Disconnecting Active Grill Shutters Ford F150 RaptorExpedition Lincoln Navigator

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted by Navi
Disabling the shutters...changing thermostat has been going on now since they put them into the vehicles. I found a thread dated 2014 talking about the 170 degree thermostat.

Reische offers a lot of information on their 170 degree thermostat.

https://reischeperformance.com/WhyLowTemp.html



Literally the first line:

Quote

Will I benefit from a low temperature thermostat?
A lot of people ask me this question and the short answer is... probably. But typically I don't recommend one if your engine is still running on the stock tuning.


Yet here you are

 

[Cujet]

I think Navi would really enjoy a good tune on his Ecoboost. That really wakes them up and increases the satisfaction index markedly.

 

[1978elcamino]

My f150 has grill shutters and believe it or not I can tell a difference in the AC temp during the summer heat when they open. Mine has the 5.0 and still has those shutters.

 

[Navi]

Im not certain the opening or closing schedule of the shutters. Ive had the AC on and the coolant temperature is hitting 220+.
However now the active shutters are disconnected seems like its impossible. Ive been running this configuration for a few hundred miles and I can say if you tow, tune, race etc and heat is your concern...you feel like you overheating you might want to look at this setup.

To be fair the manufacturer of the 170 degree thermostat states its really for modified vehicles and explains its purpose. So that said I feel like Im running too cool and will move up to a 180 degree thermostat. I will be ordering it over the Ford parts website. There are counterfeit thermostats and you want to go with Motorcraft. If you order the one for a 2019 Lincoln MKT Livery 3.7 liter you will get a geniune 180 degree thermostat.

The active shutters probably should be connected in below freezing conditions.

I want the coolant range to land between 190-200. The current configuration seems to have a range of 175 to 198. Only in the 190s when pushing it hard.

 

[Navi]

The engine does feel peppier running cooler btw...

 

[MNgopher]

If we really wanted to blow the op's mind, we'd show him how to actually monitor their positions. Sounds like its just the engine is too hot for my liking, so they are bad.

In practice on my F150, the shutters:

Default to roughly 1/3 open in temps below 35F due to icing concerns.

Open wide when the ac or defroster with ac are on initially, and when stopped and running. Under cruise they open and close depending on ac load. Closed meaning still open around 10-15 percent.

Engine temps on my truck are typically 204 ish under cruise, with runs up over 215 on occasion when the ac isn't running. Cooler with ac as the electric fan is running.

Open 1]/2 way when coming to a full stop.

Typical position cruising is 10-20 percent open, depending on turbo load.

Just going to disagree that temps over 200f are detrimental. The last 4 modular v8s I had all ran around 200. My old 88 Cherokee regularly ran 200+.

 

[Navi]

I know the shutters have various positions and such. However no matter how they open or when they open the truck seems to zoom up pretty quickly at times to 220+ under the driving I put it under. Let me correct you on something. This isnt about the "engine is too hot for my liking". That is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. I drive 70000+ miles per year and there have been a number of major repairs performed on the vehicle such as the 10R80 falling out at 70000 miles, the turbos going out and the fuel injectors going out. I dont put those miles on in Minnesota, but I put them on in New York City.

My transmission fluid temperature has been a lot lower as a result of these changes. I was going to look in the morning how the transmission cooler lines are routed. I dont think transmission fluid temperatures zooming up past 200 is good for a transmission. This particular transmission seems weaker than the 6 speed it replaced.

Thus with the amount of problems Ive had with the truck Im looking for solutions like thicker oil, cooling the truck down, etc. Ive been around cars a long time and Ive never heard any experts say that hotter temperatures lead to more reliable engines and transmissions. The shutters in particular seem to contribute to wild temperature spikes. For example, Im cruising along and the temperature is high 190s then I hit a little bit of traffic and I guess the shutters are closing or repositioning for some reason then the temperature spikes up 210+. The spike to 220+ most especially worries me. When the coolant temperature spikes the transmission temperature seems to spike with it. My understanding of ATF temperature is the higher it gets over 200 the more quickly it breaks down. I know varnish forms at around 220.

When the shutters are completely disconnected I dont see any spikes at all and the temperature acts the way I am normally used to on a car. The only reason behind the shutters is emissions and slightly more mpg. They are not there to make the truck more reliable.

My general opinion of this truck is Ford needs to go back to the drawing board on reliability. Im hoping in newer models a lot of the problems have been resolved.

 

[PimTac]

What is the weight of this truck?

 

[Navi]

When someone says truck as in light truck a good rule of thumb is to assume 6000 lbs.

 

[Navi]

I did a 130 mile ride the other way. On a 40 mile stretch I put it on "Conserve" mode and cruise control at 70 mph and was able to achieve 24 mpg which isnt bad for this truck. Then I hit traffic and there was some manuevering involved so I put it into "Excite" mode and the truck seemed to love the lower coolant temperature. Throttle response was excellent and the engine felt more powerful. When coolant goes north of 200 just feels like the engine is getting strangled.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by Navi
When someone says truck as in light truck a good rule of thumb is to assume 6000 lbs.




I wouldn't call it a truck to start with. It's a SUV.

I wasn't sure if this was a stretched out version or had any mods done to the body.


I don't assume anything. Good luck with this problematic vehicle.

 

[Navi]

Pretty much the Expedition/Navigator are similar engine and transmission wise. Framewise too. There are notable differences like the independent suspension. The F150 has more engine choices. Ive experienced the same engine problems as F150 owners.

 

[meep]

Hey Navi, have you looked into the cooling fan programming? This may be a good thing for you. If I'm not mistaken, there's a gap where ford lets things get good and hot before ramping the fans up. Shutters open, t-stat opens, then they wait a bit before hitting it with the higher fan speeds. Some folks have found more consistent temp control by bringing the curve forward so the fans come in sooner. That might go a long way in reducing the spikes - this may be what you are seeing.

 

[MNgopher]

Lots of "it feels like" or I guess etc... going on here. Things to ponder: Where is the thermostat in this application and how does it function compared to older vehicles you are attempting to compare to? Hint: Is it on the outlet side like old thermostats or is it on the inlet side trying to maintain an intake temp to the engine? How might that change the temps you see?

I'm running a 6R unit that's been running temps you don't like (ie over 200) for 14 years now... Trans fluids have changed, as have their builds. Being at 200 used to be a bad sign. Now, its normal operating temp...

 

[Navi]

Im happy with the setup as it is now to be honest. The transmission fluid temperature is not getting over 200 degrees. My buddy just called me up and he has a 2019 Navigator L. He told me his transmission was bumping around and not sounding good. His trans fluid temp got to 230 degrees and fluid was pouring out of the vent/overflow hole. I am familiar with this condition because when I took it to the dealership to get the fluid changed they apparently did not perform the exacting procedure of checking the underbody dipstick at the precise temperature...they just filled it up to the top and when the fluid expanded to a certain point it blew forcefully out of the vent hole. He was feeling the engine lagging a bit at these temperatures. My transmission was replaced at 70000 miles during the summer of 2019 and at about 100k I had the fluid changed by the dealership. It might have been a futile attempt at trying to extend the transmission life, but I thought I might try.

Right now everything appears fine to me as I have it setup. I was driving around earlier and the outside temperature was nearly 100 but the transmission temp didnt go past 200 degrees. How is the trans temp related to the coolant temp? There is a trans cooler which is inside the radiator. Now that the shutters are open air is hitting it all the time whereas before the shutters would open and close according to whatever algo they got in there. I dont need to hook the car up to Forscan to figure out when the shutters are closed. When the temperature spikes is when I know they are partially or fully closed. If the shutters stay open I dont experience any spikes.

The 10R80 is weaker than the previous 4 and 6 speeds. All these transmissions 4, 6 or 10 speed are the same when it comes to temperature. The greater temperature, the greater chance of problems. Ford and GM like to run them hot to squeeze more mpg out of them, but that harms reliability. I think my buddies transmission will flat out fail soon if he doesnt disconnect the shutters. It sounds like its getting there.

I think as we get into cooler temperatures in the fall I will revisit this and thats if I still have this vehicle. Right now just trying to get through the summer without something blowing up through this heatwave. Sounds like my buddy might blow something up with his 230 degree temperature and atf pouring out of the vent.

 

[Navi]

My advice to anyone who thinks their F150, Raptor, Navigator or Expedition is running too hot like in its getting past 220 degrees and weird things are happening like the transmission is acting weird to disconnect the active shutters. Its a simple exercise and you can reconnect it again. The trick part is removing those plastic rivets to get off the trim cover as I pointed in the photos. There is a tendency for people to use the wrong tools like a screw driver than you destroy the rivets, the upper trim cover or both or put unsightly scratches on them. In the photos Im using the right tool for the job and I think they have it down at pep boys and on Amazon. The plastic rivets and upper trim cover are fairly expensive and you dont want to put nasty scars into it.

As for the check engine light, it doesnt come on in my vehicle, but Im not sure about other years, vehicles, etc. I know some people have taken out the actual vanes of the shutters and that worked for them too, but its tricky to put the vanes back in. Therefore I think simply squeezing on the connector and pulling is the simplest best way to do this.

Lets face it 220+ is too hot and if the truck is making noises, trans shifting funny and engine has become sluggish at those temps thats not a good sign. My truck feels strong in the 190s but at higher temps like a slug and heats up quick when you jump on the throttle.

 

[WylieCoyote]

Focus ST owners routinely remove or disable the shutters, as they interfere with airflow to the intercooler. Simply unplugging the shutters yields a CEL on the Focus, so most guys are removing the entire shutter assembly, removing the motor from the assembly, securing it somewhere out of sight behind the grille, while leaving it connected. The computer thinks it's operating the shutters, and all is well.