ctrcbob Posted April 11, 2007 Share Posted April 11, 2007 I've had my car for six months on the 22nd of this month, so I have an appointment to get my first (of two) Complimentary Lincoln Oil Changes/tire rotations. Owners manual says to get the first free one at 5000 miles, +/- 1000 miles, but no longer than six months. OK, I've never looked under this car, and I will when it is on the dealers lift, but I wanted to look as far as I could in my driveway, just to see exactly where the oil filter is located. Got down on my back and looked as good as I could. First thing I see is the Spoiler, which should be there. The second thing I see is something I've never seen on an American car. There is a cover over (under) the engine/transaxle. Could not see a thing except I see there is a hole that I assume if you reach up, you will find the oil filter, and any spilled oil from the filter will make a mess in that cover and perhaps continue spilling on my driveway. The only other time I ever saw a cover under the engine was on my buddies VW NewBeatle, and that was a PITA! When it is on the dealers lift, I will take a good look under, as I want to see what is there and where things are located. I checked the air filter also. Not because it would be dirty after only 4000 miles, but because I wanted to see how hard or easy it was to change. Easy to get out and back in. BTW, it was as clean as new. Don't know if Fusions and Milans, either FWD or AWD are like this, however thats how mine is. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meelaan Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 My Milan also has the plastic plate underneath the front end with only access to oil maintenance. The usual purpose of this is as a rock deflector. People also run over all kinds of crap which damages the exposed areas of the motor and coolant system. This deflector may be protective for those incidents (to a point, of course). The second reason behind having such a large deflector is that in keeping the bottom of a car as flat as possible, you make it more aerodynamic, therefore potentially more fuel efficient. This is an arguable intent. Third reason is it simply makes it difficult to perform your own maintenance, meaning you'll bring the car in to the dealership for service, thereby making more revenue for the dealer. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urnews Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Reason number three makes the most sense, for FoMoCo. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiching1 Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 I currently have mine off and am contemplating leaving it off. The oil change was much easier without it. Not only less to deal with , but the oil drain plug was readily accessible. Also, with the shield it would be very hard to tell if you have any sort of leak. Anyone ever hear of the "Sure Drain Valve" by Fram? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meelaan Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 I currently have mine off and am contemplating leaving it off. The oil change was much easier without it. Not only less to deal with , but the oil drain plug was readily accessible. Also, with the shield it would be very hard to tell if you have any sort of leak. Anyone ever hear of the "Sure Drain Valve" by Fram? Yeah, I had one of those Fram drain valves on my Ranchero due to the threads being completely stripped on the pan. This 2.3L filter contraption immediately reminded me of that process. eiching1: I would be very cautious about permenantly removing that plastic shield from your vehicle as it could void warranty coverage should anything mechanical fail. They'd just be able to say "well, you took the protective shield off the car, so that's why it's broken. Sorry, bub." 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiching1 Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 Yeah, I had one of those Fram drain valves on my Ranchero due to the threads being completely stripped on the pan. This 2.3L filter contraption immediately reminded me of that process. eiching1: I would be very cautious about permenantly removing that plastic shield from your vehicle as it could void warranty coverage should anything mechanical fail. They'd just be able to say "well, you took the protective shield off the car, so that's why it's broken. Sorry, bub." Meelan, Did you have any problems with the Fram valve? I just bought one for $2.00 at Pep Boys and was a little worried about installing it. I'll be talking to the service manager at the dealership on Monday about the shield (maybe the drain valve as well). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meelaan Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 Meelan, Did you have any problems with the Fram valve? I just bought one for $2.00 at Pep Boys and was a little worried about installing it. I'll be talking to the service manager at the dealership on Monday about the shield (maybe the drain valve as well). The biggest problems with the Fram drain valve are A) it's essentially a permanent part of your car once you install it to your oil pan because its threads are not going to match up perfectly, it drains EXTREMELY slowly, so it's very difficult to gauge whether all of the oil is out or not, and C) the hose attachment thing is worthless (in my experience) unless you get the car high off the ground. I threw my hose away and just let it drain from the valve. About the plastic shield dealie... dealer service reps are generally idiots. They'll never tell you they don't know something, but instead make something up to ease your fears. I had a service guy tell me my Honda drifted to the right because it was a manufacturer safety feature for if you fell asleep at the wheel. :doh copy: I would suggest contacting Ford customer service directly for a real answer. I'm almost surprised the manual doesn't have any mention about "if you take this deflector off, you're voiding warranty x, y, and z" but not much about the way these manuals are prepped surprises me anymore. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eiching1 Posted April 13, 2007 Share Posted April 13, 2007 Thanks for the info. The main reason I was considering it was because with the shield on the drain plug is a pain in the ass to get at without getting oil up my arm. THe hose was the best part. LOL. Actually, the threads are the right size 14mm x 1.5. I threaded it in whe I changed my oil and it seemed it perfect. I didn't leave it in because, like I said, I wasn't sure of it's reliability. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctord75 Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 At least some of you have that plastic shield under your car. I think they ran out when they made my car because I don't have it.... Although I have a late 2006 FWD Fusion.. Dave 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckava Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 From working in the auto industry I would put my money on its main purpose being aero and possibly improving NVH. My 2006 Fusion SEL FWD I-4 does not have one. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconman13 Posted May 14, 2007 Share Posted May 14, 2007 I previously had an SVT Contour and it had a guard like that. SVT rep told me it was also used to ensure the air was ducted through the radiator. Something about a low pressure area being developed because of the spoiler. The air going under the car would want to come back up into the engine bay where it would build pressure. Then it can only exit back out through the grill which reduces the overall air flow through the radiator. It wasnt a big deal to remove it for oil changes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I notice the engine bay stays quite clean, even when driving on unpaved roads. :D I barely drive the mustang, and can't keep that bay anywhere near clean 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urnews Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Welcome to the forum, Dan. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertlane Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 did anyone notice if there were air deflectors in front of the fuel tank? I just happened to notice them in front of the fuel tank on a 2007 GT500. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meelaan Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 did anyone notice if there were air deflectors in front of the fuel tank? I just happened to notice them in front of the fuel tank on a 2007 GT500. I seriously doubt it. It makes sense for a performance car like a GT, but not for a high-production family sedan. The GT's is very low and you want as flat an undercarriage as possible with that car. Fusion has relatively high clearance. Especially in the rear. Wind currents under the back of such a pedestrian vehicle at that point are pretty irrelevant. Most models like Mustang and Fusion just get a plastic cover over the fuel tank. Protects the tank's integrity just fine. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctrcbob Posted July 26, 2007 Author Share Posted July 26, 2007 Dan, What Mustang do you have? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctrcbob Posted September 1, 2007 Author Share Posted September 1, 2007 At least some of you have that plastic shield under your car. I think they ran out when they made my car because I don't have it.... Although I have a late 2006 FWD Fusion.. Dave Dave may be correct. The little trap door is now missing on my car. Either the tech did not replace it, or if he did, it fell off, so what I now have is the plastic shield without the trap door. Looks like it wants to scoop all the dirt and water up from the road. Informed the dealer who did the oil change, and the writer said that they would order another trap door for me. That was a couple weeks ago, and all I get from him is that it has been ordered. Then per Daves post, I looked under a couple V6 Fusions, and Dave is correct, it is different, with only a small spoiler and no shield. I'm not going to bug the dealer anymore. but I will probably take the car to my local Ford dealer, rather than going all the way to Orlando to the L-M Dealer. Sometime next week, I will put the car up on blocks (ramp) and make my own trap door, bolt it on just like stock, except I will install a couple plastic wireties at the front, in case the bolts come loose, so that I don't lose the whole trap door. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctrcbob Posted September 3, 2007 Author Share Posted September 3, 2007 OK, latest update. I WAS WRONG! This morning, I decided I would get under the car and make my own cover to go over the 4x6 hole in the bottom engine cover. Looked at it from under the car, and said, "thats strange, where are the screw holes for screwing or bolting the 4x6 cover"? Looked further, and I saw that half the bottom engine cover has a sign molded on it saying something like "remove for oil filter". This is 12x12 piece, held on by two large bolts. OK, I said to myself, "am I wrong"? Why would Lincoln make a bottom cover with a 4x6 hole? The hole is not exactly under the filter and also not exactly under the forward exaust pipe, (but close). Also looks ugly when looking at car from a distance. Next, I did what I should have done in the first place. I visited the L-M Dealer, and looked under a new MKZ. Identical to mine. I sent the an e-mail to the Service Writer telling him that I apologize to him. (Still can't figure out why they put such an ugly hole in bottom of cover when they just could have made the removable 12x12 piece slightly larger). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.