Grille Shutters - Not So Much

[Ecto1]

So I removed the trim panel above the radiator, etc and the nose to see if I can modify the Grille Shutter Motor operation and I discovered I have no Grille Shutters. What I have instead is a rubber flap that is "mounted" horizontally between the back of the "bumper" and the AC condenser. See image...

Here's a close up of the flap ...

You can see it has 2 little "stays" that attempt to hold up the flap at the center and passenger side. But on the driver's side there's no stay to hold it up. I can see the flap hanging down in front of the intercooler on the driver's side ...

There's a little plastic Dodad on the driver's side radiator brace that holds the rubber flap down so that it covers about a third of the intercooler ...

I messed around with the plastic Dodad for a while in order to reposition the driver's side of the rubber flap but I didn't achieve very much. I suspect that as soon as I drive the car the flap will just end up back where I started.

Does anyone know how this flap and plastic Dodad are supposed to be mounted? Or is the flap supposed to hang down in front of the intercooler on the driver's side like mine does? Will sufficient airflow (Ground Speed) cause the rubber flap to extend out fully horizontal when the car is moving? Based on how my car is set up I still think the plastic Dodad will prevent the driver's side from moving keeping that side of the intercooler covered.

I'm not sure what the point of the rubber flap is. My guess is that it is intended to prevent the heat from the AC condenser from soaking the intercooler. For the most part I think it does, except for maybe a third or a quarter of the driver's end of the intercooler.

Thanks for any ideas gang.

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[GrayS550]

The grille shutters are mainly for aero purposes. I guess it’s better for aerodynamics. I took my whole gripe shutter out and my temps dropped because there’s nothing blocking the radiator anymore.

 

[EFI]

The grille shutters are mainly for aero purposes. I guess it’s better for aerodynamics. I took my whole gripe shutter out and my temps dropped because there’s nothing blocking the radiator anymore.

If you're worried about efficiency and MPGs but still want to get better cooling, you can always just unplug the connector and they stay wide open. I would do that before a track event when I needed all the cooling, then plugged it back in for the street to get 1-2 more MPGs. It took all of 20 seconds to do it.

 

[Rod Schneider]

I assume you bought this as a used car? If so, the previous owner may have removed the shutter assembly. I don't believe the rubber flap you have is a factory installation.

 

[Cobra Jet]

So I removed the trim panel above the radiator, etc and the nose to see if I can modify the Grille Shutter Motor operation and I discovered I have no Grille Shutters. What I have instead is a rubber flap that is "mounted" horizontally between the back of the "bumper" and the AC condenser. See image...

Here's a close up of the flap ...

You can see it has 2 little "stays" that attempt to hold up the flap at the center and passenger side. But on the driver's side there's no stay to hold it up. I can see the flap hanging down in front of the intercooler on the driver's side ...

There's a little plastic Dodad on the driver's side radiator brace that holds the rubber flap down so that it covers about a third of the intercooler ...

I messed around with the plastic Dodad for a while in order to reposition the driver's side of the rubber flap but I didn't achieve very much. I suspect that as soon as I drive the car the flap will just end up back where I started.

Does anyone know how this flap and plastic Dodad are supposed to be mounted? Or is the flap supposed to hang down in front of the intercooler on the driver's side like mine does? Will sufficient airflow (Ground Speed) cause the rubber flap to extend out fully horizontal when the car is moving? Based on how my car is set up I still think the plastic Dodad will prevent the driver's side from moving keeping that side of the intercooler covered.

I'm not sure what the point of the rubber flap is. My guess is that it is intended to prevent the heat from the AC condenser from soaking the intercooler. For the most part I think it does, except for maybe a third or a quarter of the driver's end of the intercooler.

Thanks for any ideas gang.

I believe the part you are referencing is the same I had questions a while back in this thread:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...stion-about-part-near-ic.142243/#post-2915179

I dint believe that flap is to be down in front of the IC at all and it has no purposes when moving/driving, such as what the active grille shutters do.

It seems like it is to be laying above the IC so that air is directed through the IC and not past it. Take a look at the images others have posted in that above thread.

 

[DrewT]

If you want grill shutters I’ll sell you mine (from a 2020 GT).

 

[Ecto1]

I assume you bought this as a used car? If so, the previous owner may have removed the shutter assembly. I don't believe the rubber flap you have is a factory installation.

Rod, Yes I did buy the car used but I'm sure that the rubber flap is OEM. It's attached to the rear of the bumper bar with 3 or 4 of those plastic "Christmas tree" rivets. It also has slots stamped into the rubber for the 2 "stays" that are supposed to hold it horizontal. And it also has a sensor that mounts into the rubber flap up against the bumper bar. Not sure what the sensor is but I suspect it's an air temp sensor. Probably the outside air temp sensor on the touchscreen display.

Based on the images from the links in this thread it appears that mine isn't the only car that suffers from the rubber flap blocking part of the intercooler.

Thx everyone. I guess I'll just leave it alone since it doesn't seem as thought there's a good solution short of removing it entirely. I'm not convinced that removing it will improve things much. It should provide better airflow over the intercooler but it may also result in more heat soak from the A/C condenser as well. Since I'm in Florida the A/C is on just about all the time.

 

[Ecto1]

If you want grill shutters I’ll sell you mine (from a 2020 GT).

Drew, thanks for the offer but what started this thread was that I thought I had the shutters and I wanted a way to selectively disable them for towing. I wanted to see where the shutter motor was located to see if I could modify it. Since I don't have the shutters to begin with there's no reason to disable them. Nor do I see any reason to add them since they weren't part of the car to begin with. But the rubber flap was a surprise and the fact that it seems to interfere with airflow through the intercooler was more of a shock. Call it reality cramps.

Thx again.

 

[Redcruzer]

The convertibles didn’t have shutters and I have that same flap in mine. It’s been awhile, but I believe the 2015 PP didn’t have shutters either. I could be mistaken though.

 

[Ranebowcyxx]

If you're worried about efficiency and MPGs but still want to get better cooling, you can always just unplug the connector and they stay wide open. I would do that before a track event when I needed all the cooling, then plugged it back in for the street to get 1-2 more MPGs. It took all of 20 seconds to do it.

Is it really obvious as to which you unplug, or if you have a picture that would be cool

 

[EFI]

Is it really obvious as to which you unplug, or if you have a picture that would be cool

It's dead obvious, the plug is right in the middle below the hood latch. It's the only one there so nothing to be confused about.

 

[Jstang23]

It's dead obvious, the plug is right in the middle below the hood latch. It's the only one there so nothing to be confused about.

Does the car throw a code when you unplug it? I was thinking about unplugging it the next time I'm out at the track to see if I got better cooling. But don't want to be driving around with a code on the dash.

 

[EFI]

Does the car throw a code when you unplug it? I was thinking about unplugging it the next time I'm out at the track to see if I got better cooling. But don't want to be driving around with a code on the dash.

No nothing happens as far as the car is concerned. I've had my shutters completely removed from the car for about 2 years now and no issues with codes or passing inspection where they scan it.

 

[Buldawg76]

Unplugged there will be a code set but no check engine light on alerting you that there is any issue. It's just a loss of communication code that is set.

BD

 

[Ranebowcyxx]

Thank you

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