Dirt in engine bay.. wheel well liner gaps?

[416z]

Hey. first time Mustang owner, love the car! but I have a concern about rust.

I live in ON, Canada and unfortunately will need to drive this puppy during winter months with salty roads and then park underground.

I can hose down the exterior, but after 2500km, I noticed what I'd consider a fair amount of dirt/sand getting in to the engine bay.

I checked out the wheel wells, and there's plenty of what looked and felt like the same stuff splattered in there. Also there seems to be gaps in the liners around the wheel wells.

My thinking is the tires are kicking up dirt/sand and some of it is getting through. Do you guys agree?

I went to local dealership and talked to SA who said it is normal, and suggested rust proofing if I intend to keep the car a while and would be driving in winter months.

Personally I don't like the idea of rust proofing and would like to keep corrosive stuff from getting in there to begin with. I might try 'weather proofing strips'.

I wander if anyone makes an aftermarket replacement for the liners..

Has anyone else experienced this? suggestions? Thanks!

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[ice445]

No engine bay is weather proof, water and dirt and such will always get in. Losing battle. The big v8 also makes a ton of heat that you don't want to trap in there.

Why are you against rust proofing? Every car I've ever used in the winter I hose down the underside and any stamped steel suspension parts with fluid film or krown. Both are lanolin based wax coatings that create a physical barrier for salt and water that keeps rust from being possible. They eventually will wash off from water, but only a few areas of the car will need a touch up as the winter goes on. This coating also makes it unnecessary to hose off the underside of the vehicle.

 

[416z]

No engine bay is weather proof, water and dirt and such will always get in. Losing battle. The big v8 also makes a ton of heat that you don't want to trap in there.

Why are you against rust proofing? Every car I've ever used in the winter I hose down the underside and any stamped steel suspension parts with fluid film or krown. Both are lanolin based wax coatings that create a physical barrier for salt and water that keeps rust from being possible. They eventually will wash off from water, but only a few areas of the car will need a touch up as the winter goes on. This coating also makes it unnecessary to hose off the underside of the vehicle.

Hi, the SA did recommend it, but in the same breath he went into a story about a customer who got an F150 rust-proofed by the biggest operator over here. Apparently they sprayed so much of the stuff everywhere that it set off engine codes, and he's now in a legal battle lol.

His conclusion, come talk to us before you get it done and he will give a list of places to tell them not to spray. And make sure it's a vendor that will 'stand behind their work'.. Anecdotal, but gives me pause.

 

[ice445]

Hi, the SA did recommend it, but in the same breath he went into a story about a customer who got an F150 rust-proofed by the biggest operator over here. Apparently they sprayed so much of the stuff everywhere that it set off engine codes, and he's now in a legal battle lol.

His conclusion, come talk to us before you get it done and he will give a list of places to tell them not to spray. And make sure it's a vendor that will 'stand behind their work'.. Anecdotal, but gives me pause.

You can do it yourself on ramps for $50. Which is how much a 5 pack of fluid film goes for. I've always just done it on my own. With the straw you can spray inside frame rails and such and do a very good job. I wouldn't worry about damaging anything if you do it yourself either, just don't intentionally spray electrical connections and you'll be fine.

 

[Crowd Hunter]

Hi, the SA did recommend it, but in the same breath he went into a story about a customer who got an F150 rust-proofed by the biggest operator over here. Apparently they sprayed so much of the stuff everywhere that it set off engine codes, and he's now in a legal battle lol.

His conclusion, come talk to us before you get it done and he will give a list of places to tell them not to spray. And make sure it's a vendor that will 'stand behind their work'.. Anecdotal, but gives me pause.

I think ice445 was suggesting that you use fluid film or krown yourself on areas prone to rust instead of taking it to the big rustproofing companies suggested by the service advisor. The products he suggested work well and don't add any extra weight to the car.

 

[416z]

Ok, I will read up on DIY rust proofing, thank you.

I am curious about these gaps though.. Does every Mustang have them?

are they there to help disperse heat, and sealing them could be problematic as mentioned previously, or is it more of an oversight/buck saving thing?

thanks again for the info

heres one of the rears btw

 

[WildHorse]

I went to Canadian Tire, bought a 2000 psi power washer that was on sale, and hit every nook and cranny on the car (while up on jack stands) till the water came out clear. Best investment ever.

 

[Freedom]

Its a poor job from Ford. I really doubt they left those gaps for heat dispersion. My front wheel liner doesnt seem to have the gap u have but the rear is about the same.'

Cover them up if you dont want junk in your engine bay. I bet the rear opening is for the GT350 mudguards because there are 2 open holes.

 

[416z]

Its a poor job from Ford. I really doubt they left those gaps for heat dispersion. My front wheel liner doesnt seem to have the gap u have but the rear is about the same.'

Cover them up if you dont want junk in your engine bay. I bet the rear opening is for the GT350 mudguards, the 2 open holes seem to match up with the kits I see online.

thank you for checking!

 

[Crowd Hunter]

You could always buy a roll of black Flex Tape and tape off those gaps.

 

[Elp_jc]

I also noticed lots of gaps from crappy build quality. If somebody does what was suggested above (black flex tape), which I don't know what it is ( ), please post pics, and tell us if it holds up. Thx.

 

[NoVaGT]

Some people's expectations.....I just don't understand.

Engine bays ARE NOT sealed to the weather. Never have been, never will be. Engine bays get dirty, sandy, wet, hot, cold, muggy, dry.......gaps in wheel-liners are not faults, or crappy build quality. They have a simple reason for existing, just to stop rocks from hitting the body in the wheel wells. They don't stop water, sand, air, farts, dirt, dust, queefs, fairy dust or other stuff from getting into the engine bay.

And OP, the issue is where you're driving. Mustangs ain't really meant for sand dune running. Go buy a Jeep instead.

.........I went to local dealership and talked to SA who said it is normal.......My thinking is the tires are kicking up dirt/sand and some of it is getting through. Do you guys agree?

No. There's 1000 other places for sand to get into the engine bay. It's normal. Have you, like, ever owned a car before?

I went to local dealership and talked to SA.......suggested rust proofing if I intend to keep the car a while and would be driving in winter months.........I live in ON, Canada and unfortunately will need to drive this puppy during winter months with salty roads and then park underground...........Personally I don't like the idea of rust proofing.....

.......would like to keep corrosive stuff from getting in there to begin with. I might try 'weather proofing strips'.

Then don't drive it. Especially in the winter. Especially in Canada. Especially when there's salt on the roads. There is no "weather proofing strips" for the engine bay.

You do realize that the entire bottom of the car is open to the elements....right? And the engine bay is open at the front, at the bottom, on the sides, from above, at the back.......

And what about the rest of the car? The suspension. Exhaust system. O2 sensors and wiring. Transmission. Brake calipers. Brake rotors. Brake pads. Brake lines. Emergency brake cable. Electrical lines. What about all of that stuff? You're worried about a little sand under the hood, but not the rest of the car?

 

[17Magnetic5.0]

Even if you seal those gaps there’s still all the small ones in the bottom underbelly. Not to mention all the salt and dirt that could get into the engine bay from the grill area or the hoods heat extractors. If you plan on keeping the car for a while I would buy an older car to use during the winter and leave the mustang as only a good weather car if you only plan to keep it a few years you still have corrosion warranty for I think 5 years

 

[NightmareMoon]

Uhh the giant radiator lets in a lot of air, you know. The engine bay is not hermetically sealed, that would be bad.

The wheel wells are not sealed either, there are large gaps where necessary parts, like suspension arms, swaybars, etc go into the engine bay area. The exhaust has to get out, so the transmission tunnel is a huge opening and air doesn't flow entirely one way, it disperses, its turbulent, it swirls. The hood isn't sealed on the left and right sides either, it floats on the latch and only a couple of rubber bumpers. it may be sealed at the front or back, IDK, but pretty sure its not sealed on the sides.

In short, its a car, it lives outside in the elements and your engine bay is going to get A LOT dirtier over the months and years.

I found a mouse in my engine bay once. That was fun.

 

[Spike-S550]

Some cars just need to be wrapped in cotton wool !

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