Check your splitter install

[combustor]

Varying the topic a bit... How much have you scraped your splitter? I have a speed bump in front of my house that unless I baby crawl sideways over it, I will scrape. Causing my sphincter to pucker!

Also does it on some dips in the road. I hate it!

Any thoughts on how to protect it?

Provided its attached properly, the splitter is pretty solid and designed to take some scrapes. I wouldn't sweat it. Take any dips at a 45 deg approach and go slow. I really don't think it needs protection, you won't see the scratches on the bottom.

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[Steve68]

^^^ What he said.

 

[ckit73]

Steve16, Thank you for posting the link to the splitter installation! Couldn't have installed mine without it. The tips from other members helped also. I'm almost done. I'm missing one of the large J-clips that came with the car (not in the bag with the splitter). I need to loosen up the bolts (on the middle splitter) so I can line up the middle belly-pan screws. They don't line up well.

I was able to do the installation with the car on the ground. Had to turn the wheels to access the fender liner. Does anyone have the part number for the larger rectangular J-clip? I need to pick one up to complete the installation.

Thank you for everyone's help! Installation tips, photos and video link.

 

[Darkane]

Revisiting this thread:

My car is going back to the dealer after 1000 miles for the reinstall. When I took delivery I made sure to inspect the car on the lift with the service manager. I noticed the splitter was slightly out and didn't look 100% perfect. The service manager assured me it'll be fine.

I told him stories about losing splitters at high speed and best case scenario would be for it to fall off, or have it slide under my wheels and spin me off the road.

Fast forward to today and the splitter has loosened itself off about 1/2". I sent a pic to the service manager and he now assures me they are installing them correctly. I brought up the Ford service content video to them when I took delivery.

Here is a pic. My index finger now fits in the gap. Not good.

 

[Steve68]

Yeah, you shouldn't be able to see those fascia holes at all. Are you able to see the center tab hole that's about 5/16" wide?

That 3/16" verticle lip that's on the splitter should be flush up against the fascia. Maybe a 1/16" gap there if anything.

 

[ckit73]

How do you get it higher to hide the tab holes? Mine is flush but not quite hiding the tab holes.

 

[Steve68]

Read back through this thread. I think the culprit, besides maybe-not-a-fully-seated splitter, is that the two middle 45 degree screws are slightly too long and they dig in to the fascia tabs, and might be pushing the splitter away from the fascia.

You can see what I'm talking about in the picture I included with the very first post.

 

[RadBOSS]

How does one make sure the dealer properly does the splitter install? Remind them to do their job and watch the video? Pay someone to do it properly for you? I watched most of the video and it looks like a PITA to install, and it's easy to see why the tech's just wing it.

Do your own inspection/

 

[RadBOSS]

Well the video is appreciated, thou I must add the written instructions should be adequate. . I would say the most critical point of the installation is registering the splitter into the belly pan and gently encourage the splitter to fully engage the belly pan (hammer and rag). I am going to try and do mine this week if I can beg for some time to use a friends bend pac hoist

 

[Wookie]

Wish I knew about this when I bought my car so I could have inspected. The dealer tech must have really cut corners on my install, as the whole front fell down as I was doing about 20mph on some really rough/bumpy stretch of road. I thought I had picked up some debris on the road I hadn't seen. Still waiting to hear how the dealer is going to handle this one.

 

[PintoBoost]

Nah. The design of the splitter and how it is bolted together is actually pretty good. After installing my own splitter, I can see how some techs can screw up by taking short cuts or just pretend to know without studying their own instructional videos. Unless they road race, many of those techs don't understand the importance of a splitter at high speed and why it needs to be installed correctly - it is not for looks.

I read a thread where a splitter flew off on the drive home from the dealer (this was before I took delivery and installed mine). I assure you...the morons did not realize there was a bag full of fasteners and just used the two existing wing screws and clipped the centerpiece in. That is the only way it could fly off. Believe me, if installed correctly the splitter is attached to the car very well and will not fly off period.

Mine did blow off. Appointment today.
Just got G3740, ssoooo much info here that we newbies can't read it all, LOL, left searching after the fact.

 

[ShelbyGT3fifty]

My dealer installed my splitter in 10 minutes and it's perfect. Used every bolt, clip and screw in the bag.

 

[PintoBoost]

My dealer installed my splitter in 10 minutes and it's perfect. Used every bolt, clip and screw in the bag.

Good to hear.
My parts came in the next day, install appt is 6/15.
Thanks to all the comments in this thread, I know what to look for when it is done.

 

[RadBOSS]

If the dealer installs you are completely at their mercy, competence, skill and care.

I was installing mine today and had to cease as somehow the bag of fasteners was incomplete. Someone already had opened the bags and incorrectly installed the fastener clips.

On the gap issue I agre getting the tabs fully engaged is paramount at the get go. Looking at the design, control of that gap or seam where the splitter meets the chin is influenced a lot by the tab engagement and the 4 screws at a 45 degree installation angle. Those 4 little screws are not easy to install (no bend pack here so I'm at ground level +,).

Will try again to finish this off tomorrow after I pick up some missing fasteners.

PS - I think there are some fastener callout errors in thier two page instruction sheet.

 

[RadBOSS]

Good to hear.
My parts came in the next day, install appt is 6/15.
Thanks to all the comments in this thread, I know what to look for when it is done.

If some of it is done wrong you won't see it. You need to catch them in the act. If the service manager won't let you watch, then show him some of the complaints. Review the job before it starts, lay out the fasteners where they go, which ones get torqued first, walk away if you have to, but not with them w/o a agreed to plan.

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