This is hanging off a friend's '98 Maxima, right rear, in front of the rear tire. The friend is hundreds of miles away, so I'm trying to help make repairs from a distance.

What is it? Safe to drive with it bouncing for a day or so? Is there an easy way to re-attach it? Zip tie it safely to something perhaps? The friend is not particularly mechanically inclined, so if there is an easy way to do this and photo or something around that would be terrific.

Thanks,

 

Thats the trailer arm/bar for the exhaust. Its held in place by two 12mm nuts on both sides. Very easy to access you dont need a lift or a jack the car to get to it.

 

Thanks. What are the implications of it hanging? Is the exhaust going to drop and break? Does this usually happen when the exhaust is "done"?

Would there be some way for a novice to rig it back into place for a few weeks of driving? The car is hundreds of miles from me until Thanksgiving... I don't want to see the owner get stuck by some garage for hundreds of $'s for an overpriced, under quality, exhaust replacement i.e. "this whole thing is rusted out, we're going to have to replace the entire thing to fix it" :-(

 

looks like some of the exhaust heat shielding to me. just zip tie it back on, rip it off, or keep driving until it falls off.

 

Agreed, it's a heat shield.

 

Excellent. That seems much better for the "ignore it a while" factor.

Are these usually bolted on before they fall off?

 

its probably spot welded and the welds cracked

pretty common for the heat shield welds to break and start rattling

 

That B-pipe heat shield is bolted onto the chassis. Replacing my parking brake cables last year I had to drop the CAT and B-pipe shields to access them.

 

Just unbolt. Or I would upgrade the catback exhaust system as an excuse because the heatshield fell off!

 

exhaust heat shield look carefully, it has rust and it's attached right on the rear mid-pipe.