Exhaust heat shield essential?

[stimmy]

After having failed at fixing my heat shield due to the fact that it's heavily damaged I'm wondering if it's even needed at all. Would I do any major damage taking it off?

Otherwise, does anyone have a suggestion on where to buy a new one, and how much it'll cost?

I even tried the sheet metal solution, but it's still rattling pretty badly.

Thanks!

 

[mjbst111]

Which heat sheild is it? Is there anything around it that would be bad if it got hot? Like plastic or something? Sometims the will put one there just to keep the floor from getting hot, or maybe to keep it from cooking the paint.

 

[JGM3E3632]

What heat shield is it?

 

[epj3]

I assume you mean the heat shield around the cat itself, not between the cat/muffler and the body.

If you mean the one that wraps around the cat, it's actually to protect it from stones and stuff.

 

[stimmy]

It's the one between the cat/exhaust and the body, the spots for bolting are completely worn off, and it's rattling like crazy, despite my best efforts to fix it. The one part I actually couldn't fix is due to the place where it's supposed to be bolted to being a ... brace. It, itself, bolts onto the body, then it's a small piece of metal that extends down, pretty flimsy, and the heatshield bolts into that. Unfortunately, the bolt in it now is rusted, and it's not strong enough to take the bolt out, rusted as it is.

Sorry about taking so long, and thanks in advance!

 

[wantanM3]

Noticed mines coming loose too, i figured repair washers and new bolts would do the job? The best thing I've found for rusted nuts and bolts on my previous car is soak them in WD40 for a little while, then using an old screwdriver gently tap the end with a hammer as you turn, this worked on most of the bolts I had issues with!!!

 

[MikeB325i]

I'm pretty sure you'll be fine without the heat shield. Just don't park your car on dry grass or any other surface that could be flammable. I think the exhaust heat shields on most cars are there for that reason (to prevent a fire).

 

[frolf]

yeah dude, my heat shield sometimes vibrates when i take off, and it pisses me off. i think i'm just going to "work it back on" when i get a chance.

 

[grc]

anybody realize how hot that baby gets? i wouldnt lose that shield unless you want to take a chance on melting/burning whatever is above it! i made a shield for another car of mine to keep the starter cool. you should already have the shield? just make a new way to attach it. i used a strip of metal maybe 3/4" wide and long enough to run the length of the shield and make little Z bracket stand-offs at the ends of the shield. the strip of metal needs to be fairly strong, not too cheezy. pop rivet or tack weld the strip to the shield, and use hose clamps or weld the Z tabs to the exhaust pipe at the in and out of the cat. maybe even two strips at an angle for better stability. cars do burn sometimes, and that thing gets more than hot enough to do it.