HarryN
Solar Enthusiast
There are two customer connection points on the door side of the driver's seat base on "many" Ford Transits. Not all.
CCP1 is nearly always present and is an "always live" (+) connection to the starter battery through a fuse.
The (-) connection point for the van is to use one of the official Ford ground points that they designate. Don't use a random ground connection just because this worked 20 years ago. Also do not just connect the (-) to the Transit battery (-). Life is different now.
Your solar trickle charger can be connected to the CCP1 (+) terminal and to an official Ford Transit ground point. They are in the upfit diagram, but an example location is on the drivers side near the rear wheel well there is a specific spot with screws.
The CCP2 connection turns on / off roughly with the ignition on / off, but there are also some built in time delays and quirks.
The CCP1 connection stud is slightly smaller than the CCP2 stud. I am not 100% certain but I believe that the CCP1 stud is 6mm and the CCP2 is 8mm ( M8 x 1.25 ) IIRC.
If your solar trickle charger is connected to CCP1 the solar trickle charger should be able to keep it charged up. Chargers are triggered to activate if the battery voltage starts to drop below a set point voltage. If the starter battery voltage remains above the set point, they won't activate a charge.
If you are seeing current flow when the ignition is turned to "on", then it is possible that the power is going into running the van electronics during the start up cycle.
If you are building your own electrical system, then you will want to own a multi meter, ideally one that has a clamp meter with it.
Here is an example clamp meter similar to one that I own for this type of work:
EXTECH 380950 80A Mini AC/DC Clamp Meter
EXTECH 380950 80A Mini AC/DC Clamp Meter has small diameter elongated jaw to fit into tight spaces. 4000 count LCD display. 1mA resolution. Jaw opens to 0.5 (12.7mm). AC/DC Voltage, Resistance, Frequency, Capacitance, and Duty Cycle. Diode Test/Continuity Beeper. Data Hold. Complete with test...
www.extech-online.com
This will work for many van situations for example 24 volt / 1 - 2 kW inverters.
If you are building a 12 volt system, then you will want a larger clamp for the bigger wires like this one:
EXTECH EX613 400A Dual Input AC/DC Clamp Meter + NCV
EXTECH EX613 400A Dual Input AC/DC Clamp Meter with built-in dual Thermocouple inputs and Non-contact Voltage Detector. True RMS measurements for accurate AC Voltage and Current measurements. Dual type K thermocouple input with Differential Temperature function (T1, T2, T1-T2). Built-in...
www.extech-online.com
Last edited:
