you know when you start working on something it becomes more and more and more complicated…

….I figured while I was there I would check the air filter. I haven’t changed the filter in an embarrassingly long time, last time I did it there was acorns inside the box. When I opened it today there were ALOT of hickory nuts and sunflower seed hulls. Chipmunk did not damage the air filter, nothing got past the air filter. I had taken this box out years ago but it has been so long I forgot so I went to YouTube and this kid reminded me…. (as far as I’m concerned his is a bad modification)…

https://youtu.be/v6fFUtusGTA

so this is the second time with the chipmunk and I knew that I had to put a wire screen on the air cleaner intake. It looks like crap, I’m embarrassed to post it, usually I like to try to make it look as if it’s factory made but I really didn’t have time to mess around. Quarter inch hardware cloth. I drilled 16th of an inch holes through the plastic part and used twisted stainless safety wire to hold it in place.

whenever I do any work wherever I can I spray everything with Fluid Film. You could see it on the metal parts. I seriously think that I’ve extended the life of my vehicle using that stuff all over everywhere.



You could see the hickory nuts and the sunflower seed holes in the pail, there were ALOT more between the ribs of the air cleaner. Whenever I do some work wherever I can I spray everything with fluid Film.

 

Good info & pics! Had an identical problem with chipmunks here.
My solution was WindowScreen secured with CableTies around intake end of VenturiTube on frontside of FilterBox.
A little SpraySiliconeLube on those MountingStabs makes them easier to remove+reinstall.
Damned little chipmunks also like to make a nest under IntakeManifold on this V6~4.0L~SOHC,
as the weather cools off in the fall, so I occasionally blow compressed air thru that area.

 

Thanks Dillard000,

the kid’s YouTube video was helpful getting the box out, I had taken it out before but I forgot how to do it, I was pulling on that MF’er so hard I was afraid I was gonna break it! (After I was finished I looked it up at fordparts and it costs $300. THANK GOD I didn’t break it!). I sprayed Windex (to lube it) to assist removal but that didn’t help at all! pull the bottom ones out first (!), a screwdriver helps with leverage and then the side ones.

 

Doesn't look that bad at all. Think you solved that problem! I couldn't help but notice, it looks like your coolant tank may be leaking. Pictures can be hard to interpret sometimes though.

 

thanks grumpa, actually that was the reason I opened the hood, to maintain the antifreeze reservoir level, thought I’d check the air filter while I was there. I think what you’re seeing is a liberal coating of Fluid Film on every metal surface beneath the airbox. I love that ****! It looks awful, dust sticks to it but it warms my heart when I see that messy dusty mess, rust ain’t getting my truck. I was actually kind of surprised this time, I removed the headlamp trying to try to see what I was doing, it’s got galvanized sliders holding it in place, there is no rust on anything, came out easy went back in easy.

 

What is this Fluid Film you speak of? I think my truck could use some of that.

 

https://www.fluid-film.com/

it comes in 12 ounce aerosol spray cans it also comes in gallon cans, the stuff used to be very expensive I think the prices come down substantially. Weird thing is it’s a lanolin-based product. They recently came out with a branded spraygun. I spray the entire underbody of my truck every couple years. It’s an awful nasty job if you don’t have a lift. It’s worth it to me, the time effort money. I bought 2 gallons on sale a while back but I can’t remember where I got it could’ve been AutoZone, I don’t think it was Amazon.

 

Oops