first planned, d'oh!!


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Jonny_ said:

I occasionally drive a similar but rather knackered example at work. Despite having suffered 80000 miles of abuse it's still a decent drive - much more responsive than I'd expect of a van. The engine's a rough old thing but up to about 50mph it's not as slow as you'd expect given its size and low power figure.

I find the throttle response very odd though. The first inch of pedal travel gives almost all of those 75 raging horses; the rest of it seems almost redundant. Makes it quite hard to drive the van smoothly if I've not used it for a few months!

Mine seems to have a reasonably well modulated throttle, even if it doesn't have much go about it when you sink the boot.

I agree that it's not the worst thing to buzz around town/low speed areas in. I did take it on a couple of hundred mile dual carriageway run and that really showed up it's flaws though.. it revs quite high in 5th gear and there is very little chance of maintaining speed if faced with more than a gentle incline. I think that the remap will make a world of difference, been told to expect c110-115ps, it's a bit of a no-brainer really.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Shadow R1 said:

Its a plate you put to block the system off, my focus 1.8 tdci of the same year has it.
Mine always had the low speed stutter, blanking the egr off stopped that.
5 min job to fit.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EGR-valve-blanking-plate...

That's a great link, thank you.

I had heard different things about which plate to use, people saying to use one with a hole and others saying to use one without a hole; like the one you've linked to above. It seems like that seller supplies both under 'Connect TDCi' titles, which isn't too useful?! I will likely have to ask a few questions closer to the time.

Solid Plate

Plate with Hole


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Shadow R1 said:

You need the one without a hole.
The 1.6 and 2.0 tdci throw an engine check light, if the egr is blanked off fully.

The 1.8 just has a mechanical test of the egr valve rather than a flow test.

http://www.talkford.com/community/topic/217666-how...

That is worth a read.

That was definitely worth a read, solid plate it is!! Bet there has been quite a few incorrectly ordered plates given his item titles are identical and there is conflicting information about which one to use.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

So to start with I made a few wee alterations to the van to rectify areas which I wasn't happy about.

First off, decided to carpet the load area because I wasn't a fan of the bare wood floor and it should stop the pups getting any splinters!!



Next was a really basic but very effective upgrade. Fitting LED interior bulbs to brighten up the load area mainly, because in the dark the standard bulbs were absolutely rubbish. So after a quick eBay session, I had some upgraded bulbs on their way to me... three bulbs for the interior lights and two replacement bulbs for the number plate lights (one needed replaced anyway) too.

Interior Bulb (Never took one of the number plate 501 bulb!):



Results:






Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Heaveho said:

I'm on my 3rd Connect now, started with an 08 plate 75, went to a 57 plate 90 LWB, and just changed to a 31k mile, 59 plate 110 limited LWB, I love 'em. The new one felt rocket when it was empty, but it's gone off the boil a bit now all my work gear's gone in, so, like you, remap (and terra clean) on the way. If you thrash them constantly, you don't get any aggro with the EGR, but the driveshafts are made of spaghetti, so best to take it easy pulling out of wet junctions.

They seem generally very reliable, combination of decent distance high speed runs to burn all the crap out, proper fuel, rather than supermarket diesel, and 5k oil and filter changes seems to keep them pretty sweet. Worth checking the oil in the box, they've been known to allow rainwater in through the vent in the top of the box, obviously doesn't do the thing any favours. Alternator light might come on, the wiring for it chafes through where it passes the radiator cowling if it's a bit tight there, never had this happen on any of mine, but it's known to be quite common.

Valuable info, I did an oil change out of habit when I bought the van and it's covered about 2k since then. It's actually going to be due a service in the new year, so will likely get them to change the gearbox oil at the same time as a precaution now you've said that. Will refrain from getting excited and unleashing the full 75 ponies when pulling away to preserve the shafts too, haha.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Wheeled the van into my friends unit:



Cue the music...

The first thing to go was the standard headunit, big, bulky, low powered.. replacement is a Pioneer DEH-4600BT ( Link Here, I'd fitted one of these headunits into my old Focus RS and was really impressed by the amount of features, ease of use and quality of it for the money; so there was no doubt about buying another one for the Connect.

Needed the usual aerial adaptor, ISO conversion cable and facia adaptor. There were a few options for the facia adaptor, but eventually went with this one however bought it from a local audio store for a chunk less than Halfrauds were wanting for the same bit of kit.

Here is the headunit all fitted up:



..and given that it's Bluetooth enabled with calls coming through the front speakers, it obviously needs a microphone fitted somewhere to let you talk back!! I decided to put it in the same place that I had fitted one in the Focus and it works fine, telephone calls are nice and clear both ways.



With just the headunit fitted, the standard speakers (front only) sounded 10? 20? times better than they did with the standard headunit... so much so that I wondered if I should really bother fitting upgraded speakers!!

But since I'd already bought them and the standard front speakers were better but still not capable of being left alone, it seemed stupid to take them back. I went for some Fli 6x9 speakers ( Clicky Link) after reading a few reviews and comparing them to much more expensive speakers, I didn't see the point paying almost double for what I was wanting them to do.

Now if you could try not to notice the amount of dirt/dog hair that I discovered in the next few photos that'd be great, it's gone now, promise!! ...I unscrewed the centre console around the gearstick/handbrake so I could run the cables for the speakers down the dashboard and tuck them up underneath the centre console for as tidy an installation as possible.




Next instalment to follow shortly...

[RS Grant]

...and here it is:

The wires supplied with the speakers weren't going to be long enough to reach the rear doors, which is where the 6x9's were finally mounted. So using bullet connectors, extra wires were added to give the length required. MDF was cut to the shape of the door sections and then covered in some black vinyl that my mate had lying around in his unit, it's a bit bubbly in places and doesn't quite cover it all... but it looks better than bare wood.



Keeps them nicely out the way and also if/when the van is used for days at park/beach/camping trip, then it gives the opportunity to fling open the rear doors and direct the music outside too. Happy days.

Here are a few pictures showing how I routed the wiring from the front to back. The passenger side is all hidden at the front end, it runs under the side door step, into the small plastic panel at the door opening and into the sides same as the drivers side. Wiring from van into the rear doors used existing grommets etc... time will tell if this is working out, but so far it seems to be fine.




How it reached the rear doors:




The next/final part of this upgrade was the addition of a subwoofer, something I got talked into by a friend who said that I 'might as well' if I was pulling the headunit out... so while I was in Halfords, I saw a special offer on one of their Fli active subwoofers ( Clicky Link) which would negate the need to mount an extra amplifier somewhere as the sub and amp all came in one box. I read a few reviews (granted from people under my age range ) and it seemed a good piece of kit and came with all the wiring needed, so I bought that too.



Not sure if I'm going to bother upgrading the front door speakers, they handle what they're asked to handle pretty well and the 6x9's take care of the rest with a nice wee kick from the subwoofer low down... overall, I think it cost me around £220-£230 and the difference is massive. If you're thinking about upgrading but not sure if it'll be worth it, then do it, you'll not regret it at all.


Cheers,
Grant

Edited by RS Grant on Tuesday 2nd December 14:56

[RS Grant]

Realised that I haven't updated this in a wee while.

As far as the look of the van goes, it's still very much the same as before, nothing has changed on the outside... all the work recently has been done under the skin.

At the tail end of last year, the alternator light started to flicker on and off and after finding no fault with any wiring.. I continued using the van until the light stayed on and eventually led me here:




...so it was recovered to the garage I use for all my cars where it had the following work:

- New Alternator
- Full Service inc Timing Belt
- New Clutch and Flywheel

...which was a painful bill to swallow, but at least the van is all serviced and running well. It was noted that one of the intercooler hoses had a small hole in it and when I discovered that Ford wanted 48quid+VAT for one, I decided to look for an alternative.

Eventually found some silicone replacements for £24 delivered, downside is that they are bright blue, but they are very well made and should last longer than the OE replacements. While I was fitting them, I gave the engine bay a wee clean up and degrease as well.









Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

qwertina said:

Nice work.

I've had a Connect LWB as a works van for 7years/100k and I rather like it. Feels fairly well put together and drives well, often miss it when I get a loaner van for a few days.

I've had the intercooler pipes replaced twice though. Dunno what Ford make them out of but they seem to break down quite fast!

I know I've just had to spend cash on repairing mine, but it's just one of those things and the van is 8 years old, so to be expected.

The intercooler hoses are extremely thin and poorly made, I expected Ford to charge about a tenner a throw, but at over 50quid each it's absolutely scandalous... the ones I have are constructed more in keeping with Samco/Roose hoses which I have had on performance cars before, so I think they'll handle all that the Connect will throw at them!!

Heaveho said:

Yeah, the i/c hose mod is borne out of necessity, as you've found for yourself, mine's sporting the same. Also got the same rear speaker location setup ( Alpine, in my case ), and some of the same manufacturers offerings in the doors. I decided I'd had enough of no digital radio, and managed to source a Focus RS 6 disc Sony and aerial for sensible money, which is a bonus.

That's a good shout on the FRS Sony stereo, do they come with Bluetooth?? I like the idea of digital radio too actually, so if the Focus unit includes bluetooth then that could be a decent option.

Heaveho said:

I found that running mine on Shell Nitro diesel livens it up no end, and gets an extra 40-50 miles per tank, and thrashing the bks off it as often and mercilessly as possible keeps the egr clean. 5k miles oil and filter changes doesn't do any harm either, anything with a turbo driven the way mine is needs all the help it can get! They're great if you look after them, in the time I've had mine I've owned a Boxster S, and still have an Evo and a Lexus, but I'm still always happy to take the van.

Haha I know what you mean, I've done ~500 miles in my Impreza over the past year... and have covered quite a few times more than that in the van!! It's just so damn useful and means that I can keep dog hair, rubbish, mud, general crap away from my other stuff.

Baryonyx said:

I mentioned in this thread that I used to drive Connects at work. They've all been replaced by Vivaros, which are competent and bigger, but aside from being able to carry a tiny bit more they are inferior in every sense.

My friend has got a Vivaro, granted it's not brand new, but he's had to replace diesel pump/steering rack/gearbox in it and it isn't a high mileage abused example either.. makes me appreciate my Connect that much more as it chugs along needing very little attention and remaining to be a good steer as well.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Six Fiend said:

Mine was ace, banged 100K on it in about 14 months. Loved the handling Was a great versatile van.

That's a lot of miles in a short space of time... I think that I've covered about 3500 miles in the time I've had it.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

yonex said:

What are these like to drive compared to Berlingo's?

I can't really comment, only drove a hire Berlingo for a couple of days and never got a proper feel for it.


The positives I have with a Connect are:

- Load space, it's tall/wide for a small van.
- The looks, it's nicely proportioned.
- The handling, it rides well (even with the lowered suspension and big wheels) and handles very well.
- The running costs, it's not bad on fuel and replacement parts can be found without breaking the bank.
- Desireability, Connects seem to be a desireable wee van so hold money/sell fairly well.


The negatives I have with a Connect are:

- The performance, being the 75ps model... it really is slow progress, a remap (giving c95-100ps) can apparently liven it up no end.
- The running costs, if you use the van on dual carriageway/motorway at typical speeds, then 5th gear is quite short meaning that the engine is revving fairly high, to the detriment of economy.
- Corrosion, mine isn't showing any signs of this yet, but I'm led to believe that older/high mileage Connects can require some attention to the bodywork/underside if they've not been properly protected.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

mk2 24v said:

And to the OP, any pics of the axle flip its had at the back?

I don't have any pictures of this, but if I get it on a ramp or find myself under it at some point then I'll update the thread with photos of that. It was a kit which was bought be the previous owner of the van, however the guy I use for mechanical work on my cars/van made his own kit for his Connect which turned out just as well.



...it's also made me think seriously about getting mine colour coded sooner rather than later.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Heaveho said:

That blue one looks like the same colour as mine, ocean blue met, don't see it often.

The FRS head unit is bluetooth, yes. I think you'll have to get a fascia adaptor to fit it to the earlier van, but no big deal. It gets very good DAB reception, and the bluetooth seems excellent. Got mine on ebay for £125 for the head unit and £25 for the aerial.

Yeah it does seem like a pretty rare colour... his one is kept in great condition, it puts mine to shame actually!!

Good news about the BT on the FRS headunit, however, I hadn't thought about the actual fitting of it to my van. I'd forgotten that there was a facelift dashboard on the later Connects, so I'm not sure if it would actually be possible to fit to my van without a bit of cocking around... but I'm sure that google will have the answer.

bungz said:

I used to do about 50K a year in these, wonderful little van!

As mentioned they scream out for a 6th gear for distance work but other than that they are a hoot.

Engines seem fairly hardy too but weren't particularly economical due to the short ratio 5th gear from memory. And that fact everyone in our fleet drove them flat out, everywhere.

I'd have another if they didn't hold money stupidly well.

I'm sure that I read somewhere that a 6-spd conversion from a Focus TDCi would be possible on my van.. but to be honest, I'm never really in 5th gear for long periods of time and the cost of that conversion would probably be a bit too much for me to justify on this anyway.

You're right, I think that I'd get back quite a lot of what I paid for the van if I was to sell it just now. They really do seem to be good news on the used market.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

Six Fiend said:

I was a courier on call 24/7 and frequently ended up the wrong end of the country and having to sleep in it. Had a Blue Fin thingy to give it a boost from, 75 to 90ps. Much improved, along with the removal of the 70mph British Gas speed limiter. Prior to that it could be outdragged by HGVs in a headwind!

Funny you should mention the outdragged by an HGV... I filled mine up with diesel on the way to the tip/unit yesterday (four chests of drawers for the tip and a set of wheels for my unit), pulled out onto the dual carriageway with PLENTY of distance (20+ car lengths) between myself the HGV which had just exited the roundabout... welded my foot to the floor and he very nearly had to pull out to overtake me.

Heaveho said:

Never seen better than 34 mg in mine ( 110 brake ), might be due to the fact it tends to spend most of it's life with the driver trying to kick the throttle pedal through the bulkhead though!

The 110bhp model must actually nip along quite swiftly?? I'd be interesting in finding out what parts are different between the models because if it was easy enough, retrofitting those 110 parts and then getting a remap should give you quite a potent wee van.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

An update which I forgot to stick on here.

I bought some replacement seats for the van a wee while ago, they will require fabrication of some suitable mounts/runners but should improve the comfort and interior massively once fitted.






Cheers,
Grant