Active Exhaust Failure

[NGOT8R]

@TonyNJ, here are a few pics of the final install of the AWE actuator bracket installed. Bye, bye “Exhaust Mode Malfunction” indicator light!

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[TonyNJ]

@TonyNJ, here are a few pics of the final install of the AWE actuator bracket installed. Bye, bye “Exhaust Mode Malfunction” indicator light!

Wow. That's clean. This guys reply to your thread confused me. You repaired the AE, not bypassed it, right? Not sure what he means about eliminating it.

 

[NGOT8R]

@TonyNJ, you and sabtaj1 are both correct. I did repair it; so let’s say your AE passenger side harness shorted out like mine did, you can fix it and get back into the game (keeping the factory AE exhaust and be able to switch between modes, just as the car came from the factory), although the problem could resurface, unless you clearance the pinch weld area directly behind the connector. I was going to do this at first by carefully using a Dremel tool to cut out a channel in the pinch weld and then apply some rust inhibiting black paint on that area, but decided against it. Now, I no longer have a functioning AE because my Steeda axle back does not have this feature. What the AWE bracket does, is simply relocate the actuators and allow me to plug up the factory AE wiring harnesses, so that the computer thinks the system is functioning properly and it won’t throw the light on the dash. That’s exactly what I was looking to accomplish with this mod.

 

[Gnatsum21]

Are all Mustangs like that? Without any body protection? I mean no coating/sealants for protection against the environments?

 

[TonyNJ]

Are all Mustangs like that? Without any body protection? I mean no coating/sealants for protection against the environments?

The three S550s I have owned have all been bare underneath. Back in the day during my Fox Body experience, dealerships would offer spray on undercoating to prevent rust. They usually did an average job applying it and they ended up rusting 10yrs down the road anyway. They use salt on the roads to prevent ice and melt snow in NJ AND we're a coastal state, so things are gonna rust.

I may be under a false assumption that today's cars are more rust prohibitive.... then again it's probably wishful thinking.

 

[Gnatsum21]

The three S550s I have owned have all been bare underneath. Back in the day during my Fox Body experience, dealerships would offer spray on undercoating to prevent rust. They usually did an average job applying it and they ended up rusting 10yrs down the road anyway. They use salt on the roads to prevent ice and melt snow in NJ AND we're a coastal state, so things are gonna rust.

I may be under a false assumption that today's cars are more rust prohibitive.... then again it's probably wishful thinking.

I will get a quote to have mine treated, you know, that black rubbery coating, even though I live in south Florida, but that doesn't look right, no protection at all. Or I will get a bucket of roof tar and start painting myself..

 

[GWraith]

I added AE to my 21 base. Used a junk yard 2018 res back section that came with working actuators. Gutted the actuators and hooked up a swap polarity 12v on the console to open and close them.

$200 for the exhaust, $60 I'm wire and connectors. Made my own heat resistant no but. Wire harness and routed it so it would never touch the exhaust.

Even it it did the shething I put on it won't burn or melt. Not sure why Ford is not using melt proof sheathing that go OVER to connector to prevent these issues

I can grab some pics if anyone is interested. Not gonna lie it's boarder line getto but the only thing that may fail is the 13v motor in the actuators but at 12v for 1 sec life expectancy is like 25+ years. No circuit board or integration make for more reliable and longer life.

 

[Cobra Jet]

I will get a quote to have mine treated, you know, that black rubbery coating, even though I live in south Florida, but that doesn't look right, no protection at all. Or I will get a bucket of roof tar and start painting myself..

I would never do any type of rubberized or other "layered" undercoating on any vehicle.

The problem with such undercoatings is it does not get into all gaps/crevices/openings found under many vehicles. When a vehicle is assembled such as a unibody vehicle like the Mustang, there's many gaps/crevices left from the spot welds and missed seam sealer.

With that said, when such shops put the vehicle on a lift and apply the rubberized/layered coating, yes it's hitting all exterior sheet metal, yes it can fill SOME of the gaps/crevices, but not all. Even if they think they covered the bottom to "perfection", it's not.

In a 4-season environment - even IF it does not get driven in rain or snow, it's still susceptible to the ever changing environment where moisture always exists in the air - even in a non-temperature controlled garage.

Any moisture trapped within those gaps/crevices doesn't have a way of totally drying - AND the rubberized/layered undercoating prohibits proper air circulation throughout the chassis/floor pans/frame rails. This escalates further IF the car was washed, driven in bad weather or sit

Future state from such coatings is rust from the inside out.

Now one other thing to mention is this:
Many modern day vehicles from about the 90's forward - when the body shell is completed it gets totally submerged in a chemical bath containing zinc. This adheres to sheet metal and any exposed metal after the paint process is protected by that chemical bath. It's also why any exposed sheet metal that makes up the vehicle normally does not rust when compared to say some suspension components, fasteners, engine components, etc. that are exposed to the same environments.

When you get the time, watch this 1994 Movie “How a Car is Built” it shows the entire start to finish process of how the SN95 Mustang was Built - it’s very cool, but it’s also VERY informative and shows exactly how a vehicle body shell is assembled from a flat piece of steel roll, even the dipping process.

The same processes in the vid are used on the S550’s, only improved upon over the last 20 years...








Short and sweet:
You don’t need undercoating on any vehicle built in 2018....

WD40 will protect exposed metal just as well as any other product. Laugh as you will, but it works and works quite well. You can spray it on any exposed metal and then lightly wipe off any excess residual. The WD40 will soak into the pores of the metal, it will repel water/moisture, and it will prevent not only rust, but also that ugly oxidation on any exposed aluminum/steel. WD40 will not harm any solid surfaces.

 

[Gnatsum21]

I would never do any type of rubberized or other "layered" undercoating on any vehicle.

The problem with such undercoatings is it does not get into all gaps/crevices/openings found under many vehicles. When a vehicle is assembled such as a unibody vehicle like the Mustang, there's many gaps/crevices left from the spot welds and missed seam sealer.

With that said, when such shops put the vehicle on a lift and apply the rubberized/layered coating, yes it's hitting all exterior sheet metal, yes it can fill SOME of the gaps/crevices, but not all. Even if they think they covered the bottom to "perfection", it's not.

In a 4-season environment - even IF it does not get driven in rain or snow, it's still susceptible to the ever changing environment where moisture always exists in the air - even in a non-temperature controlled garage.

Any moisture trapped within those gaps/crevices doesn't have a way of totally drying - AND the rubberized/layered undercoating prohibits proper air circulation throughout the chassis/floor pans/frame rails. This escalates further IF the car was washed, driven in bad weather or sit

Future state from such coatings is rust from the inside out.

Now one other thing to mention is this:
Many modern day vehicles from about the 90's forward - when the body shell is completed it gets totally submerged in a chemical bath containing zinc. This adheres to sheet metal and any exposed metal after the paint process is protected by that chemical bath. It's also why any exposed sheet metal that makes up the vehicle normally does not rust when compared to say some suspension components, fasteners, engine components, etc. that are exposed to the same environments.

When you get the time, watch this 1994 Movie “How a Car is Built” it shows the entire start to finish process of how the SN95 Mustang was Built - it’s very cool, but it’s also VERY informative and shows exactly how a vehicle body shell is assembled from a flat piece of steel roll, even the dipping process.

The same processes in the vid are used on the S550’s, only improved upon over the last 20 years...








Short and sweet:
You don’t need undercoating on any vehicle built in 2018....

WD40 will protect exposed metal just as well as any other product. Laugh as you will, but it works and works quite well. You can spray it on any exposed metal and then lightly wipe off any excess residual. The WD40 will soak into the pores of the metal, it will repel water/moisture, and it will prevent not only rust, but also that ugly oxidation on any exposed aluminum/steel. WD40 will not harm any solid surfaces.

You are right. I read more about it and you are right. That layered crap will even attract more water and "seal" it in, making the rust progress even faster!
Thank you so much for the detailed explanation! Getting my can of WD40 out this weekend.

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