Lifetime or sealed car elements don’t all the time find yourself working as supposed. Whereas automakers promote patrons on the flexibility to by no means have to vary this fluid or swap out that filter, you often have to finish up doing one or the opposite. I as soon as had a Chevy Sonic with a sealed transmission that began having, you guessed it, transmission issues. Servicing it was a problem in fact however nothing the supplier techs couldn’t deal with. What occurs when what would in any other case be a easy engine half turns into a large problem? Simply ask any proprietor of the first-gen Ford Focus or Fusion.
In most vehicles, the air filters are one among, if not the simplest, element of the engine to interchange. You often have to interchange them each few thousand miles they usually’re actually low-cost. Ford, in its infinite knowledge, took this low-cost piece of automotive tech and made it infinitely tougher and costlier to interchange for no motive in any respect.
Ford obtained the intense concept to put in lifetime air filters good for 150,000 miles within the 2003-2007 Focus and the 2010-2012 Ford Fusion/Hybrid. The filter was sealed inside its plastic housing and couldn’t get replaced or serviced by both the proprietor or Ford sellers. Properly, it appears Ford underneath estimated the little Focuses and Fusions of the early ’00s as loads of people do want to interchange the filters, and it’s a complete ache within the ass.
A video posted to YouTube by Uncommon Traditional Automobiles & Automotive Historical past particulars how eradicating the filter and its housing required eradicating the driving force’s aspect entrance wheel and internal fender liner to get to the field. Doing this on the Fusion was even worse as one proprietor defined on the Fusion Hybrid homeowners discussion board.
Right here my steps to interchange the lifetime air filter on a 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid (YouTube movies linked):
1. Jack up the car on entrance driver’s aspect pinch weld. If you happen to have no idea how to do that, confer with the proprietor’s guide.
2. Take away the entrance left wheel.
3. Take away the fender liner. The clips are 2 items. Loosen the pins with a flathead screwdriver and use lengthy needle noose plyers to tug it out. Use warning to not break them. They promote the clips at Ford Dealerships for tremendous low-cost when you do. Video to take off fender liner: The best way to change head lamps on 2012 Ford Fusion – YouTube
4. Take off the entrance bumper. Some else posted that they didn’t have to do that to interchange the filter. That may make this job a lot tougher. Pull it – it’s easy: 2010- 2012 Ford Fusion The best way to take away entrance bumper – YouTube
5. Take away the battery: Ford Fusion Hybrid Engine Bay Battery Substitute – YouTube
5. Unscrew the clamps on the air consumption meeting. Additionally unscrew the clamps on the resonator (small oval factor on the air consumption meeting).
6. Unscrew the bolts on the lifetime air filter. They’re simple to seek out. Unplug the MAF. Take away the filter.
7. Put the brand new filter in. It’s considerably troublesome to get it again within the air meeting. You would possibly need to seize and further set of palms to use downward stress.
8. Screw on the bolts for the lifetime air filter, plug within the MAF, and reattach the clamps on the meeting.
9. Reinstall the battery. Put the bumper again on. Put the fender again on. Put the wheel again on.
10. Because the automotive was taken off the 12 V battery, you will have to re-trim the idle. Seek advice from the part on web page 292 of the proprietor’s guide to do that. As a result of the MAF sensor was changed, don’t skip this step.
It’s a reasonably simple job. I hope this helps. I could have missed a step or two but it surely’s fairly simple to determine. Glad to report that after doing this it looks like the automotive has slightly bit extra energy and begins up a bit smoother.
Connected are footage of a service process from the supplier, the automotive jacked up, and the outdated air filter we opened up with a noticed.
Hope this helps.
As soon as the filter is ultimately eliminated and the housing lower opened, you may see that the filter inside is certainly distinctive, with 5 layers and nearly a honeycomb look to it.
There’s a resolution as Uncommon Traditional Automobiles identified on YouTube. An organization by the identify of Dorman Engineering makes a alternative filter field that enables for alternative of the air filter itself, making it identical to practically each different automotive on the street. It’s not low-cost although and seems to value wherever from $250 to nicely over $300. Pricy, however possibly the brand new one will final the remainder of the lifetime of the car.
Automotive elements like this are unusual to see. They’re usually excellent examples of simply how brief sighted engineering will be.
