Has anyone put a grill/mesh or some sort of guard over the hole in their bumper for the intercooler? As I was walking to my truck today I noticed that quite a few leaves had made their way into the hole and was thinking it wouldn't be outside of the realm of possibility to get a rock/stick or something flying in there and damaging the intercooler and was thinking some sort of guard like what I have on my dirt bike radiators would be a good idea. any suggestions or advice?

 

They do make an aftermarket grill. However, I inquired at the dealership, and they said they had never had someone bring an EcoBoost in with any type of damage in that area. They felt that Ford left it the way it is for a reason. It is your choice whether or not to put a grill there......

 

Cheaper not to do anything, and if something does get damaged they get to sell more parts!!! It's a win /win for them...

 

At one point, Ford explicitly stated that putting ANYTHING in the path of the intercooler would void warranty. Of course, the fix for the condensation issue involves, in part, a cover that obstructs part of the intercooler.

Obviously, it needs a lot of air.. I wouldn't obstruct it with anything solid or close to it, but I doubt you'd have any issues with any of the grille options out there.

 

I had a grill on mine that I purchased off ebay, it was a piece of crap and fell apart in a few months. There was no difference in the performance of my truck during the grill install or after it was removed.

I'm actually considering getting a sheet of diamond shaped mesh steel from Lowes or HD and fabricating my own. The gaping hole looks worse than it really is. I check the opening frequently and I haven't had any damage or debris in the intercooler area.

 

Nearly the first thing I added was a black powder coated grill. It has been in place for about 10 months with no adverse effects. This included a trip to Houston in July where I saw 116 degrees indicated. I do see a few chips on the grill so it must have stopped something from getting to the intercooler.

 

Google Ecoboost boost bars, they look factory and are a little pricey I think.

 

I agree. They are the nicest, but overpriced IMO.

 

Just looked on Ebay: they have the grills for as low as $51.95. No cutting, drilling, etc. required.

 

The 2014 Ecoboosts come with a plastic intercooler grill.

 

Nice!! I may have to go to the dealer then and order one.

 

They're nice but they don't have a king ranch option

 

I got mine from my dealer, I live in the land of snow and ice and road sand, rocks etc and figured it could help prevent something from damaging my intercooler. The dealer told me there would be no issue with warranty so it was good insurance to me.

 

clydesride, could you tell us the cost of the grill from the dealer?

 

I called my local dealer this morning and they don't have a Ford part number listed.

If anyone has a part number from Ford, could you please share that so I can visit my dealer and set them straight?