Unfortunately, there may be times when your car won’t start. Not through any fault of your own, it could be as simple as a dead battery. However, it is important, as a car owner, to know where your battery is and how to access it.
A lot of car manufacturers do change the layout and designs of their cars, and even different models have different designs. If you have a Ford Transit, this article should help you locate the battery a little quicker and more efficiently.
A Ford Transit is not like other cars. Where most batteries are located under the hood, a Ford Transit battery is located underneath the driver’s seat.
Not the most traditional place to put a battery so you may be thinking how would you go about jump-starting a Transit? You may also wonder what size of battery your vehicle needs?
As stated before, the battery in your Ford Transit is not located in the normal place you would think to look for a battery, under the hood. Instead, it is found under the driver’s seat. The battery is located here for safety reasons.
However, to access the battery you need to follow a few easy steps.
To start, you need to move the driver’s seat all the way back, and then locate the two plastic screw covers that are at each side of the base of the front of the seat.
You don’t need any tools for this, you can use your fingers to remove these covers, just simply push inwards. This should expose a rail stop bolt under each screw cover.
For this next step, you will need to use a T-40 torque bit to remove the bolts. Now, because the bolt stops have been removed, you can push the chair all the way forward. Make sure that the armrests are up to the most upright position before doing so.
After you have moved the chair forward, you should be able to see the battery compartment. Look for the two plastic tabs on the side that should be facing you, and pull them forward. This should remove the fabric that is covering the rear battery cover.
To take off the rear battery cover, you will need to remove the two lopsided bolts that you can see. Next, you will need to unfasten the two electrical cords and then remove the metal bar that runs across the top of the casing.
Now it is time to remove the battery cover. Again, no tool is needed here, you can use your fingers to remove this panel, this exposes the negative battery cable. Once this has been removed, loosen the nuts on the pole clamps and remove the cable from the battery.
After this, you can uncap the tab in the front, on the opposite side of the negative battery cable. Once this has been done, you can slide the cover all the way forward and off. Now the entirety of the battery will be exposed.
Now that the battery is exposed, you will be able to locate the positive pole clamps and loosen the nuts so the cable can be removed. This means the battery is free and can be safely removed. Make sure that you use the topside handles to lift and carry the battery as it can be very heavy.
If you want to replace the battery, you need to follow the above steps in reverse.
Here are some easy steps to help you jump-start your Ford Transit:
Knowing exactly how and where to connect the jump leads in any car is very important, and very easy to do.
It’s important to note that you should always connect the positive jump lead first. This needs to be connected to the positive battery post on the battery. Once the positive side has been connected it’s time to connect the negative side to the ‘ground’.
Remove the plastic cover on the bolt, and secure the cable to it. Here is a handy video that shows you exactly how to jump-start your Ford Transit.
The battery for this specific car has a life span of between three to five years. This, of course, all depends on the circumstances of the battery, as there are things that can reduce the lifespan of the battery.
A battery that needs to be jump-started regularly won’t last as long as it should. Things like leaving your headlights on, or leaving interior lights on, whilst the engine is turned off will definitely reduce your battery’s lifespan.
Another reason your battery may have a reduced lifespan is because of the weather. Batteries are forced to work harder in colder weather. To help with this, when you are in a cold climate, it would be ideal to leave your Ford Transit in a warm garage/spot.
The reason your battery is draining is that each time the door is opened on the Transit, the van’s electrical modules power up, so if the doors are being opened and closed an excessive amount and the van isn’t running, it can drain the battery.
However, this is a very common issue associated with Ford Transit vans.
To ensure that the battery isn’t drained as quickly, make sure to properly close doors and make sure all interior and outer lights are turned off when not needed and when the engine is turned off.
The battery in a Ford Transit is usually located under the driver’s seat.
A Ford Transit battery uses a 12 volt AGM battery.
The Ford Transit requires an H6 battery, which can also be classed as a group 48 battery. This battery is rectangular and has both positive and negative post terminals which can be found on the top of the casing.
The battery will weigh about 54 pounds and will be 11 inches long. They are usually priced between $150.00 to $350.00.
Knowing how and where to locate your battery is crucial in case you experience battery problems. It is a little difficult to find as it is not located in the normal place under the hood. But is in fact positioned under the driver’s seat.
Now that you know how to locate the battery it is also vital that you know how to use jumper cables and where to attach them in a Ford Transit. We have provided both step-by-step instructions as well as a great video if you would rather.
Locating and changing the battery in a Ford Transit may be a little long-winded, but can be completed quite easily. If this is a first for you, make sure to read the owner’s manual, and read all of the manufacturer’s recommendations and warnings.
