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Air dam……. It

Shawnson

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didn’t get the raccoons insurance info?
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djstough

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That’s good to know. What made you go through the hassle of a claim to fix it? Did you notice range loss ?
It is a lease, so I had to fix it. Unscientifically, I noticed no performance difference.
 

Tomwilli2025

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I removed mine because of an object I hit on the road. I did NOT notice any efficiency loss. Took less than 10 minutes and no error codes.
 

fvineyard

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I lost my air dam to a tire retread as well. I have taken mine off for now as most of my daily driving is in town at 45 MPH or less. I eventually plan to replace it. Maybe later this fall. Pricing for the air dam and drivers side actuator is around $437. Looks like a job I can do myself (I hope). Either the air dam or a Mongoose programmer is next on my wish list... still mulling over that choice.

In case others are interested in part numbers, this is what I got from my Ford Dealer. I have found better pricing online, but the air dam is a bit expensive to ship. Even with shipping the pricing is better. My biggest concern is will I get the right part. Parts listing show two versions and I have no easy way to confirm it is the right part when ordering online.

Both have a description of "panel" but the 17616 H is the drivers side actuator.

Ford F-150 Lightning Air dam……. It 1725915541146-w6


Hoping I can negotiate a better price with my local dealer by leveraging the online Ford dealer pricing. Wish me luck.
 

AZT9

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I recently removed everything and opted for the Raptor Skid plate to protect the fans and condenser that only have a molded felt cover. Zero change in efficiency, better looks and no more active air dam fault messages!

Ford F-150 Lightning Air dam……. It IMG_7202


Ford F-150 Lightning Air dam……. It IMG_7240
 

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cdherman

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I recently removed everything and opted for the Raptor Skid plate to protect the fans and condenser that only have a molded felt cover. Zero change in efficiency, better looks and no more active air dam fault messages!
That looks really nice. What did it cost? How much trouble?

My brother knocked off out the lower air dam in the snow at about 6 months of ownership. Has not replaced. We are getting pretty rotten efficiency, but this in rural country roads, towing at times, now with essentially AT tires as well. So its not clear to me how much that stinking air dam matters. It sure is a worthless feature for any sort of rural or off roading areas where there are weeds/brush/debris/corn stalks etc.....
 

AZT9

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That looks really nice. What did it cost? How much trouble?

My brother knocked off out the lower air dam in the snow at about 6 months of ownership. Has not replaced. We are getting pretty rotten efficiency, but this in rural country roads, towing at times, now with essentially AT tires as well. So its not clear to me how much that stinking air dam matters. It sure is a worthless feature for any sort of rural or off roading areas where there are weeds/brush/debris/corn stalks etc.....
The fact that the truck is leveled on 35s prior to the skid plate may be why I didn’t see a difference 🤷🏻‍♂️. Got the plate as an OEM take off on eBay. Less than $200 I believe. The mounting holes didn’t quite line up but you are able to capture the tow hook bolts in the front and crossmember bolts in the rear. Not too difficult🤙🏼
 

Mike G

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I'm surprised there aren't DTCs from the PCM when the air dam is removed. I know mine threw a PCM DTC when it got "stuck" once. I reset it and everything was fine, but the point is I know the PCM is looking for feedback from those drive motors on the air dam. So that's a bit weird that there aren't any codes after removal.
 

AZT9

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I'm surprised there aren't DTCs from the PCM when the air dam is removed. I know mine threw a PCM DTC when it got "stuck" once. I reset it and everything was fine, but the point is I know the PCM is looking for feedback from those drive motors on the air dam. So that's a bit weird that there aren't any codes after removal.
It will throw a soft code when scanning.
 

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fvineyard

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I'm surprised there aren't DTCs from the PCM when the air dam is removed. I know mine threw a PCM DTC when it got "stuck" once. I reset it and everything was fine, but the point is I know the PCM is looking for feedback from those drive motors on the air dam. So that's a bit weird that there aren't any codes after removal.
In my case, I left both actuators and only removed the broken air dam part. The mount for the air dam was broken on the driver side actuator, and I was concerned that it might not move freely. No issues so far as far as errors or error lights on the truck. I have not scanned for a DTC yet, but I can do that later today. Since the air dam is just a piece of plastic, as long as the actuator motor does not get stuck I would not expect any DTC errors. Of course there could be a sensor somewhere I am not aware of...

Edit to reference updates after air dam removal: I have had four successful updates since removing the air dam in early April.
 

priceb

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Does anyone know if these “soft” codes cause your truck not to get updated ?
I have stored DTCs for the active air dam faults that did not trigger MIL illumination and still am receiving updates. If you are worried about the DTCs, Forscan can be used to disable the active air dam. The option is listed under "Common" on Livnitup's spreadsheet.
 

fvineyard

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I have a question on scanning for DTCs. Can I do that with the Car Scanner smart phone app? If so, then I have scanned for DTCs on my truck and might be lucky as none show for me.
 
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Dinozero

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Update for everyone:

So there was less damage than I thought. I actually thought I fixed it with a zip tie, but realized today it was still sagging on one side so I went under the truck and took it apart.

What I learned is

1. Both actuators/motors are functioning properly
2. the valance thing, the big physical air dam part is fine. Only minor rubber scraping on one side

3. The "piece" that connects the valance to the right side actuator is what is broken. If I could order just that "piece" that connects the two pieces I think I would be fine. Does anyone have any ideas?



Also, on a side note. As far as throwing codes etc. It looks like it's all in how you disconnect this thing. I took 3 screws off on each side and only removed the piece that lowers. The two motors are still connected, and as far as the truck thinks, they raise and lower like they're expected. It's just the emperor has no clothes, but the truck doesn't know that.


So there should be no codes or issues as far as that is concerned.

Edit: Looks like I may have to by the whole actuator to get this part. I can get one used for $130 or so.


Ford F-150 Lightning Air dam……. It 1726318985124-d
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