The Ford Transit can be ordered with the optional Auxiliary Upfitter Switches, which are located on the center console between the driver and passenger seat. Each Upfitter Switch can provide a 12V output to an auxiliary load, such as Air Lift Spring Kit Compressor (faroutride.com/air-lift-install), an exterior LED bar, etc. The switches behavior and wiring is different prior/post year 2020, and this guide will cover both.
1. Ford Transit 2020+
HEADS UP!
Most of the information we present below can be found in the Ford Transit Body and Equipment Mounting Manual (BEMM) available on Ford Body Builder Advisory Service website. We found some discrepancies between the BEMM and our van, these discrepancies were also found by other folks (per this post on FordTransitUSAforum.com). Please note that Ford SVE Bulletin Q-325 correction to BEMM is in line with the information presented below.
1.1. Overview
| SWITCH | FUSE | CONNECTOR | WIRE COLOR |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUX 1 | 20A | 43-PIN | Yellow |
| AUX 2 | 40A | 6-PIN | Blue/Red |
| AUX 3 | 40A | 6-PIN | Red/Yellow |
| AUX 4 | 20A | 43-PIN | Green/Brown |
1.2. Behavior
The default behavior for all auxiliary switches is to be “powered at ignition only” (when key is in “run” position) in order to prevent a full discharge of the battery. Optionally, the behavior can be changed to “powered at all time” by the jumper fuse F15 relocation from position A to position B as shown below:
Per BEMM Jumper F15 is set to Position A (Powered at ignition) from factory. In our van, Jumper F15 was set to Position B (Powered at all time) from factory.
1.3. Gain Access
Here is how to gain access to the Auxiliary Fuse Panel (to relocate Jumper Fuse F15 if needed) and how to gain access the Auxiliary Switches Power Output (to wire your auxiliary loads):
1.3.1. Release the Glove Box Door
Press inward on the glove box (on both sides) to disengage the retaining tabs, then lower the door all the way. We weren’t able to make it work by hand, so we used a wrench to pry the sides:
You’ll then be able to lower the glove box door all the way down (notice the tabs in the photo below). At this point, you can also remove the cover located in the storage below the cup holder:
You can now see the Auxiliary Fuse Panel (A526) and the High Specification Vehicle Interface Connector:
1.3.2. Get proper lighting!
It’s dark in there. We got these LED lights; they’re small and you can fit them anywhere! We’re using them all the time in the van during our conversion:
1.3.3. Free the High Specification Vehicle Interface Connector
Pull back on the connector to free it from the Auxiliary Fuse Panel’s cover. It’ll make things easier a bit later. The High Specification Vehicle Interface Connector is used to connect loads to the AUX 1 (20A) and AUX 4 (20A), but we’ll come back to this a bit later:
1.3.4. Remove the Auxiliary Fuse Panel’s Cover
Press the tab on the left side of the cover:
Press the tab on the right side of the cover:
Look what we got here. We finally made it to the Auxiliary Fuse Panel A526:
Enhanced. Here is the Jumper Fuse F15. Ours was set to “Position B” from factory:
And just above the aux fuse panel, we have the High Capacity Auxiliary Switch Output (C33-H). Pull it UP to detach and free it:
The High Capacity Auxiliary Switch Output (C33-H) will be used to connect loads to AUX 2 (40A) and AUX 3 (40A).
1.4. Wiring
Now that we gained access to the connectors, we can wire our load(s) to the Auxiliary Upfitter Switches. You will need the following wiring harnesses; both are provided with your van (we found ours in the glove box compartment):
- 43-Pin High Specification Vehicle Interface Harness (P/N: KTHK4V14A11BB): AUX 1 and AUX4.
- 6-Pin High Capacity Auxiliary Switch Output Harness C33-H (P/N: HK4V14A411JA): AUX 2 and AUX 3.
Can’t find your harnesses? You can buy them from your local Ford dealer (see part numbers above) or Buy on eBay.
1.4.1. AUX 1 and AUX 4 Wiring
AUX 1 and AUX 4 upfitter switches are wired via the High Specification Vehicle Interface (43-Pin Connector). First things first, the interface (in the glove box) comes from factory with a “blank” cover. Remove it:
Press the button in the middle, then flip the white thingy:
You can now remove the “blank” cover:
At this point we could simply connect the provided harness, then connect our load to AUX 1 (yellow wire) and/or AUX 4 (green/brown wire). But we would have a bunch of unused wires hanging around, that harness is quite bulky. That could work, but we’ll go for the clean install and transfer the YELLOW and GREEN/BROWN wire to the “blank” connector we removed in the previous step. This way we only have the wires we need:
Remove the white part by pulling it away:
Voilà:
Use the tip of a (very) small flat screwdriver, or alternatively unfold and cut the end of a bobby pin (works great!):
Insert and press the tiny lever up to disengage the wire from the harness. Pull on the wire to remove it from the connector:
Simply insert the yellow wire and green wire into PIN-1 and PIN2 of the “blank” connector:
Reinstall the white plastic part and the connector is ready to go in the van!
And into the van it goes:
1.4.2. AUX 2 and AUX 3 Wiring
AUX 2 and AUX 3 upfitter switches are wired via the High Capacity Auxiliary Switch Output Harness (C33-H, 6-Pin Connector). First things first, the interface (in the glove box) comes from factory with a “blank” cover. Remove it:
The C33-H harness doesn’t have to be modified, we simply connected it to the van as-is:
1.4.3. Job Closeout
We won’t be connecting loads to our auxiliary upfitter switches at the moment, so we reinstalled the connectors and the auxiliary fuse panel cover back until we’re ready to wire them. See you next time!
1.5. Routing
We recently added an Air Lift suspension kit (faroutride.com/air-lift-install) to our van and wired it to the Upfitter Switch #2. Here is how we routed the wire from the cabin into the glove box:
Pull up on the plastic cover between the passenger and driver seat to remove it:
Prepare the wiring harness by adding 3/8″ split loom tubing around it. Route the wiring harness behind the driver seat, between the seats (temporarily remove the two nuts with a M8 socket and pull up to make some room), then inside the passenger seat pedestal (no need to remove the seat):
We routed the harness like so:
The wiring harness can then be routed into the glove box compartment at the very back:
1.6. Upfitter Switches Cover
The upfitter switches are located between the driver and passenger seats on the Ford Transit, and we were often unintentionally switching them ON/OFF with our knees when circulating… We came up with our own solution to solve this mildly irritating problem:
Ford Transit 2015-2019
Each switch is ignition supplied (they only work when the key is in “run” position) and can provide a 12V/20A max output to an auxiliary load (such as an Air Lift Spring Kit Compressor, Exterior LED Bar, etc.).
To wire auxiliary loads to the switches, you will have to order the Motorcraft Upfitter Switch Wiring Pigtail C33-H (Part Number WPT-1408). It is NOT provided with the van! Without it, you don’t have access to the output of the switches:
Now, let’s get the driver seat out of the way because this is where we access the switches output. There are four screws to remove; two in the back of the seat:
and two screws in the front of the seat:
Don’t take the seat off yet! We still have to detach the electrical harness:
We’re now going to take the batteries cover off. We have the dual batteries option; your setup might be different!
Remove those two screws to free the metal plate:
Here is the C33-H connector! We will connect our WPT-1408 pigtail to it.
While we’re here, if you ever blow one of the Upfitter Auxiliary Switch 20A fuse, this is where to replace it (see Fuse Panel in the picture above).
The WPT-1408 Wiring Pigtail kit comes with four crimp splices and shrink tubes, but we decided to install female quick-release terminal instead. This way, we can easily add or change the loads in the future:
We can now connect the WPT-1408 Wiring Pigtail Kit into the C33-H connector:
Now turn the ignition on and flip those switches up!
(you can use a multimeter to find out what switch power what wire…)
I have a 2023 Transit Van with the 4 upfitter switches I installed as in your instructions and have the F15 fuse number in the always on setting position B “powered at all time” ( My van had it in that position from factory ) . So the ignition does not have to be on, with ignition off the switches still light up and provide power, but it times out after 10 – 20 min. I would like them to be Always on and not timeout. Any way to do this?
I also purchased your 3D printed switch cover ( outstanding product )
With the wiring for auxiliary switches in the cabin, how do I route wire from aftermarket daytime running lights in the engine compartment? 2019 Transit 350HD. I found the rats nest of wires behind the panel under the passenger cupholder. It’s just a bundle with no connector.
Hello and thank you for this guide!
Warren makes the point in a previous comment that the “always on” configuration isn’t actually always on because the battery protection system shuts off the power to those switches after 70 minutes. Is there a way to wire these so that doesn’t happen? I’d like to wire my roof rack lights to three of these switches, and I don’t want to have to turn the van’s ignition on before turning on the lights in the middle of the night if I hear a strange noise outside my van. My van is a 2023.
Should I just wire the roof rack lights to the house batteries instead?
If we only need the yellow and green/brown wires out of the larger harness for switches 1 and 4, what are all the other wires for?
Thanks to anyone who can help with these questions!
In a comment above, Warren says that “always on” won’t truly be always on because the battery protection system will kill power to these
switches after about 70 minutes. Can anyone confirm that this is true, and let me know if there is a way around it? I have a 2023 Transit.
I want to wire roof rack lights to three of these switches, and I want to be able to turn them on in the middle of the night if I hear a noise outside without first turning on the ignition switch in the van. Is this going to be impossible? Would it be smarter to wire roof rack lights directly into the house batteries instead?
Also, what is the purpose of all the additional wires in the large wiring harness if you only need the yellow and green wires?
Thanks to anyone who has time to answer!
hi Kate,
Did you find a solution to the “always on” switch turning off after about 70 minutes. I have the same issue and would like to keep them really “Always ON”.
Hi guys , is the connector down the side of the battery under the seat connected to the up fitter switches . I am trying to connect a 12 v dc charger to a house battery in rear of van . I have 3 harnesses that came with a new 2024 van . Thx for any advice you have
I have a 2018 with the Upfitter Switches installed from the factory. My van came with the High Specification Vehicle Interface and the High-Capacity Auxiliary Switch Output harnesses. Although the Auxiliary fuse box isn’t present in the 2018, the High Specification Vehicle Interface is present behind the glovebox and does provide switched power, but for Aux Switch 1 and Switch 2.
I have a 2023 Transit 350 Trail AWD and the directions that you have provided are extremely helpful in connecting my auxiliary switch panel. My question is: where did you access a ground port for connecting the items that will be powered by 20a switches #1 and #4 ?
Thank you.
Switch #2 and #3 (40A) have a ground in the connector. I just connected the Air Lift system to Switch #2: https://faroutride.com/air-lift-install/
But Switch #1 and #4 don’t have ground in the connector. I think I would simply use any ground in the cabin or cargo. For instance, there is a ground point in between the driver and passenger seat; i’d probably use that.
Unfortunately ‘always powered’ is not accurate. The battery protection system turns off power to the Upfitter Switches after about 70min. I confirmed this and it appears to happen to others also. So. if considering wiring a Maxxair fan (as I did) it won’t run all night. 🙁
https://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/threads/utilizing-2020-ford-transit-upfitter-switches.82680/page-2
“The overall result is that the Permanent Power on appears to be controlled by the Battery Guard function. At F1 all switches are cold if the key is not in K2, then hot, pretty much end of story. At F2 switches go hot only when K2 switched and then stay hot in all key positions including K0 until the timeout on the BG function kicks in, which seems to be 75 min, then all go cold until a reset by K2. This is the same behavior as the CCP2 175 A connection whereas the CCP1 60A connection is truly always hot.
Hello Warren,,
Did you find a solution to the “always on” switch turning off after about 70 minutes. I have the same issue and would like to keep them really “Always ON”. Any way to keep them from timing out at 70 – 75min?
Many thanks! You make it seem clear and easy. Me with my big hands. I dunno. But I followed your file for taking off the A pillar and got my wires down to the glove box. Great for my 75 year old brain. Onward and upward!
Your most non-engineer… 🙂
WIthout the dummy harness or the fully wired High Specification Vehicle Interface (43-Pin Connector) in place many of the interior functions like heat / fan and heated seats won’t power.
The images and text were really helpful working on my 2023 van. It’s really a tight space behind the glove box. Thank you!
My wires for the High Specification Vehicle Interface for the aux switches were different colors. I followed your diagram of the plug’s pins to choose the proper wires.
The arrow in your image for the latch to the fuse box didn’t work for me. The one below your arrow did work. I could not get to the right side of the fuse box at all due to some other component. But I could open the case enough to see jumper F15 was set to B on all the time.
I unwrapped the fabric tape and pulled out the wires I needed, then wrapped it back up. I didn’t want to mess with the original harnesses.
BTW, on the other side in the engine bay there is a small oval rubber grommet that is a convenient passthrough to the area behind the glove box. It’s located between the large round grommet with a thick bundle of wires and the orange antenna cable grommet. I pulled the oval grommet out with some needle nose pliers and fished a wire through.
It was also interesting to find behind the glove box the cabin air filter in the long horizontal box. I can imagine that will need to be changed once in a while.
I too have 2023 Van and also could not readily access the right side of the fuse box given its location. Please post any solution you find. Thanks.
I have the 2019 transit and did not come with the upfitter switches, I purchased the switches and the pigtail for under the seat. could you please advise where the wire harness is located to plug into the back of the switches? I can not locate it
thanks for all your info
Bonjour Isabelle et Antoine.
Just to share that I have a Transit 2022 AWD with the electric parking brake and found out that there is no such connector (C-33H) with that version. Not sure which option combo I took to end up with the electric parking brake though. I don’t mind as it is also opening options underneat but this mean that I will have to go the other route and access the other connectors behind the glove comparment. Just to share.
Salut, J’ai trouvé un transit 2021 avec seulement une batterie sans l’option Upfitter… es ce que c’est possible de l’aménager pour installer l’alternateur? Par exemple ajouté une batterie? Merci
Hi I have a 2019 transit. The upfitter switches look identical to the ones shown in the upfitter switch guard. I would like the purchase it but I wanted to know if you think the upfitter switch guard will fit a 2019, since the description says it for 2020+. Thank you.
Hi,
The mating surface is slightly curved on previous Transit years (2015-2019) and the cover unfortunately doesn’t fit. I tried making a cover for 2015-2019 Transit but I couldn’t come up with a satisfactory finished product 🙁
Hello Isabelle and Antoine!
We have been inspired by your excellent van conversion site and adventures. We bought a 2021 Transit (WonderBus) and have been several camping excursions for over a year as work allows. Fantastic experiences! We are now getting some professional help with the simple “rolling tent concept” enhancement. We did order the Upfitter Switches and a wiring harness with the van. We are also curious about utilizing the switches for things like perhaps the MaxxAir fan or any smart moves for the 4 switches. Do you have any more insight into resources for the 2021 machine? Thank you!
We have a 2021 arriving 9-15-21. Can’t find any infor about how to use the benefits of the dual battery, dual alternator, Upfitter Interface Modul, Upfitters Pkg that has modified vehicle wiring system, auxiliary Fuse Panel and how to use all of this to make it easier to add power to our van. Do you have suggestions, or know where we can get more infor. Thanks in advance., U
LarryI have same question. Have you found any info anywhere?