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Retrofit AGS (Kysor Active Grille Radiator Shutters)

12K views 34 replies 9 participants last post by  dan50 
#1 · (Edited)
There seems to be a gaggle of threads that try to get this topic started, but all get turned into "this uber specific car has them, and this uber specifc car does not" type of threads.

Let's try to keep this one on topic, as I do not have them on my 12 SEL 5dr, and I want to install them on my car no matter what it takes.

Getting the Parts: I found this link... LINK
I have friends that own a ford dealership, so I assume that I can semi-easily order the parts.

Mechanical Installation: I assume the mechanical installation to be easy.
Can anyone confirm that all mounting holes are present on all Foci?

Electrical Installation: I also assume the electrical installation to be easy.
Can anyone confirm that the electrical connection point is on all Foci?

ECU Functionality: I assume that every ECU has the ability/programming to drive the shutters.
Can anyone confirm this on all Foci?

If this possible, the end result of this will be a nice installation write up with all part numbers, cost, etc.


2012_0108 EDIT:
I used my scangauge today to confirm that when it's cold out, our Foci never reach operating temperature!

Data from my ride to work is as follows: 25degF outside temp
Engine was <121degF until i hit a 55mph zone 6 miles from my house.
150degF after driving for 8 miles at 55mph, atop a big hill
168degF at 10 miles in 45mph zone
188degF at 14 miles after some more 55mph
198degF at 16 miles after a large uphill at 55mph
196degF at 18 miles previous to the 25mph zone
189degF at 21 miles after driving 25mph for a little while and parking in the lot. (With very little load, the car actually started to cool back down!)

Trip home is as follows: 41degF outside temp
After around 2 miles of driving at 55mph, the temp was up to 195-ish degF.

And that's at 25degF...
Imagine how much fuel we're wasting at 0degF or lower!
THIS is why I want to install AGS!


2013_0119 EDIT:
So i decided, in a temporary fashion, to completely block off the 3 black openings below the license plate and the one body color opening that is the furthest down on the bumper itself. I then took it for a test drive on some 45mph rural roads, and then 20min on a 65mph highway, and this is what I found...

Outside temp was between 45degF and 50degF, the car still did not hit operating temp "fast".
On my 20min highway drive, it still only reached operating temp when i got to my destination.
I never saw anything above 200degF on my scangauge.
The radiator fan did not turn on.
 
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#3 ·
Fuel economy, shorter warm up time, and to be sure that the engine is running in closed loop temp control when I'm driving in ~0degF temps (running in open loop temp control is a problem with the super-efficient, non-heat-generating, VW TDI engines).
I'm a LONG time VW TDI guy, so I'm used to 45mpg city/mixed/highway/traffic/whatever. The last daily driver gasser car I owned was 8 cars ago, so I'm interested to seeing what this platform has to offer in terms of good MPG.

If I always average 33mpg per tank, then I'm even or ahead of the game with the diesel/gasoline cost differential where I live. The problem is, right now I'm averaging closer to 30mpg per tank.
So, I'd like to do what i can (semi-irrelevant of payback period) to see what I can get my average up to.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Fuel economy, shorter warm up time, and to be sure that the engine is running in closed loop temp control when I'm driving in ~0degF temps (running in open loop temp control is a problem with the super-efficient, non-heat-generating, VW TDI engines).
I used my scangauge today to confirm that when it's cold out, our Foci never reach operating temperature!

EDIT
...To keep my questions and information easier to find, I moved my scangauge data into my original post...
 
#4 ·
But why are you expecting a 3mpg gain from the shutters if the EPA rating is only 2 mpg higher, and that's with the use of lower rolling resistance tires and aero wheel covers? So if the combination of the shutters and wheels/tires gives you a 2mpg gain, I don't think you can expect more than 1mpg from the shutters alone.
 
#8 ·
So that's why my Focus Titanium's heater warms up so fast. I thought it was due to a small capacity radiator system, but looks like the shutters are doing the deed.
 
#26 ·
In my opinion, yes, the AGS are why you heat up faster than a non-AGS car.

But with that said, are you sure you're heating up fast?
Why I ask is, that gauge on your dash is nothing more than a fancy looking idiot light. It's terribly innaccurate to reality, as it jumps up to the middle of the range, or what seems like operating temperature, but from what I can recall this morning, it's approx 50degF colder than operating temp.

What we really need is for someone else who has the AGS to be able to take data on a cold morning like I did. Then we would really see the difference.

Hmmmmm, perhaps I will have to go to my local dealer and drive a new one with AGS and watch how it heats up on my scangauge.
 
#9 ·
The introduction of the shutters was so haphazard early-on one would suppose all ECUs were programmed and equipped to handle them if installed further down the production line, but I don't know how this can be confirmed.

Good luck tracking insructions down. My car has them, and while I think they're interesting, I'm really looking forward to the day when they don't answer the call to open. With salt spray, general grit, freezing rain, and wear and tear it seems just a just a matter of time...
 
#10 ·
It's possible that the ECU is the same, just different options turned on/off. It's also possible that the existing harness in the cheaper Focus has the same engine wiring harness as the higher optioned versions. If so, the plug should be there waiting for it.

The challenge is going to be ECU programming.
 
#22 ·
To be perfectly clear...
I do not care if adding the AGS is going to cost me $1000, or if the payback is eleventy billion years.

I started this thread to see if anyone else out there is nice enough to share they knowledge on the wiring harnesses and mounting point questions I asked in my original post.

This is in order to help the entire community learn if adding the AGS is possible on cars that do not have them.

So, if you're not helping everyone learn how to add the AGS, then please go find another thread to clutter up with off topic nonsense. Thanks.
 
#24 ·
To be perfectly clear...
I do not care if adding the AGS is going to cost me $1000, or if the payback is eleventy billion years.

I started this thread to see if anyone else out there is nice enough to share they knowledge on the wiring harnesses and mounting point questions I asked in my original post.

This is in order to help the entire community learn if adding the AGS is possible on cars that do not have them.

So, if you're not helping me learn how to add the AGS, then please go find another thread to clutter up with off topic nonsense. Thanks.
When you find an internet forum that stays precisely on-topic please report back. This isn't it. There will be people less well-informed than you that read this stuff: they could, incredibly, even find some of these nonsensical comments informative. In the meantime, just ignore the stuff you don't think is relevant to your question. It isn't hard. Plus, all this is free!
 
#25 ·
ive got em on my 12 manual sync equiped se sport 5 speed?
Dunno why wasnt an sfe but was a pzev model thou from cali with the 17 black and machined upgrade wheels i got up to 45.5 with traffic in cali i run 91 oct intake exhaust deleted secind cat short throw cycling a/c was awsome my 18s dont get as high but then again ive been drivjng super hard still getting 30
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#29 ·
However, just for speculation purposes, if I'm the controls engineer in charge, and I have all the other zillion inputs at my fingertips, I may dream something more complicated up. Maybe something like including vehicle speed into the equation that positions the AGS. Who knows?
 
#30 ·
Active Grille Shutter - Overview

The active grille shutter system (when equipped) is comprised of the grille shutter assembly and the grille shutter actuator. The active grille shutter system is primarily used to maximize fuel economy by reducing aerodynamic drag on the vehicle. The active grille shutter system is also used to shorten engine warm-up time, increasing engine efficiency and providing heat to the vehicle occupants in a timely manner. The grille shutter actuator receives position commands from the PCM. The active grille shutter system carries out a calibration sequence whenever the engine is started, fully opening and closing the shutters before being positioned in the programmed position as requested by the PCM.


PCM inputs/outputs used for controlling of grille shutters are the:

•ECT sensor
•IAT sensor
•A/C pressure transducer
•APP sensor
•ABS module (through the High Speed Controller Area Network (HS-CAN)
•Engine cooling fan motor
•Engine oil temperature
The car does use a myriad of inputs to determine AGS function as listed above, the abs sensor input is for vehicle speed as explained below:

Active Grille Shutter

The grille shutter actuator positions the grille shutters based on commands from the PCM. The grille shutter moves 90 degrees from fully closed to fully open and, based on the position commanded by the PCM, is set in 1 of 16 positions (approximately 6 degrees between positions).

During normal operation, the grille shutter may be partially to fully open when the engine is off, depending on the ambient temperature. When the engine is started, a calibration of the grille shutter system occurs, which typically takes 15-20 seconds. The grille shutter system performs the calibration sequence by detecting the end positions, open and closed. The calibration sequence can begin in either direction, open or closed, and continues until it is successful or a fault is sensed. A long pause may occur between the 2 portions (open/close) of the calibration sequence. Calibration of the grille shutter system cannot be manually requested, it only occurs as determined by the grille shutter actuator. If certain faults are present (shutter blocked or actuator error), a recalibration is initiated in an attempt to resolve the problem. If the problem is not resolved after a calibrated number of attempts (usually 3 or 4), a timer starts and sets a DTC when the timer reaches a predetermined limit. Other faults also trigger a recalibration request, but not until a grille shutter DTC is set in the PCM.

The PCM communicates the desired position (open or closed) of the grille shutter based on various PCM inputs (vehicle speed, coolant temperature, ambient temperature, A/C system pressure, etc.). The PCM communicates to the grille shutter actuator via a LIN. The LIN supports bi-directional communication between the grille shutter actuator and PCM, allowing the grille shutter actuator to communicate position and fault information to the PCM.

The PCM sets grille shutter Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) when the fault information is communicated by the grille shutter actuator for a predetermined amount of time. Any failures of the LIN for over 10 seconds continuously results in the grille shutter actuator positioning the grille shutter fully open. There is no indication to the driver of the vehicle when a fault with the grille shutter system is present or a grille shutter DTC is set in the PCM.

Component Description

Grille Shutter Actuator

The grille shutter actuator is a smart motor which receives position requests from the PCM via the LIN. One of the grille shutter blinds connects to the grille shutter actuator using a retainer. The grille shutter actuator can be serviced individually or as an entire assembly, which includes the grille shutter, grille shutter actuator, retainer, housing and jumper harness.

Grille Shutter

The grille shutter is comprised of shutter blinds which are linked to each other. One of the individual shutter blinds is fixed to the grille shutter actuator. When the grille shutter actuator moves, it moves the attached shutter which causes the other linked shutters to move. The grille shutter is serviced as an assembly (individual shutter blinds are not serviceable) or as an entire assembly, which includes the grille shutter, grille shutter actuator, retainer, housing and jumper harness.
 
#31 ·
I forgot to check to see if the shutters were closed tonight, but in the 9.8 or so miles the car only increased in temperature from 14 C to 92 peak (dropping to 88 C getting off of the freeway and coming off the ramp, heating back up to about 90C by the time I parked the car.

The gauge reads about half (Hex 41 any point above 40-45C) but below that it does tend to climb semi normally.
 
#34 ·
More data...
So i decided, in a temporary fashion, to completely block off the 3 black openings below the license plate and the one body color opening that is the furthest down on the bumper itself. I then took it for a test drive on some 45mph rural roads, and then 20min on a 65mph highway, and this is what I found...

Outside temp was between 45degF and 50degF, the car still did not hit operating temp "fast".
On my 20min highway drive, it still only reached operating temp when i got to my destination.
I never saw anything above 200degF on my scangauge.
The radiator fan did not turn on.

When time permits, I will be blocking off even more of the grille openings to see what happens.
 
#35 ·
Not sure Kysor shutters or taping off grille openings will have anything to do with how quickly the car warms up.

Until coolant in the engine reaches a "normal" temperature the thermostat is closed, preventing the warmed coolant from circulating through the radiator. So while closed shutters reduce drag, preventing air from flowing over stagnant, ambient temperature coolant in the radiator shouldn't speed warm-up. I suppose closed shutters would increase underhood air temps a bit, that really shouldn't affect warm-up times in any significant way.
 
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