Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Eco boost engine splash guard- WTF

Found my first WTH thing with my 2019 3.5 Eco boost. The Splash guard on the bottom. YGBSM It is a fibrous material, think they call it "fibersorb" . This crap will actually tear if it gets wet. Went through a bit of standing water during the recent monsoon and next day this thing is hanging under the vehicle torn from one of the corner screws. $80 to order a new one and over $250 if you want an actual metal one that would do something for ya.

Going to try and flex seal this corner for now and if it doesn't work yank it off for now.

Any downside to now having a splash guard under your engine? Someone said it protects the turbo and I am like, huh?

you don't need that chit, if you did they'd make it to where it would not be affected by water, wtf a splash guard that falls apart if it gets wet?

My work truck, a Dodge 1500, had a plastic air dam. It lasted 15 minutes the first time I was on a minesite. I tore off what remained of it and life is good. These designers must think we’re racing in nascar! Design an air dam for a 4WD truck that’s 6” off the ground?

All that [bleep] is there to help squeeze out another 1/10 of a mpg so that the manufacturers can meet required fuel standards.

I took my splash guard off the second time I changed my oil and haven’t had any troubles. It’s a 2016 3.5 Ecoboost and I have 143,000 on it already. I haven’t noticed anymore noise either, I inquired about it on the Ford F-150 forums and someone said it was for noise dampening.

That's it.

Not so much to do with splash, but more to do with air stream.

I got a stack of em here at work sitting in the corner. First time I change oil on these Fords, that's the last time they have those silly flimsy pissoshit on em.

Ford splash guard.

I took off the plastic POS splash guard to change the oil on my Tundra. It was such a SOB to get off and on that I just left it off, going on 7 years now and so far so good.

That engine got those recessed coil over plug set up in the heads???.


Man that recessed spark plug schit in that 97 f 150 Triton engine used truck I had.

What a goat fuuuk washing the engine compartment and drowning the plugs the 2nd day I had it..
Changing plugs in #8 and # 4
What a rube goldberg ratchet, extension, and socket nightmare that schitt was.
All the rest were normal and easy except for the 4 inch deep seating of in the head.

Water traps from hell is what all were...
🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️
Had to shop vac each one before pulling the plug.

Water and the early Triton engines.
Big no go....
Dont know about the later ones design or water proofing of em.
But the 97 was a abortion .
Heads form a perfect channel for water along the intake and into those recessed plug holes.
A simple diversion ridge or large rubber ring on the spark plug wire boot would have made life a little easier for owners...


That fuuuking truck was also possessed by my dead FIL I swear to god it was....

Electrical system stump the dummy games started on me 1 yr to the date he died with that truck.

He rode in that truck one time after his games basically caused me to be in a accident and total out my unicorn 04 4wd Ranger 2 months prior.
And I let him know his games resulted in me being in that accident


My 1st chevy I have ever owned has treated me well since that F 150...👍👍👍

Yep. Mine tore off the first time I ran over some brush. It was flopping around out on the highway, so I finished ripping it out. Didn't seem to affect MPG at all. I still average about 21.5 MPG, according to the computer. Ran a 400mi highway trip the other day and got 24.0MPG (2020 4x4 3.5EcoBoost w/ winch guard and leveling kit).

No plugs, I drive a diesel. ('01 Dodge w/Cummins)
No DEF.
Oil change is a bear, but simply because it requires 3 gallons of oil! 😳
Biggest mechanical issue was leaking oil pan gasket. Trip to town and back took a gallon of oil! Yikes!
Took $2.5k to get ALL pertinent seals (rear main, oil pan) replaced along with some other minor "fixes".
405K miles and still going strong.

....and yeah, I've ripped off and discarded some useless add-ons!

Tinder collector it is. Mine was always full of foxtails, can’t believe it didn’t catch fire. [bleep] canned it at some point. Traded that truck in with 360,000+ miles, not too important for the trucks function.

Renegade50,
Morning.

Yes the 4.6 & 5.4 do seem odd compared to old-school engines, the overhead cam V8's with the deep spark plug coil on plug well isn't an engine that should be cleaned the old school way. I nearly got GOT same as you, altho luckily I noticed the water around the coil [coil on plug] and vacuumed them all out.

I'd bet the new trucks have the same design, they're just smaller displacement trying to add fuel economy.
Also been warned to NOT spray water near the wiring on passenger side firewall.

I knew a Ford mechanic in the gym, he schooled me on things he saw come through the dealership, helped me out a bunch.

Several years ago I told him I was looking to buy a new truck, he told me of the many problems he's seeing. I then mentioned a 'newer' truck, the years of the 3-valve engines [nightmare].
He said , see guy that just left, then held up the Bill for me to see $2800+ valve-train repair, OUCH.

Mechanic friend drove and swore by the 97-03 model years and had bought a second truck that was a great deal. Got it from an elderly man. 12 year old truck with around 30K miles garage kept.

My 98 [bought new in 99] F-150 is the first vehicle I ever put a set of tires on, that's how often I bought new vehicles. Soon to be 24 years and still going strong.
Had one friend used a 97 4.6 f-150 NEVER maintained ANYTHING, 360K miles and his wreckless son totaled it. Another friend Gene, 98 5.4 f-150 455K miles rear gears went out.

Crazy stuff with your FIL?

I had a 4.6 1997 and same exact plug issue I think it was #8. was so deep. I was starting to strip it so I took it in. Guy took an air hose to it and blew a bunch of crap out from around it and the thing came out. Only other issue I had was my cold air idle went out on me. Was a bitch getting her home but easy to fix. The passenger window switch didn't lower or raise from the drivers side but got that fixed too. Most folks I talked to loved that engine. Gave that truck to my daughter so she and SIL and baby could finally move out of my house.

I am torn between removing this OM guard, replacing with same or getting a metal guard down there. I inherited the truck so maybe spending a few bucks isn't wrong.

kenjs1,
Front one behind dam or rear one under trans and back edge of oil pan? The front one may keep some winter chit off front of engine, but that’s about it. Have same truck from 2012. Fix it if you like, but lotta trucks out there without it. Gone. Mine, too. Like someone said, believe is to eek out a 0.01% mpg is all, no important purpose.

Just did oil last night, glad didn’t have to fight that pos rear flap. Front one not bad - it’s the awkward reach to the filter that is a pain.

They are known in some circles as the "diaper" Threw away the one on my 2018 and installed RCI skid plates.
Thought about getting the FX4 skid plate but it was rather flimsy as well so I went aftermarket.

I had a 2002 Nissan Frontier, and on a trip to South Dakota, I inadvertently ran over a tire carcass on the highway. It knocked off the plastic splash guard on the bottom of the engine compartment. Actually, it tore it half-off, and when it made a racket, I tore it all the way off. It never effected a thing, and probably let the engine run cooler. It never caused any trouble withOUT it, that's for sure.

Were those the ones they'd pull the cab to change them?

Might have been later models. I’ve got an 06, and I may well just scrap it when it needs plugs.