Removed Active Air Dam From my F-150 - DIY Writeup

[M4X]

can you remove the electric air dan without removing the stationary?? I’m just looking to remove the electric air dam because I have already hit something and bent it. I don’t even want it on there.

Yep. That part is quite easy to remove. Just remove the inner airdam from underneath the truck (it unbolts from the two motors). The motors then can come off and you can tape up the connectors (to protect them from moisture) and you're done.

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[frankie40]

Yep. That part is quite easy to remove. Just remove the inner airdam from underneath the truck (it unbolts from the two motors). The motors then can come off and you can tape up the connectors (to protect them from moisture) and you're done.

Awesome! Thanks!

 

[Papa_smurf]

Hey guys. First post here. I've seen a few threads discussing the possibility of removing the electronic air dam on these trucks.

I plan on switching out to the Tremor skid plate as soon as it's available, and do not care for the extra mpg and noise quieting the airdam affords, so I decided to take a crack at removing it this evening.

Removal of the electronic portion of the airdam was relatively straight forward. Just six hex screws (3 per side on the motors) on the airdam itself, and then eight torx bolts (4 per side) holding the motors themselves on. I found that the upper bolts nearest the edges of the truck were easier to get at if you take a few lower bolts out of the fender liner so you can scoot it over a bit and reach in.

Now the real fun begins. You have three options at this point for the outer "fixed" airdam.

1. Leave it alone.
2. Remove it to trim it.
3. Trim it on the truck.

I chose #2.

I would not recommend it.

To remove the fixed airdam you have to remove roughly 16-18 nuts.

* Three underneath each foglight.
* Two on each corner.
* About 6 or so in the center behind the license plate bracket area.

In addition to these screws there are 3 plastic retainers (the squeeze and pull kind). 1 in the middle, and 1 on each end.

So with the valance completely removed you'll see the towhook rubber filler panels are exposed (the bracket on the left is my foglight hanging). Other than that there isn't any junk hanging below the bumper so you could theoretically stop here.

I decided; however, that it would probably look cleaner if part of the airdam was reinstalled. So out came a razer blade (was late, didn't want to wake the neighbors with powertools) and sandpaper.

Then finally after cleaning that up I put it back on the truck.

One thing of note, I noticed without the airdam the plastic that passes under the towhook is a bit flimsy. It will probably be fine, but I decided to put a few zip ties on it for good measure. You probably WONT need to do this, but you'll understand why I did once you trim yours.

I recommend trimming it ON THE TRUCK if you wish to go that route. Will turn a four hour job into about 10 minutes. Hindsight.

The Tremor Skidplate will cover the entire towhook area, and I believe it will use a different lower valance altogether as well. Looks like just end pieces.

So this will do for now on my truck for the extra clearance.

I'll post some pictures in the daylight later today.

Thank you for the info! Just curious what did you do with the wiring to the motors for the active air dam? Also still no issues with CEL? Or codes?
Thank you!

 

[M4X]

I left the wiring harnesses in place, zip tied them into a secure position and i closed/sealed the connectors off with electrical tape.

I also ordered a replacement air dam and kept everything around so I can quickly restore it to OEM in case i ever change my mind or sell the vehicle.

And nope, no issues with CEL —- although I have heard that you might be able to see a “silent” code for it with Forscan. But nothing that will ever effect your CEL.

 

[Papa_smurf]

Also any issues with the system trying to deploy something that isn’t there anymore?

 

[M4X]

Also any issues with the system trying to deploy something that isn’t there anymore?

No once the motors are gone the only thing that happens is the computer energizes those connectors — but since the circuit is not closed (i.e. they are unplugged) nothing happens. It’s like unscrewing a lightbulb and then flipping the light switch.

 

[Papa_smurf]

I left the wiring harnesses in place, zip tied them into a secure position and i closed/sealed the connectors off with electrical tape.

I also ordered a replacement air dam and kept everything around so I can quickly restore it to OEM in case i ever change my mind or sell the vehicle.

And nope, no issues with CEL —- although I have heard that you might be able to see a “silent” code for it with Forscan. But nothing that will ever effect your CEL.

Thank you for the quick response! Can the silent code affect the truck in anyway negatively?
So do you recommend not trimming the stationary air dam? I was planning on doing it that way.. I think it looks better trimmed..

 

[Papa_smurf]

No once the motors are gone the only thing that happens is the computer energizes those connectors — but since the circuit is not closed (i.e. they are unplugged) nothing happens. It’s like unscrewing a lightbulb and then flipping the light switch.

Thank you!

 

[Lippy]

I don't mind having the electric air dam, but it keeps getting caught and bent underneath the stationary one in front of it. I can bring it into the dealer but I'd rather just adjust it myself if possible. From your work removing it, do you have any hints on how to adjust it so the two pieces are separated more, fixing the tendency to get caught?

 

[Mourns]

I was searching the WWW and found this let me know if this helps.

https://www.stage3motorsports.com/f150-15-01-15-21-f150-4wd-rci-engine-skid-plate-kit.html

 

[M4X]

Thank you for the quick response! Can the silent code affect the truck in anyway negatively?
So do you recommend not trimming the stationary air dam? I was planning on doing it that way.. I think it looks better trimmed..

It’s up to you. It will be fine either way but I agree it looks better trimmed. The difference in MPG and road noise is negligible. And you can always buy the piece again if you want to revert.

 

[gtotco]

Only tangentially related, but FWIW for anyone interested I finally took my FX4 off road this weekend (nothing serious just typical Colorado high country 4x4 roads) and was actually pretty impressed by the clearance even with the air dam installed. One thing I hadn't realized was that the passive air dam is soft and a bit flexible at the bottom so you actually have a bit of wiggle room on clearance. It's also further back than I think I realized so it doesn't impact the approach angle as much as one might think.

Anyway - just wanted to share these quick thoughts, given how complicated removing the passive air dam appears to be. In my now limited experience it isn't as much of an issue as I initially thought it would be and I had pretty good clearance on some relatively large boulders without much issue. It isn't nearly as nimble as my 2 door TJ Wrangler was, but I was impressed at how capable it ended up. Hill Descent control was also great!

 

[Meatballs697]

MX4, Thank you for all this info. I am following and planning to go after you. It looks like the tremor front skid plate parts have be added and there seems to be a variation for an non-tremor F-150. Probably the package needed to bolt it on to the existing F-150 vs replace it on an actual Tremor. They are on back-order. Looking forward to your install tips/photos.

https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/front-crossmember-shield-13887643-1#sectionId:334159033

 

[Andyc]

MX4, Thank you for all this info. I am following and planning to go after you. It looks like the tremor front skid plate parts have be added and there seems to be a variation for an non-tremor F-150. Probably the package needed to bolt it on to the existing F-150 vs replace it on an actual Tremor. They are on back-order. Looking forward to your install tips/photos.

https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/front-crossmember-shield-13887643-1#sectionId:334159033

Would need to investigate further re build material and quality. Body kits are starting to become available for the 2021. Grill, front and rear bumpers, wheel arches, Raptor style tailgate Ford cover and running boards, Do not appear to belly skid plates as yet.

 

[Airspeed00]

Would need to investigate further re build material and quality. Body kits are starting to become available for the 2021. Grill, front and rear bumpers, wheel arches, Raptor style tailgate Ford cover and running boards, Do not appear to belly skid plates as yet.

Nice! Where's that from?