2022 Active Air Dam Actuator removal/replacement

[Blueskyguy]

I hit a racoon with my 2022 Expedition, breaking the active air dam. I didn't realize until I removed it to replace it that the actuator that it attaches to is also broken, and will need to be removed and replaced. It has turned out to be an expensive raccoon. The air dam itself is easy to remove. Has anyone had any experience removing and replacing the actuator?

Thanks!

 

[JimmyM]

Wait. These new Expys have active air dams!?

 

[Andy B]

Wait. These new Expys have active air dams!?

<deleted original post - though you meant air shutters>

Following. Does it also have an active air dam?

That would be dam cool.

 

[JimmyM]

I just looked on my '23 Limited. No active air dam

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

I hit a racoon with my 2022 Expedition, breaking the active air dam. I didn't realize until I removed it to replace it that the actuator that it attaches to is also broken, and will need to be removed and replaced. It has turned out to be an expensive raccoon. The air dam itself is easy to remove. Has anyone had any experience removing and replacing the actuator?

Thanks!

Your comprehensive vehicle insurance should cover the damage (minus any deductible) without giving you an “at fault” incident.

 

[JimmyM]

Huh. Says here that the 2022 comes with an active air dam.
Link to Doc

 

[m3olsen]

Huh. Says here that the 2022 comes with an active air dam.
Link to Doc

I could be wrong, but I assumed Ford meant shutters when they used the term dam.

 

[Hamfisted]

OEM Parts From Lakeland Ford Online

Gen4 Expedition Active Grill Shutter Parts Online

Is it just the lower half of the assembly? I assume the raccoon didn't jump up into the middle of the grill and damage the upper half assembly.



.

 

[POTTYJOE]

while the passenger side is not too bad ,the drivers side has one of the bolts behind the frame bracket ! good job Ford you did something stupid again, looks like the bumper cover is coming off. wtf

 

[dwmarks]

I have a 2022 Expy Limited that I noticed had a crooked smile a couple weeks ago (my driver's side actuator on the active air dam failed in the down position). I originally removed the air dam itself and was going to leave it that way, but 90% of my driving is highway. Over the course of 2 weeks, I noticed about a 2mpg loss (22 down to 20) in fuel efficiency - hey, that's 10%!! - so I decided to get it working again.

I could not find any posts about replacing these actuators or even what the part number was. After a LONG search, I found that the main reason is because the part is not called an air dam actuator at all but rather a "Side Panel Assembly." Anyway, these are the part numbers for the left & right sides:

NL1Z17626E - Driver's side - $187.23 (I bought this new-in-box on Ebay for $160 including shipping)
NL1Z17626D - Pax side - $204.80

I just had to replace the driver's side and it took me about an hour, but half of that was jacking up the truck, removing the wheel, and removing part of the fender liner to better access it. I have attached the instructions that show the specific bolts and trim pins. Simple job, but the instructions help.

A member above noted that one of the bolts was behind the frame rail. It LOOKS like it is but only PARTIALLY, so you can access the bolt by using an articulating socket extension and pushing the bumper trim forward. This creates enough space to get on the bolt and turn it. A LOT easier than removing the bumper cover.

Helpful tip: Since this only deploys >40mph, how do you verify operation? I didn't have a GoPro so I put a piece of painters tape on each side, took it for a highway spin, and when I came back, both pieces of tape were torn. Voila! Enough proof for me!

Lastly for those of you who still have an 8 year old kid in you, I removed the actual actuator from the assembly and cut the top off with a Dremel just to see what's inside. The motor is a little smaller than a 9V battery. Its connected to the air dam shaft via a spiral gear, two (plastic) reduction gears, and another spiral gear. I attached pics of that too. It has failure written all over it. Not to mention the clearance issues the air dam itself has with itself and road debris/snow/ice, as others have mentioned.

All that said, it HAS worked, unbeknownst to me, for the last 3 years, so I thought it was worth it to get it going again. Hope this helps.

 

[JimmyM]

This strange. I have a 23 Limited and I looked under the air dam and there don't appear to be any mechanisms to raise/lower it. Odd that they removed it on the 23s. huh.

 

[2022Expy-Commander]

Thanks dwmarks - I just replaced the right side active air dam actuator on my 22 Limited. The directions were spot on especially the comment about the hard to reach 10mm bolt partially blocked by a part of the frame.