Can I rip off the heat shield btwn car and exhaust?
06-11-2005, 10:34 PM
#1
Can I RIP OFF the heat shield btwn car and exhaust!?
Hey Guys,
Do the heat shields between the bottom of the car and my exhaust pipes actually do anything useful/essential? (I'm not talking about the heatshields attached to the exhaust b/c my Warpspeed exhaust has none of that, but rather the thin metal liners attached to the underside of the car).
One of the thin, corrugated metal pieces that winds it's way around the exhaust has gotten loose at one end. It bumps around and into my b-pipe causing really annoying rattling. I've tried bending it further from the b-pipe, but it still flaps back and rattles soon after.
My hunch is that I can yank the sucker off with no problems, but I'd like to get a second opinions on the matter. My other option is to secure it better, but that would be a lot more work that I could do without right now.
Do the heat shields between the bottom of the car and my exhaust pipes actually do anything useful/essential? (I'm not talking about the heatshields attached to the exhaust b/c my Warpspeed exhaust has none of that, but rather the thin metal liners attached to the underside of the car).
One of the thin, corrugated metal pieces that winds it's way around the exhaust has gotten loose at one end. It bumps around and into my b-pipe causing really annoying rattling. I've tried bending it further from the b-pipe, but it still flaps back and rattles soon after.
My hunch is that I can yank the sucker off with no problems, but I'd like to get a second opinions on the matter. My other option is to secure it better, but that would be a lot more work that I could do without right now.
06-11-2005, 10:58 PM
#3
I'm not sure how it got loose. I did some work on my car recently (changed parking brake cable and rear brake caliper). But still, I don't see that being the cause. It's likely a combination of rust/deterioration and the excessively poor roads here in Ithaca, NY. My original exhaust completely rusted out as of last year, these metal pieces are of the same age and would likely see similar deterioration. Maybe a little bit of bumping while working on the car "pushed it over the edge" if it was already hanging on by a thread...
Not sure how they are attached. Just discovered the issue tonight. Won't be able to go under there until tomorrow at the earliest - I'll need the daylight. (MY GUESS is that they are attached via welds and not by bolts/screws. It would take some creativity to reattach it in that scenario. I don't have welding equip nor do I plan to learn.)
Has anyone removed these before? Any melted carpet or nice toasty feet in the winter time?
Not sure how they are attached. Just discovered the issue tonight. Won't be able to go under there until tomorrow at the earliest - I'll need the daylight. (MY GUESS is that they are attached via welds and not by bolts/screws. It would take some creativity to reattach it in that scenario. I don't have welding equip nor do I plan to learn.)
Has anyone removed these before? Any melted carpet or nice toasty feet in the winter time?
06-11-2005, 11:33 PM
#4
Oh yeah, I can show a pic to show what the part is! It's from last year (when I installed the new exhaust) but you'd at least be able to see the metal flap that I'm talking about!
This is from the other side (also and old pic. Now it moves flaps around easily...)
This is from the other side (also and old pic. Now it moves flaps around easily...)
06-11-2005, 11:36 PM
#5
I know that when we did my friend's STS we removed the shield above the cat converter and when it came to putting it back on, he decided not too. He never complained of any heat problems. The shields are there for a reason so just think of it that way.
06-11-2005, 11:44 PM
#6
Originally Posted by DAVE Sz
I know that when we did my friend's STS we removed the shield above the cat converter and when it came to putting it back on, he decided not too. He never complained of any heat problems. The shields are there for a reason so just think of it that way.
Thanks for the comments Dave. I appreciate the second opinion. I'll have to see how difficult it will be to reattach that dammn thing in such a way that it won't rattle like crazy when I drive at full speed... IDEAS?
06-11-2005, 11:49 PM
#7
My 5.5 gen has a similiar problem like yours...after I added the cattman headers...it shifted my whole exhaust system a little bit to the rear and now my bpipe bangs against that same shield....i was thinking of bending it...but now that u mentioned that it just pops back into place... 
06-11-2005, 11:56 PM
#8
Originally Posted by steven88
My 5.5 gen has a similiar problem like yours...after I added the cattman headers...it shifted my whole exhaust system a little bit to the rear and now my bpipe bangs against that same shield....i was thinking of bending it...but now that u mentioned that it just pops back into place...
Bending it should be fine in your case. In my case the problem is that it's not firmly attached. One side "flops around", unattached to the car. So bending it doesn't help because it still flops into the exhaust when I drive.
Go ahead and bend yours a little bit to give an extra cm or two of clearance, I'm sure it'll be okay (just don't break it off or you'll be in my boat!)
06-12-2005, 12:28 AM
#11
I don't see any visible screws (haven't fully jacked up the car yet though, just looked underneath with flashlight as best I could). If you look at the top picture, the side by the "bend" is loose (near the resonator and the exhaust hanger).
Ideas on how to reattach that side of this thing???
Ideas on how to reattach that side of this thing???
06-12-2005, 05:58 AM
#12
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 22
If it's rotted out to the point where you can't secure it back on, just rip it off. Up here in Canada it is a common occurance for those things to start rattling around on all sorts of models of cars. Everyone just rips them off. You won't notice any difference. Maybe on a long 500 mile drive, your backseat passengers might notice the floor being a bit warmer, but offerall, nothing. Exhaust temperatures are significantly lower at that point then at the manifold or y-pipe, so all things relative, there's not as much heat there. Don't worry about your gas tank getting hot. Gas only evaporates when it gets hot, it needs a spark or flame to ignite. The flask point of gasoline is pretty high. Worse that will happen is that you will notice that more vapor escapes when you take off the gas cap to fill it up. Don't spend much time or thought on it. If you can't fix it, just rip it off.
06-12-2005, 07:21 AM
#13
Originally Posted by sandor
If it's rotted out to the point where you can't secure it back on, just rip it off. Up here in Canada it is a common occurance for those things to start rattling around on all sorts of models of cars. Everyone just rips them off. You won't notice any difference. Maybe on a long 500 mile drive, your backseat passengers might notice the floor being a bit warmer, but offerall, nothing. Exhaust temperatures are significantly lower at that point then at the manifold or y-pipe, so all things relative, there's not as much heat there. Don't worry about your gas tank getting hot. Gas only evaporates when it gets hot, it needs a spark or flame to ignite. The flask point of gasoline is pretty high. Worse that will happen is that you will notice that more vapor escapes when you take off the gas cap to fill it up. Don't spend much time or thought on it. If you can't fix it, just rip it off.
Still, I'm curious if anyone on the .org has actually ripped this thing off before. Just to humor my illogically over-cautious side.
06-12-2005, 08:23 AM
#14
I have taken the heat shields of the last 3 maxima's I have had. Haven't noticed any difference at all. All they do is allow for a potential rattle, especially with the larger aftermarket B-Pipes. Big difference between 1 7/8' vs 2 1/2".
06-12-2005, 10:02 AM
#16
Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 43
Originally Posted by sandor
If it's rotted out to the point where you can't secure it back on, just rip it off. Up here in Canada it is a common occurance for those things to start rattling around on all sorts of models of cars. Everyone just rips them off. You won't notice any difference. Maybe on a long 500 mile drive, your backseat passengers might notice the floor being a bit warmer, but offerall, nothing. Exhaust temperatures are significantly lower at that point then at the manifold or y-pipe, so all things relative, there's not as much heat there. Don't worry about your gas tank getting hot. Gas only evaporates when it gets hot, it needs a spark or flame to ignite. The flask point of gasoline is pretty high. Worse that will happen is that you will notice that more vapor escapes when you take off the gas cap to fill it up. Don't spend much time or thought on it. If you can't fix it, just rip it off.
my heatshields are off due to all the accumulated rust, havnt noticed any changes.
06-12-2005, 10:20 AM
#17
Awesome! That's exactly what I was hoping to hear to put my mind at ease. If I can't stop the rattling with a 15 minute fix, I'll take the sucker off. I should be able to get under there this afternoon to see if there is any reasonable way to secure it. If not, off it goes!
Thanks Maxx98se, Tyrexx, and Jime. I was hoping someone would have some first-hand experience on this!
Thanks Maxx98se, Tyrexx, and Jime. I was hoping someone would have some first-hand experience on this!
06-12-2005, 10:40 AM
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,883
In my case, not only was that rattling, but every clamp from the cat back. So my car was very annoying going over bumps. Midas rewelded everything, including the heat shield, and charged me $94. So having it repaired is also an alternative. I figured what the heck, better to have it there than not. 
06-12-2005, 10:48 AM
#19
Originally Posted by Frank Fontaine
In my case, not only was that rattling, but every clamp from the cat back. So my car was very annoying going over bumps. Midas rewelded everything, including the heat shield, and charged me $94. So having it repaired is also an alternative. I figured what the heck, better to have it there than not.
Thanks for the comment. For me, it's gonna do-it-myself or remove it. The rest of my exhaust is nicely secured and the other heat shields seem to be holding on fine for now. I don't know how much a shop would charge to weld it, but a friend of mine just wanted a single piece of his exhaust welded and a shop charged him $90 for the priviledge. So I'll stay away from them if I can at all help it.
06-12-2005, 10:48 AM
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 499
i remember somebody taking their heatshield off and their gas tank began heating up building pressure. he opened the cap and steam came out or somehting, it let out pressure. also his car stalled on him i guess from the back pressure of gas. this was all after a short run he did on a quiet country street to test out some new part he put on. if anything i would try to leave it on, there are parts u dont want to get hot and some that arent obvious
06-12-2005, 10:52 AM
#21
Originally Posted by dayglo
i remember somebody taking their heatshield off and their gas tank began heating up building pressure. he opened the cap and steam came out or somehting, it let out pressure. also his car stalled on him i guess from the back pressure of gas. this was all after a short run he did on a quiet country street to test out some new part he put on. if anything i would try to leave it on, there are parts u dont want to get hot and some that arent obvious
Never heard of that before. Maybe I'll try a little harder to fix it before I yank it off. However, there seems to be plenty of space between the gas tank and the exhaust (a good 4 inches) that it shouldn't get that hot. Maybe his pipes were TOUCHING the bottom of the gas tank? That would be a very different situation I'm sure...
06-12-2005, 10:59 AM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 499
Originally Posted by TrackSmart
Never heard of that before. Maybe I'll try a little harder to fix it before I yank it off. However, there seems to be plenty of space between the gas tank and the exhaust (a good 4 inches) that it shouldn't get that hot. Maybe his pipes were TOUCHING the bottom of the gas tank? That would be a very different situation I'm sure...
i dont remember how far away or if he mentioned, that his pipes wer to his tank. i guess you have to use your own judgement, 4 inches is a pretty good space i think, but i myself would leave it on. unless it weighed like 30 or 40 lbs, then i would take it right off and get rid of the weight
06-12-2005, 11:21 AM
#23
I just put the rear of my car on jack stands. Looks like it should be easy enough to secure it to the car with a little bit of fiddling on my part.
It attaches at two points via nut and bolt. One of the bolts is completely missing. That's why that side flaps around. Judging by the extreme brittleness of the bolt that is left, it may have snapped off. Maybe i went over something and bumped it?
I will replace both bolts, because the other one is sure to snap off, too. I could probably snap if off by hand without much effort! Can't believe how brittle they are! What kind of cheap bolts did Nissan use down there?
The heat shield itself is in good shape. No holes, and still flexible. Just the bolts are rotting off. So you give us what is probably a stainless steel heat shield, but attach it with non-stainless bolts? WTF!?
Anyway - Thanks Everyone!
It attaches at two points via nut and bolt. One of the bolts is completely missing. That's why that side flaps around. Judging by the extreme brittleness of the bolt that is left, it may have snapped off. Maybe i went over something and bumped it?
I will replace both bolts, because the other one is sure to snap off, too. I could probably snap if off by hand without much effort! Can't believe how brittle they are! What kind of cheap bolts did Nissan use down there?
The heat shield itself is in good shape. No holes, and still flexible. Just the bolts are rotting off. So you give us what is probably a stainless steel heat shield, but attach it with non-stainless bolts? WTF!?
Anyway - Thanks Everyone!
06-12-2005, 01:47 PM
#24
Originally Posted by Jime
I have taken the heat shields of the last 3 maxima's I have had. Haven't noticed any difference at all. All they do is allow for a potential rattle, especially with the larger aftermarket B-Pipes. Big difference between 1 7/8' vs 2 1/2".
isn't OEM 2 1/4"?
06-12-2005, 04:11 PM
#26
Originally Posted by madnut
your car looks a lil too rusty underneeth, clean and paint the rusty spots you dont want the car to fall apart on you
Of course it would involve sanding all the rust off, priming with a high temperature primer, and then putting on a high temperature paint/protectant of some kind.
I'll put that one in the rainy day file, along with changing the LED's in my climate control unit (buttons don't light up), clay-barring my entire clear coat (it could use it), and buying/painting/installing an OEM style spoiler on the car.
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