Heatshield rattle

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 5:19 am

Starting to really piss me off, and Im having a hard time tracking down exactly which one is doing it.

If I gut the cats, is it safe to remove the sheilds completely?

edit by jason for damn puntuation and capatalization.

AWD_addict · Post by **AWD_addict** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:50 am

I've got a bit of rattle too. It decreases after a while.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:06 am

Mine happen between 3-4K

Ive checked the crosspipe, doesnt seem to be that.... I cant track the damn thing down though

206er · Post by **206er** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:09 am

cut em off. I used a 4" angle grinder with a cutoff wheel.

realfinn · Post by **realfinn** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:39 pm

X2 on cutting em off...I don't think I have ever owned a car that had em on for very long. I cut em all off.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:42 pm

Even without gutting the cats?

mikec · Post by **mikec** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:43 pm

Yeah. Just don't park over tall dry grass.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:26 pm

Score.

I live in BC, the only tall dry stuff there is around here is Cedar trees.

Manarius · Post by **Manarius** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:25 pm

+1 to rattle

+1 to wanting to cut them off.

realfinn · Post by **realfinn** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:10 am

If you have any doubts there is a long way around to finding out which one is rattling (I did this on my girl friends car) I took a couple metal shimms and shoved them between the exhaust pipe and the heat shield. I did this one at a time until I found the one that made the rattle stop. Then I tacked the shileds to the pipe. That worked...I just think being destructive with a grinder is a lot more fun than being constructive with a welder.

Sorry...I'm a power tool engineer. I like to break stuff.

thefultonhow · Post by **thefultonhow** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 4:38 am

My heat shield rattle is pretty bad. Do I have to cut it off or are there bolts I can undo?

realfinn · Post by **realfinn** » Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:56 pm

There are bolts that can be taken off but they were always in such bad (rusted) shape on mine I just cut em off. Depending on where you are in the country you might be able to turn them. NY isn't nice on the undersides of cars. If you can't get it off with a wrench get a grinding tool and grind em down. If you can get a socket on there I would hit it with an impact wrench, set to a low impact (if you start wrenching on the exhaust you can start to loosen other things up, which is never good).

Bheinen74 · Post by **Bheinen74** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:23 pm

the heat shields around the turbo should be left on. They protect the wiring from getting too hot and brittle, and there is a shield that protects the heat from the speedometer cable, and plastic gear in the tranny. The other heat sheilds can be removed, but I wouldnt mess with the ones near the turbo.
The ones who have taken them off, well, you are just decreasing the life of underhood components greatly. It is fairly easy to fix rattles without removal. either drill and add new bolts and nuts, make sure all the brackets are mounted, etc...

rallysam · Post by **rallysam** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:36 pm

Bheinen74 wrote:The ones who have taken them off, well, you are just decreasing the life of underhood components greatly.

What makes you say that? You think the overall underhood temperatures get really warmer without the shielding?

Bheinen74 · Post by **Bheinen74** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:36 am

on turbo models, there are heat deflectors around the turbo, on the under side, that deflect the heat away from the transmission, and SPEEDO cable. And of course the chminey. If you remove the one on the underside, the one that protects the speedo cable, then YES. They have a purpose.No wonder so many people have to replace the bottom end of the speedo cable, cause they got too hot without the shield.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 10:31 pm

HAHA I GOT IT

It was the bottom cover of the head sheild where the headers collect for the uppipe, front passenger side.

thefultonhow · Post by **thefultonhow** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 7:52 pm

Okay, I used an angle-grinder to get the really rusty part of the heatshield off. Except, I can't get the top part of the heatshield out! It's on the right-angle pipe going from the driver-side cylinders to the cat. The front sway bar and about four other things are blocking it from coming out. Any suggestions?

Rattle seems to be gone though... weird. The top part is even looser than before.

Splinter · Post by **Splinter** » Sat Apr 15, 2006 8:00 pm

I didnt take the top part off, since it wasnt rattling.

n2x4 · Post by **n2x4** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 5:47 am

Usually taking a rubber mallet (or a hammer wrapped generously in cloth) and pounding on your exhaust at each location will usually show you where the rattle is.

If it's a cat that rattles, a ghetto fix is just to beat the crap out of it until it dents and usually pinches up that loose honeycomb stuff inside. On my legacy, I found a really loose heat shield and fixed a rattling cat temporarily (until the honeycomb fell apart more) with those two methods.

(I know the thread is old, but I figure someone could use the help)

Adam West · Post by **Adam West** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:35 am

One of the techs at Smart Service in Seattle spent about 15 minutes on mine with wire and metal screws. Helps to have a lift...It worked great though. He just drilled screws in at odd angles to take up the slack and wire tied stuff down...

No rattles when the engine starts and the one nasty rattle when the engine turns off are gone.

Lately though I've noticed a rattle when I close the left rear passinger door. Can you believe it? When I load my son in his car seat!

Heatshiels are coming off soon as is my stock muffler setup...

Subtle · Post by **Subtle** » Thu Jun 15, 2006 6:36 am

As part of the vf 34 upgrade, a bigger diameter divorced down pipe was fabricated. The waste gate dump valve is bigger than the vf11's.

Next, removed the cat(no rattles now) and put in a Vibrant ultra resonator. The Vibrant silencer is 2.5 inches in and two 2 inch pipes out.

This is likely constrictive to the higher out put, but I have yet to instal the 2.25 inch electric exhaust cut out.

Maybe I should use it to by pass the silencer

Just think---three pipes out the back --- definately not a fart can

Sounds real good as it is now

silver03 · Post by **silver03** » Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:54 pm

I cut off the bottom part of the cat heatshield last night. The whole dang thing was loose. Is there a trick to getting the top piece off? Lots of stuff in the way. thanks

Post by **Legacy777** » Sun Aug 05, 2012 8:17 pm

You'll probably have to remove the exhaust to get the top piece off.

silver03 · Post by **silver03** » Mon Aug 06, 2012 2:30 pm

Heres the answer: I tood a dremel and slit the top down the center about 6 inches, that took a sawzall and cut from the one side to the slit...bent it easily at that point and out she came!

legacycentral bbs

A forum for 89-94 BC-BF(BJ) Legacy Owners and Fans

Heatshield rattle

Heatshield rattle

Re: Heatshield rattle

Re: Heatshield rattle

Re: Heatshield rattle