Hey,

I have a quick question... I have a noise coming from the front passenger side of my 2005 Acura RSX. When I'm in idle it sound like a tin can, when i press on the gas to 1.5k it goes away... it happens randomly... But over the past couple of days its got louder.

thanks!
daniel

 

This is the piece that I found clunking... is this an easy fix..

 

Cant tell what I am looking at

 

That's the heat shield for your catalytic converter. Likely what has happened is that the area on the shield where the bolt goes through to connect it to the cat has rusted away. This is extremely common in all cars, but especially Hondas/Acuras.

There are two shields that cover the converter, and this should be the lower. The part is around $42 from the dealer for an 05 Type S, and $46 for the base model.

You'll have trouble getting the bolts to loosen, and removing them may damage the upper shield in the process. If that happens, you'll be on the hook for another $40 or so for the upper shield.

Or you just rip the sucker off for $0. Not recommended, but cheap and you could always replace them later if you want.

I have also had success with just crimping and bending the edges with a pair of pliers. This can eliminate the gap between the two covers that is causing it to rattle.