Lower Air Dam Intake Duct Falls Off / Missing

[donm527]

subtle difference in bumpers if you have the rear hitch or not.

if you have the hitch you have this bumper... can you see the hitch?

with no hitch...


picture of the intake under right side front bumper...

bumper cover off...

Hitch should be easy to see Nah, don't have it, here is Sticker too;

http://services.forddirect.fordvehicles.com/inventory/WindowSticker.pdf?vin=1FMHK8F83BGA58604

We are talking about the flat black metal scoop on the bottom of the car that clips in front under and slightly in back of bumper and heads toward back of engine under car.....the one that fell off on me after the last oil change. lol

 

[cbx1047]

I change my own oil and take care when installing the air dam. I think there will be a lot of those on the roadside or hanging on by one screw because the most places that change your oil are not that careful about the job they do. stripped drain plugs, over filled oil amounts, loose filters etc. I think I will remove mine if I ever take it in for an oil change.

 

[gdecamp]

Thanks for the pics donm527! Will take a few pics this weekend!!

 

[TimGinCentralNJ]

i have had mine removed for almost 6 months now. it fell off partially when my girlfriend hit a park stop, and to prevent any further damage I just took the whole thing off.

I have yet to notice ANY change in engine temp, productivity, or MPG's. its only purpose is to catch extra air and direct it up into the engine component to help cool. IMO its not worth the trouble of ground clearance issues and coming off.

Im sure others may argue differently, but i havent had issues and i prefer the ground clearance with it off.

It also tends to fill up with sand when driving on the beach. In all honesty, I could not figure out how to take the damn thing off. Since I didn't have it on ramps when I looked, it is possible I just wasn't able to see the thumb screws (?)

Tim

 

[jonredcorn]

I just had mine in for service last week and had the first oil change and noticed today that mine only had one of the two screws back in and was hanging on one side. This makes me a little nervous. I just hope this thing lasts 5 years. haha

 

[houtzb]

I'm glad I stumbled onto this thread and thought to check for mine. It's no longer there. Put this on the list of things to check for following service.

 

[cbx1047]

After reading posts and thinking about the purpose of the transmission air dam; I think I am going to take mine off and only install it when I know I am going to be towing something during hot weather, what do you think?

 

[houtzb]

Part Number: 10494
Description: Engine Underbody Air Deflector 3.5L V6 Cyclone TIVCT With Speed Control

I always thought it was part of the tow package but maybe it's not?

 

[peterk9]

Part Number: 10494
Description: Engine Underbody Air Deflector 3.5L V6 Cyclone TIVCT With Speed Control

I always thought it was part of the tow package but maybe it's not?

It is part of the tow package. It redirects air to the back part of the engine, near the transmission.
I have the 2011 Limited w/o tow and I do not have that item. Could not find that part number on www.fordparts.com

Peter

 

[jcerrion]

After reading posts and thinking about the purpose of the transmission air dam; I think I am going to take mine off and only install it when I know I am going to be towing something during hot weather, what do you think?

ive had mine off now for about 6 months. Ive noticed no difference in engine temp or mpg. but i also have yet to tow anything. I do have the tow package.

Probably put it back on if i ever tow anything.

 

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Well, I noticed last summer while driving on the beaches of NC that this thing does a great job of getting itself filled up with wet sand.

I searched this board and others trying to find out what the damn thing was, and whether or not I was jeopardizing my Ex's "health" from it being clogged up. Had I known it's purpose only comes into play when towing, I probably would've taken it off as we don't tow with our Ex.

I WILL be taking it off before we leave on vacation this summer, for sure.....

Great thread!

Tim

 

[TIO M]

I've come to learn that everytime I go in for an oil change, they never fully rotate the wing screws. So I have just gotten on my knees and ensure that they are tighten down before I leave the dealer and pretty much annotate it on the Survey they request of me for their quality workmanship.

 

[VinceL]

Tio M! You're back!! Been a while, how are things going?

 

[TIO M]

Tio M! You're back!! Been a while, how are things going?

Hey VinceL....I'm doing good! I happy to report that my steering issue fix was a complete success. After 1500 miles while tugging my 4500lb boat and sure I maxed out my payload capacity. But the Explorer did great, even 75mph through Louisianian hills while towing....our Ex never once skipped a beat!

I'm happy to be back on the boards....I love and support Ford 100%, I even placed a special order on a new F-150 with Eco-Boost and HD payload and max trailer pack! I believe the Eco-Boost will be the key to Ford's future.

 

[VinceL]

Congrats on the new truck. You'll have to sneak some pictures on here when she comes in, lol.

 

[TIO M]

Will do! I'll be super sneaky!

 

[jonredcorn]

i may be wrong but i believe they removed this piece for the 2012 ...?

No. My base 2012 with towing has it.

 

[jonredcorn]

Air Scoop hanging after oil change

Here is my story:

Four days after an oil change, I noticed that the front right (passenger) side half-turn screw that holds on the Air Dam (air scoop) was missing so that it was hanging with 2/3 screws holding it up.

I brought this in to the dealer the following Saturday (March 10th, 2012) and had them look at it. They said they had no parts in stock, so it was zip-tied up and I was told they would order me a new screw for me and ship it to my house.

1.5 weeks pass, so today I called my dealer and asked why I hadn't received the screw. They investigated for a few hours and have now called back claiming that:
1) These screws and air dam are not taken off during an oil change
2) You cannot order the screws individually and the entire air dam / air scoop must be ordered to get the screws (claiming this part is around $500 for a replacement)

My dealer is having me bring it in when I can and wants to personally take a look at it and determine what he thinks happened. He mentioned that these screws seem very flimsy and could easily fall off and wants to investigate this to find out if Ford has a TSB on this or if a TSB should be created and this issue should be investigated further.

I hope to bring the car in this weekend, but live an hour away from the dealer. Wish me luck. I'll keep everyone posted when I know more. I have pictures in case anyone is interested.

Maybe it makes more sense to take this junk off until actually towing to avoid replacing $500 plastic pieces from this truck.

 

[Hidef]

I have taken mine off twice to change the oil and never had a problem with it coming loose or falling off.

 

[houtzb]

I was quoted $86 for the air dam. I think the screws might be around $12 a piece. I've PM'd Cory but haven't received a response.

Here is my story:

Four days after an oil change, I noticed that the front right (passenger) side half-turn screw that holds on the Air Dam (air scoop) was missing so that it was hanging with 2/3 screws holding it up.

I brought this in to the dealer the following Saturday (March 10th, 2012) and had them look at it. They said they had no parts in stock, so it was zip-tied up and I was told they would order me a new screw for me and ship it to my house.

1.5 weeks pass, so today I called my dealer and asked why I hadn't received the screw. They investigated for a few hours and have now called back claiming that:
1) These screws and air dam are not taken off during an oil change
2) You cannot order the screws individually and the entire air dam / air scoop must be ordered to get the screws (claiming this part is around $500 for a replacement)

My dealer is having me bring it in when I can and wants to personally take a look at it and determine what he thinks happened. He mentioned that these screws seem very flimsy and could easily fall off and wants to investigate this to find out if Ford has a TSB on this or if a TSB should be created and this issue should be investigated further.

I hope to bring the car in this weekend, but live an hour away from the dealer. Wish me luck. I'll keep everyone posted when I know more. I have pictures in case anyone is interested.

Maybe it makes more sense to take this junk off until actually towing to avoid replacing $500 plastic pieces from this truck.