Mod: Adding Amps To The CCP

Mod: Ford Transit CCP Fuses

Some Ford Transit models come standard with dual batteries and some buy them as an option. In that case the Customer Connection Point on the pedestal of the driver’s seat is outfitted with three terminals, each able to handle a max. 60 Amp load, with a total of 180 Amps. If the vehicle only has one flooded battery, only one 60 Amp terminal is connected.

To get the same power load as in a dual battery setup, and use the alternator as a 12V power source, an upgrade kit is available from your local Ford dealer. This kit will be installed in this project.


What You’ll Learn:

  • How to install fuses in the CCP.
  • How to access the battery.

What You’ll Use:

  • Wrench & Sockets.

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 Motorcraft WPT-7471-BK2Z-14S411-A wiring kit.

Approximate Duration For This Project: 4 hr.


Considerations

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The kit is affordable and fairly easy to install. It’s just a lot of work! It exposes how flimsy the battery setup is in a Ford Transit. An inconvenient location and too many parts of which most are made of cheap plastic. Replacing a battery or simply changing a blown fuse is a hassle.
The flooded battery has an overflow that empties through a hole in the floor and my CCP has two attachment points but only one nut to hold it.
If you are converting your van into an RV, this kit will let you maximize the power of your alternator.
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Customer Connection Point Fuses

Get your wrench and socket set and the Motorcraft WPT-7471-BK2Z-14S411-A wiring kit.

  • Slide the driver’s seat fully forward.
  • Remove the battery clamp and cover bolts.
  • Remove the wire and clips from the right side of the battery clamp.
  • Remove the battery clamp.
  • Remove the small plastic cover on the right side.
  • Remove the negative (-) terminal.
  • Open the clip at the front of the main cover, slide the cover towards you and pull it up and away.
  • Remove the drain tube.
  • Lift out the safety bar.
  • Turn the battery 90 degrees clockwise.
  • Open and remove the positive terminal cover.
  • Disconnect the positive (+) terminal.
  • Remove the battery.
  • Remove the foam separation at the back.
  • Remove the battery box.
  • Remove the right portion of the fuse box cover, by lifting the right side.
  • The left part of the cover is fastened with three clips at the top and three at the bottom.
  • On the left side of the pedestal, is the Customer Connection Point with only one 60 Amp fuse installed.
  • Now remove the top and bottom nut, that hold the fuse box against the back wall of the pedestal.
  • Remove the outer and inner cover of the CCP.
  • The CCP is attached to the pedestal with two nuts. Remove both.
  • With some effort, you can move the fuse box about half an inch to the right.
  • This enables you to squeeze the angled metal piece, with the bolt inserted, onto the CCP terminal.
  • The 60 Amp fuse goes on top and a nut on each terminal finishes the job.
  • Reinstall everything in reverse order.

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Conclusion

The installation is rather simple, but it takes a couple of hours to take everything apart and to put it all back together again.

The Motorcraft fuse kit used during this project, was acquired from my local Ford dealer and the total cost was $7.01.


Other projects of this Van Conversion:



Disclaimer:
I’m just a DIY’er with a lot of common sense, but with some of the projects, I use some tools and materials, that require you to really know, what you’re doing. Always read the manual and consult an expert if you’re in doubt.

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10 comments

  1. If I wanted to charge my solar battery box (like Goal Zero) and run my ARB cooler, does this modification allow for 110V plug in to be used?

    I have the heavy duty alternator and dual batteries in my transit. Currently, I can charge the solar batter box via 12v in the dash and run the arb cooler via 12v in the dash.

    I guess what i am trying to ask is how much work is it to use the CCP as the source of power to plug in my battery box and my cooler – using 110 – instead of 12v.

    And is the benefit of running 110v to charge my two appliances while I drive greater than using the 12v source in the van.

    1. With a set of fuses (approx. $10) you can create a maximum 12V-180A (3 x 60 Amp) connection point, with he alternator running, otherwise it’s coming out of your car batteries (not a good thing).
      It depends on what you use it for. You start with 12V and if your solar battery box accepts 12V, you should not use 110V to convert twice.
      The 12V in the dash is 10Amp fused; at the CCP the max is 180Amps max. At 12V, if your solar battery box accepts substantial more than 10Amps, it would make sense.
      To do the CCP right, you should also add a on/off switch and a heavy-duty fuse for safety. Not really difficult, but still some work and not cheap either.

      My setup would be to use the higher Amps from the CCP to power an inverter that supply the load to a battery charger to charge Lithium batteries. This way the van’s 12V system is completely separated from the 12V house system and the batteries could be recharged within a couple of hours driving.

      Van Williams

  2. I have a seemingly simple question that I can’t find an answer to, maybe because it’s so obvious everyone knows it but me. Is the CCP connected to the starter battery (by way of the under seat fuse box?), or is the CCP connected directly to the alternator somehow? I’m thinking the first but just want confirmation that the CCP is battery fed and that you are getting alternator power passed through the battery when the van is turned on. Also, if that is true, it is why you need to use something that prevents whatever you have hooked up from draining the starter battery (like an isolator or the like).

    Your website is great and very helpful! Thanks!

    1. I like your enthusiasm and thank you for the comment!

      I’m not an expert at this, so keep that in mind. As I understand it and from what I’ve seen at the three 60amp connections (CCP) is that they are directly connected to the battery and the alternator charges the battery. As you suggested, you can use an isolator to prevent draining of the battery. Personally, I will keep the van’s battery completely separated from the RV batteries by connecting a separate inverter to the CCP which in turn connects to the RV battery charger. Using it that way, means that I would start the van, wait a short while for the car battery to recharge then start the inverter. In combination with Lithium RV batteries which don’t have a ‘float stage’, recharging could be done quickly while driving. And that’s just in an emergency, as the main 12V source will be 400w-550w of solar panels.
      There is possibly an even better way to charge the RV batteries by installing a second alternator which is only used in combination with the RV batteries, but such an alternator kit will cost you $1500-$2000.

      Hope that helps you a bit. You have a great day!

      Van Williams

  3. Your web site found me just in time. My wife and I bought a used Transit (2016 -250) and we are converting this cargo van into our traveling home. I was perplexed as to where I would hook up my 2 100AH AGM house batteries so that they would be charged thru the alternator as we drove. This article is an exact guide for what i need to do. I ordered the ” Fuse Kit ” from the Ford dealer yesterday and should get it in a day or two. Your step by step instructions are invaluable to me. I was looking at hooking my red and black wires from my house batteries directly to the 2 battery posts of my engine battery. I was wondering where I would get some kind of adapter for the battery post connections to do this. I was also wondering if I needed to have these lines fused and perhaps some kind of charge controller on it. That’s when I happened on your website. Perfect timing. Now I will have a good place to connect my two leads from my house batteries, and they will be fuse protected. ( I sure hope I dont have to get to that fuse as difficult as that is). So to be clear the red positive lead from my house battery will go to the new fuse kit connection I will be creating from the CCP, and the black negative lead goes to a grounding point. One location suggested was the bolt holding the emergency brake to the chassis. Am I missing something because I am thinking it would be easier to run that black lead to the black post of my engine battery because it is closer to where the two new batteries will reside, in a cabinet behind the drivers seat.
    I will have an isolating on/off switch in the red lead from the CCP so when we are camping somewhere we can shut it off and not drain the engine battery. I have two questions: 1. If I also fuse that red lead with a 50 amp fuse in my battery cabinet, will that prevent me from EVER having to change that 60 amp fuse under the seat which will be a sincere chore to get to. 2. I understand that my van alternator will charge my house batteries as we drive with the isolater switch in the ON position, but will the alternator need some kind of controller or is that built into the system just like the engine battery. I have the smaller 150 amp alternator. OOPS, I thought of a 3rd question. Where would I hook up some sort of gauges so I can see the level of charge in my house batteries so I dont ever run them down too low. What are these gauges called so I can get them. I see that your solar charge controller has that built into its system but I dont have that yet. Its in the plans but so far the roof of the van will be taken up with 2 kayaks and a Fan-tastic vent fan. We will have to do a portable solar charging system, but that is down the road for now. Hope you see this and can answer these questions, but regardless of that, THANK-YOU for your great articles, most especially this one. Rich and Charlotte.

    1. Hi Rich and Charlotte,
      First, I’m not an expert at this; please, keep that in mind. Second, while I’m still using the temporary setup of lead-acid batteries and solar, I have decided a couple of months ago to change the entire setup. I’ll get back to that.
      In general I’m not fond of charging house batteries through the car battery/alternator. Common issues are differences between battery types (starting/deep cycle, common/AGM/Lithium). A better solution would be a second and separate alternator to charge the house batteries; that is however an expensive solution and not always possible. While it’s not all black and white, I would also like to say, that in my opinion solar charging should be a much higher priority than the use of an alternator. That is especially true with lead-acid batteries, such as AGM’s. These batteries have a bulk charge up to let say, 90%, but then need to top of over a much longer time. And they need to be topped off every time to maintain their charging ability. An alternator is good for the bulk charge, but doesn’t make sense for the extended topping off, unless you’re on the road most of the time. Solar panels are much better equipped for that. They will keep charging, even when you’re parked and will effortlessly top off your batteries. That’s where Lithium shines; they have virtually only a bulk charge until they are topped off, which in most cases is not recommended.
      I have decided (I can still change my mind) to get a Victron Lithium battery system (including inverter/charger etc.) that is fully integrated including a car battery/alternator relay that even offers an emergency car start from the house batteries, when the car battery fails. Still don’t expect to use that, unless there is an emergency. A properly designed battery/solar panel setup should be all you need.
      My intended setup through the CCP didn’t use an isolator. I would have started the engine first, then after a minute or so, after the alternator would have replenished the starting engine. I would have switched on the inverter that was connected to the CCP, to charge the house batteries. This would have alleviated the issues I have between the different battery types.
      To answer one of your questions, most batteries have a post and screw-in connection; you can use the latter to connect an extra cable. Or you can attach a cable the the post connector. The setup that I had designed had a inverter connected to the CCP, which in turn, would supply 110V to a separate charger/inverter to charge the batteries. That created a complete separation between the car battery system and the house batteries. Connecting the house batteries directly to the CCP is not recommended. Ford doesn’t recommend to connect the grounding to the battery terminal, but instead use one of the many grounding points in the vehicle. If you haven’t done so, you can download the BEMM guide from the website that contains much installation information and recommendations from Ford. One such grounding point lies on the floor between both front seats, as you can see in some of my videos. Just under the rubber mat close to the parking brake. It’s not the brake itself.
      Not entirely sure about the alternator, but the 150A is designed for the van itself and doesn’t have much overcapacity for other things. Keep that in mind.
      There are many types of gauges, that show many different properties from the batteries as you will see with the (expensive) Victron system that I would like to install. But a basic system usually places a ‘Shunt’ very close to the battery bank, to measure the state of the batteries.
      Some general suggestions. I don’t know, how you’re going to use your van and what your exact minimum requirements are. That and other things will influence the ‘correct’ setup. But assuming a limited budget and some boondocking expectations, 200Ah battery bank, I would add at least the 200Ah in watts of solar panels. In other words, with your batteries a minimum of 200W of solar, preferably more, p.e. 300W. If you don’t have the funds or room for high quality thin flexible solar panels, get cheap (less than $1 per watt) rigid panels to place outside, around the vehicle. Then if you run out of power, it’s much cheaper and convenient to spend one night in a campground, to replenish the batteries, take a full shower and fill your tanks. While many use the power of the alternator through an isolator to charge their house batteries directly, in my opinion, that will affect the longevity and effectively of same house batteries. I would still consider using the alternator with the correct setup, but mainly as an additional or emergency power source, not as the main charging source.
      Hope that all makes some sense. Please, ask more questions. as I’m sure you’ll have 🙂
      Van Williams

      1. Thank you so much for your reply. I am beginning to understand this and I will go your route. I will go right to a 1000 watt pure sine inverter from the CCPs . The inverter will power a 2000 watt pure sine inverter/charger which will charge my 2 – 100AH AGM batteries. Thanks for the good advice. Rich and Charlotte

      2. You don’t know how much I use your posts and a few other people’s in building my Ford Transit home. Thank you. For being the trail blazer. I was hoping you can keep me from making a mistake. I know Ford has specific grounding points that we are supposed to use like you pointed out. . I have set up an inverter and an inverter/charger with a battery bank in a cabinet behind the drivers seat. I have a hot lead coming out of the CCP points on the left side of the drivers seat to a circuit breaker then to the inverter. I need to have a negative lead go to a grounding point from the inverter as well. The diagram of transit grounding points isn’t too detailed. It seems there are 2 between the front seats. The one you mentioned under the mat (which has some other wires ground to it) isn’t as convenient as the one on the bracket holding the emergency brakes assembly. Is that a bonafide grounding point. ???? It sticks out , has alot of room, and is very convenient for me. How important is it to use JUST the ones in that BEMM guide?

        1. Hi Richard,
          the ones in the BEMM guide are what Ford tells you to use. That means if you don’t, there certainly could be possible warranty issues for one. Possibly an easier solution, is using one or more of the four that are located in the same wall at the rear of the vehicle. When the inverter is already located behind the driver’s seat, it should be easy to pull a cable through the side wall to behind the wheel well.
          BTW I’m not sure about that second grounding point you mentioned. And I’m glad that I can help you so much with the videos and other info.
          Good luck!
          Van Williams

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