Hi all,
this morning my heat shield (exhaust) was sheared off when I went over of raised manhole cover (they're resurfacing our street) - the shield must have been loose or hanging low or something. Anyways, should I have this replaced asap? Or can it wait? What are the implications of not getting it done? How much will this $$? I'll need a new one for sure. The old one is torn in two.
sorry if this is a naive question....

 

you can buy mine =) i dont think i'll ever put it on my rt cat

 

It's not a big deal really. Just don't park on top of any small children when your engine is still hot.

 

just think of it as your car loseing some weight.. =) you really dont need it..

 

lower heat shield?

not an issue really.
I'm going to take mine off on purpose, lol.

so don't worry about it.

I have a cusco type 2 underbrace coming, along with tons of
other bracing. and the lower heat shield needs to be removed for the
cusco bracing to fit correctly.

I'm not worried, you shouldn't be either.

 

LOL,
thanks for the advice guys. looks like it can wait.

 

Its not a heat shield, Its for aerodynamics, it reduces drag thus helping with you're MPG


Id say its important.

 

Crisco, if you're talking about the 2-piece shield that covers the catalytic covnerter, then no, it's not too important. Mine was rattling like a mo'fo last year and I took it off (bolts and shield were rusted like crazy). Haven't had a problem since.

The only advice is not to park on super dry/dead grass, or on dry (red) pine needles. LOL.

 

??
it's not a heat shield?

um..

yes it is.

 

We must be thinking of different parts

the part im talking about is plastic.

 

without the heat shield u can possibly start a fire if your parked over grass. same thing happend to my bros rsx and thats what the dealer said, but he took it out anyway.

 

Does this mean I can't park on my front lawn anymore?

 

yup, different parts.
I agree, all plastic stays for mpg's sake.

 

lol. well for some people who may park on their grass or at a park or anything. ye most people don't but some do....

 

If you throw it up on some blocks, you should be OK. Also, it may sound counterintuitive but if you let the grass get several feet tall around your car it will actually be less of a fire hazard. I have many neighbors who prove this true every day.


Off topic funny story: A few years ago one of my neighbors was working on his Monte Carlo (there's a rusty piece of shit Monte Carlo in every other driveway around me) in his garage. It caught on fire and in order to prevent his house from burning down he pushed it out into the street, while still on fire. It promptly exploded.

 

No, the heat shield does not contact the Cusco LAB 2. The time when my Cusco LAB 2 touch the heatshield is when it's crocked and bent.

 

Well, this is what Marcus from Heeltoe said just a couple days ago:

so I guess I'm not sure what to believe then.

 

Marcus might be right but I'm just telling you from my experience. My Cusco LAB 2 is off the car now for awhile now due to damage.

 

damage?

pisser.

well you have real world experience, but then again so does he.
so what I'll do is tell my mechanic the lower heat shield may need to come
off, and if it does, to go ahead and take it off. but to check first just in case.

and when the brace goes on I'll post details about the shield so we can have
a third experience to go by.

no big deal either way, I don't care if it comes off anyway.
thanks for the input. it could save me some labor time.

 

It doesn't hit but it is close. With movement of the engine/exhaust it could hit, so to avoid the potential for noises I say take it off.




And if people think that a thin piece of steel 3mm away from a 800 degree converter is going to stop a fire in dry grass they are insane. The heat shield, arguably, could create a greater problem of trapping flammable materials in the heat zone. There is no practical reason to worry about removing the lower heat shield.

Marcus

 

My TL makes a sort of whistling sound when the engine is cold, like in the morning. Once it reaches normal temperature, it stops. Somebody told me it was the heat shield. Is this the one they're talking about?