Ford Transit Upfitter Switches
When ordering a custom Ford Transit you can add Upfitter Switches, also called auxiliary or accessory switches. These switches allow you to control accessory items like lights, winches, or inverters with factory looking switches.
The switches are simple on/off style with an indicator light located in the center console between the driver and passenger seats. If the key is in the ignition or run position and the switches are turned on (flipped up), they provide a 12 V and 20 A max output.
Four (4) user defined switches can be added to a custom ordered Ford Transit
To order the switches you need to add code 67C to the order:
User-Defined Upfitter Switches (4). Requires Heavy-Duty Alternator (63C) and Dual Heavy-Duty Batteries (63E). Includes Modified Vehicle Wiring System (53K), Customer Connection Point and Auxiliary Fuse Box (87E)
Switch diagram from the Body and Equipment Mounting Manual (BEMM).
To connect anything to the switches you can find their output on connector C33-H under the driver’s seat.
The Switch Output C33-H connector (#4 in the picture above) is located under the driver’s seat on the right side of the pedestal.
Unfortunately Ford made accessing this connector very difficult. It requires removing the driver’s seat (4 T-40 Torx bolts), removing the battery box lid, and then a frustrating amount of time trying to fish out the connector. The connector isn’t just sitting deep in a crevice, it’s attached to one of the wire bundles with electrical tape.
We used a hobby knife to reach down and carefully cut the electrical tape. We then used 2 very long flat head screw drivers to wiggle the connector free and out from under all the stiff wire bundles. This is a practice in patience, don’t attempt this if you’re in a rush.
The connector for the switches is buried under the driver’s seat.
C33-H connector.
Once you have retrieved the C33-H connector you can plug in the pigtail EU2Z-14S411-XA so that you can easily connect accessories to the switches. The plug has bare wires so you can connect anything you want to them, we added quick disconnects for now.
EU2Z-14S411-XA connector with added quick disconnects.
We plan on using one of the switches to control the house battery charger and the others might control exterior lights, we’re not sure yet.
Matt
Thanks for the tidbit. I hate having to ask on the forum as I will most likely be reminded that the info is already there somewhere. I have my van sans the ordering process, do I have that buried pigtail and if not what is your sense of the process in getting a multi conductor between the toggles and the drivers seat? I get the impression from you that those wires are carrying the loads so the indicator LEDs are sunk to a common ground return. Does each switch have its own feed wire in the bundle? I would probably have a load controlling mini PLC in back as I love to play with them. Hope you enjoyed your trip wow.
Not sure what you’re asking but let me try to answer. Each switch has 1 wire available at the C33-H connector. Each of these connections are rated at 20 amps. The 4 wires in the C33-H connector are not direct wires back to the switches. The wires go to fuses and relays before they make it to the actual switches.
I have been reading the threads not really finding anyone using the upfitter switches as an aftermarket addition. So you never really handled the dash portion of the upfitter switches you just accessed the connector under the seat. Your an EE right? If the physical upfitter switches are passive and only operate relays then I am imagining just six wire leads, 12v, ground and four leads coming off the contact points, with the LED’s simply grounded off the load side of each switch w appropriate voltage drop ballast?
I haven’t dived into this as deep as I should yet. I have glanced at the upfitter manual but maybe I just need to buy the dash switches portion and figure it out with a power supply and multimeter. I would like to utilize them and keep the stock look.
Matt, sorry one more thing. It just occurred to me that those upfitter switches probably illuminate for position/location at night, do they, and just get brighter when in the on position? That would mean another conductor in the harness for (headlights/marker lights) mode?
Thanks for the tidbit on this, I’ve been wondering how these things worked. So for external lights, are you supposed to run a wire back out of that harness and through the firewall? I’ve been trying to interpret all of that stuff in the BEMM manual.
You guys are the only folks I’ve found that are blogging about pretty much our exact build (ordering today!). 4×4, High Roof, LWB (not extended) & sleeping perpendicular.
Yes, you would need to run a wire back out to the exterior of the van. And if the external lights you plan on using need more than 20amps you would need to add a relay and power them some other way.
Hi Matt, how did you decide to recharge your lithium house batteries from the vehicle? Are you using a Sterling B2B smart charger? An Orton-style solution with vehicle powered inverter and a 2nd inverter/smart charger?
We are using a second vehicle powered inverter (1000 watt) that only comes on when the engine is running and the first aux switch is on. The vehicle powered inverter then powers our 2000 watt Magnum inverter/charger which charges the 400AmpHrs lithium battery bank.
Thought I would mention that on the 2017 Transit the connector for the output on the upfitter switches is no longer under the drivers seat. After pulling the seat & Batteries I searched for the connector, finding only one connector that did not match the one supplied with the modified wiring. I did more digging and found they moved it to behind the glove box, it’s still not easy to get to. You can remove the panel next to the glove box , just pull it out using the finger hole.
That’s were the other connection is for the upfitter wiring. It has a million wires with no instructions doubt I’ll need to use that one. They supplied a 30 amp fuse but no mention of were to put it.
Bought off the lot, but I would have ordered these switchs. The two left switchs use relatively simple harnesses and I plan a power point and buss bar to add circuits when needed. Will still use house and solar systems for extended stays. The right two switches use a harness well beyond my ability to imagine the possibilities, and yet I feel compelled to make every switch do something. RPG for clearing traffic? Or maybe deploy helicopter blades to gain elevation!
MATT, Any luck with a new 2017 Transit? They moved the C33-H connector behind the glove box.
The BEMM manual says C33-H has outputs positive and ground for upfitter switches 3,4
The manual is incorrect.
On C33-H I have 2 always HOT positive and 2 negative – Nothing operated by the switches.
Even the FORD FIELD ENGINEER has been unable to tell me the new outputs.
Do you know where I find the four outputs controlled by the switchs?
It’s behind the glove box on 2017s. Take a look at Otto’s comment on this post.
Yes, I know where the C33-H is located. The problem is in the REVISED BEMM Revised 05-2017, the information is incorrect.
The documentation shows upfitter switch 3 and switch 4 HOT wires are located in the C33-H. The two positive wires coming off the C33-H are HOT whether the switch is on or off.
Gotcha, yeah I’m not sure. I would ask on the Transit forum.
Thank you for the reply. Yes, I have a FORD Field Service Engineer looking at the problem and even he is confused about where they put the outputs. I think they moved all outputs for the switches to the 42 pin connector behind the glove box. But I don’t want to strip and test 42 different wires. I was hoping they would have released another service bulletin by now.
Does anyone know where the connector is located on the 2016 Transit. Also is the it the same pigtail in both locations?
Thanks,
Eric
On the 2016 Transit the connection is under the drivers seat. See the pictures in this blog post.
Thanks, found it and finished the install.
It appears that even Otto is having the problem.
Thanks for the input. I guess I am still waiting on UPDATED documentation from FORD in the form of a Service Bulletin.
Bulletin Q-250 tells the new location of C33-H connector. That documentation is also incorrect.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/non-html/Q-250.pdf
https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/non-html/2015/Transit_2015_BEMM_publication_date%2005_2017.pdf
I haven’t had a problem with the switches since I haven’t used them. I did plug the harness for the switches with the four wires into the connector behind the dash, right of the glove box. I didn’t plug the other multi wire harness in since I have no need for those circuits. I just assumed the 4 wire connector was for the Aux, switches and did not test them.
Could be I was wrong and there not for the switches. It would have been nice if Ford provided info with the wiring kit.
Have my conversion completed and just finished a 900 mile trip, averaged 20 mpg with onboard computer and by actual gallons used, both within a few tenths. 150, 3.5, w/3.31 rear, med roof 130 wb.
So far I’m very impressed with my Transit.
Otto
Palmer ,Alaska
Matt, first off thank you for all the great information. My wife and I are building our traveling home from a used 2016 Ford Transit 250 cargo van. The electric is what has had me the most perplexed. I have two 100AH AGM batteries that I want to charge from the 150 amp alternator in my van. I thought it was as simple as hooking up to the van battery with an isolater on/off switch to separate the van and house batteries when we were camping somewhere. The enormous amount of posts and videos of others doing their builds and living their dreams is astounding. I was addicted for weeks watching and soaking in everyone’s ideas. What I learned real fast is that the house electrical system IS NOT that simple. I had no idea that different batteries had different charging criteria for optimal performance. Automatic charging relays,battery to battery chargers, smart chargers, sine inverters, charge controllers. Etc etc Wow my head was spinning. Your Electrical System Build Guide was great !!!!!!!!! It taught me so much of how to do this right. I ran out to the van and looked on the door side of my drivers seat. And there it was. I never noticed that before. I pulled off the cover and found the CCP. I took off the front seat, removed the battery and found the place where 3 fused CCP s would be. Wow! How did you know to look there? I only have one 60 amp fuse. Probably because I have the one battery model instead of the 2 battery model. So here is my thinking. Do I need more than that one CCP? I know it’s not optimal but the alternator will charge my house batteries, right? I can add all the right stuff later. I can connect my house battery red lead to that CCP and the black to a ground or even to the van battery’s negative post. I will break the red lead with an on/ off switch. I will add all the other stuff later but I want to get this build done in November so we can do this bucket list trip now. The rest of the build is easy for me. What’s my hurry? One of us is growing tumors every year. Oncologist says it can’t be stopped. As long as she can survive the surgery and as long as it grows in a place they can do something , we can keep on going. Tumor markers are already detected. We expect a surgery in the spring. So we would like to travel the west in our van now. In the spring after surgery I will complete the electrical build and she will need time to recover again. Then we will be off again. We are both very fit, we travel with bikes and kayaks and to do as much of this while we still can. So if you can let me know if my thinking is correct and I am not going to fry my batteries, I would love the assurance or even words of wisdom saying NO don’t do that. Rich
No, it just limits the amount of current you can take from the van electrical system.
Technically this would probably work. But at a minimum I would use one of these https://amzn.to/2xN28TI so you don’t kill your starter battery inadvertently.
Matt. Thanks so much for the reply. I’ve been reading a lot about batteries and charging batteries and even though this simple set up would work I’ve decided I may be compromising the life of my battery in doing it. So I am going to bite the bullet and get an inverter/charger , a smart B2B charger, and a automatic charger relay. The solar set up will have to wait. I think we will do portable panels because of the kayaks. I will use your posts as guidance and I thank you so much for sharing information. The more I learn, the more I see what I don’t know. Rich and Charlotte
Hello Matt, I can’t seem to find the switches themselves; the Ford dealer here can’t find anything even tho I give him the option code. He is stuck in a loop of my van wasn’t equipped with it- I know, that why I want it! My searches aren’t much better. Could you provide a link please