2008 Lower Air Dam Out of Place?

[jimz]

Sometimes we have cats crawl onto the motor. I have been in the habit of slapping the hood, especially in cool/cold weather to give them a head start against the cooling fan hits them in the tail. I blame this problem on them but not sure if it is really their fault.

At the bottom of the radiator there is a fiber board (?) inserted to direct air through the radiator, I think. The problem is the other end of this dam is loose and the weight of cats made it drop down. When I tried to replace this piece the two plastic fasteners would not reach the holes in the frame. This makes the dam look like it is not the right one for this car. Maybe a bad repair from front end damage with the wrong part just jammed in place.

Question number one: Am I even calling this piece by the correct name?
Question number two: How important is it or can it be removed?
Question number three: Where can I find the right part number for this part for this car?

I will try to show some pics and hope they will help.

Next shows the air dam tucked above a metal dam. Not where it should go but keeps it from hanging below car.


The next shows the fastener and no hole to go in close by.


The lower picture is looking up at the radiator, between grille and radiator.


I have tucked the dam behind the curved metal guard in the lower picture.

I

 

[Don Hall]

Click on the explosion diagram.....may help(?):

https://www.getoemparts.com/oem-par...00?c=bT0xJmw9MSZuPVJlY29tbWVuZGVkIFByb2R1Y3Rz

 

[jimz]

Click on the explosion diagram.....may help(?):

https://www.getoemparts.com/oem-par...00?c=bT0xJmw9MSZuPVJlY29tbWVuZGVkIFByb2R1Y3Rz

I have the retainers. Well I have four out of five that are needed. I need to see the fiber piece they fasten to the frame. Seems it is wrong or not installed where needed. Thanks!

 

[mquick5]

Isn't that the flap, you loosen to access the oil filter?

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[Don Hall]

....... I need to see the fiber piece they fasten to the frame.............

CLICK ON AND ENLARGE THE DIAGRAMS TO THE LEFT......ALL PIECES ARE SHOWN.

https://www.getoemparts.com/oem-par...00?c=bT0xJmw9MSZuPVJlY29tbWVuZGVkIFByb2R1Y3Rz

 

[jimz]

Isn't that the flap, you loosen to access the oil filter?

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

No. This is directly under the cooling fan, which is in front of the motor block. Under the car there is the radiator and behind that is the blade shroud and then the motor block. This piece goes from under the radiator and to the frame crossmember that is under the cooling fan shroud. The curved aluminum flashing is on the chassis cross member and under the fan shroud.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

That's the splash shield and it's somewhat important as it keeps everything under there from getting soaked. I doubt the cats had anything to do with its migration. It's more likely that someone servicing the vehicle removed it and failed to put it back properly. It loops back up in its intended position. It's 1:20AM here and temp in the single digits, so I'm not inclined to go take a photo of mine at this very moment.

 

[jimz]

That's the splash shield and it's somewhat important as it keeps everything under there from getting soaked. I doubt the cats had anything to do with its migration. It's more likely that someone servicing the vehicle removed it and failed to put it back properly. It loops back up in its intended position. It's 1:20AM here and temp in the single digits, so I'm not inclined to go take a photo of mine at this very moment.

Good to see you have your priorities straight even if you can't do anything about outside temps. Being inside is worth a lot at temps like that. Hope you didn't get all that snow.

I did try to loop the piece back up into place but the A/C hoses are stopping the fasteners from reaching the holes. Maybe that is the repair that was done. I saw a sensor that could be a crash sensor or something and my guess is it needed to stay clean if
not dry.

My other idea was that if this is the right piece but the hoses are out of place then I might can adjust for the hoses to get fasteners to their original holes. Or, maybe the place I have it tucked in will be good enough.

It looks like the entire engine compartment is left to the elements. Not like "the old days" when the motor was protected by flexible flashings to keep water spray out. I looked in and the spark-plugs have been sitting full of water from road spray. I did use air to blow the dirt and rust out and was going to use WD-40 on the rust. Didn't know if it would make plugs loose or not so have waited on that.


I do like my Ford, BUT, I find it not so well made as past Fords. Electrical connectors that are not weather proof but exposed to elements. Computers placed where water enters compartment and soaks them. Plugs allowed to sit under water and designed to break when being replaced. Electronics that go haywire like the CD changer that searches for CD until Hell freezes over or the battery goes dead, whichever comes first. Or the cheap paint job that is thinner than paper and has open cracks that show the primer below. It just seems like the design teams went brain dead when designing this vehicle. But! On the positive side, when I hook a load to it the load is going anywhere I want so I have ignored the problems. So far.


This morning I go to close the rear door and it would not latch. I closed the door and heard the lock try to engage but then unlock and I could open door without pressing buttons to open. Just another crazy electronic "glitch" in the land of Ford, I guess. Good it finally cleared and started working the way it should. Hard to chase dumb stuff that is not consistent.

 

[jimz]

I finally solved the problem. Thanks for old pictures on this site. The shield was to go forward and I tried to make it fit backwards. I'm waiting.

This is the picture I needed to see. Hope the link works here.

https://www.expeditionforum.com/media/this-is-what-needs-to-come-off.703/

 

[Trainmaster]

Great picture! Can't believe you found that. As ManUp said, it's 8 degrees her, so I'm not going under my '08 to look today either, but I do remember messing with that shield and the end pins. I recall solving the same mystery.

The shroud is to assist in cooling.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

I finally solved the problem. Thanks for old pictures on this site. The shield was to go forward and I tried to make it fit backwards. I'm waiting.

This is the picture I needed to see. Hope the link works here.

https://www.expeditionforum.com/media/this-is-what-needs-to-come-off.703/

I came back to see if you still needed a photo. Glad you got it sorted.

 

[jimz]

Great picture! Can't believe you found that. As ManUp said, it's 8 degrees her, so I'm not going under my '08 to look today either, but I do remember messing with that shield and the end pins. I recall solving the same mystery.

The shroud is to assist in cooling.

Yes, for not going out with low temps. One nice thing about Florida is the lows do not last long or are they so low. This morning it felt like 38 and I had the heavy coat on.

That picture shows some shrouds at either side of the radiator and I'll have to double check them since the one on the driver's side seems out of place compared to the one on the passenger side.

Since the fasteners did not look broken it makes me wonder what happened since dealer said no damage to car when I bought it. Might have lied, me thinks. Someone repaired with new parts on the front and did not get at least two pieces where they belonged.

Also, the problem I have with the rapid turn signal and now the suspect front end damage makes me want to double check driver side sockets for physical damage. The one picture here has started lots of ideas. Glad I finally spent some time looking at pictures.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

That picture shows some shrouds at either side of the radiator and I'll have to double check them since the one on the driver's side seems out of place compared to the one on the passenger side.

Since the fasteners did not look broken it makes me wonder what happened since dealer said no damage to car when I bought it. Might have lied, me thinks. Someone repaired with new parts on the front and did not get at least two pieces where they belonged.

Also, the problem I have with the rapid turn signal and now the suspect front end damage makes me want to double check driver side sockets for physical damage. The one picture here has started lots of ideas. Glad I finally spent some time looking at pictures.

I came across a lot of Expeditions with obvious accident damage when I was shopping and for many of them, the CarFax was clean. Heck, I hit a deer in my wife's car and then 1 year later my mom backed into it while it was in our driveway. The CarFax was clean because no police report was ever filed for either incident. And dealers will of course hide anything and everything they can.

 

[Trainmaster]

I recall that mine was apart like yours and mine never hit anything. They may have either not been assembled at the factory or just fell out.

 

[jimz]

I came across a lot of Expeditions with obvious accident damage when I was shopping and for many of them, the CarFax was clean. Heck, I hit a deer in my wife's car and then 1 year later my mom backed into it while it was in our driveway. The CarFax was clean because no police report was ever filed for either incident. And dealers will of course hide anything and everything they can.

I think sometimes even dealers will take in a damaged car, for whatever reason. and fix it without filing a damage report so car sells as new, undamaged. Greed does make the world go round.

 

[jimz]

I recall that mine was apart like yours and mine never hit anything. They may have either not been assembled at the factory or just fell out.

I think this car was assembled in Mexico and might not be up to past American standards (I know a bad politically incorrect attitude). When looking at the fasteners the barbs on them did not look to have been pulled so maybe never inserted. And, the panel only had two fasteners instead of the three the number of hole indicates is needed.

I just happened to be sitting where I could see this piece hanging down so no telling how long or for whatever reason it had dropped down. One thing that is for sure is that this car is not, was not, assembled as it should have been. Either on the assembly line or in a dealership, Ford, or a shop somewhere did sloppy work.