legacycentral bbs

Just curious if anyone else has had this problem. I'm not looking forward to fixing it, but it is getting to the point that it needs to happen. It's slowly getting louder and louder. It'd really be nice to have a lift at times like these. Anyways, has anyone else had this problem? I'm just looking for a place to start looking. It only does it at certain RPM's and under certain loads, so doing it while the car isn't moving might prove difficult. Has anyone else had any experience with a problem like this?

-Brian

Which heat shield is it? if it's after teh turbo, just drive a nail between it and the pipe (not through the pipe ) to act as a wedge. If it's before the turbo, depending on where it is, those heat shields can be tricky to deal with. also, sometimes something that sounds like heat shield rattle can be small stones trapped between the heat shield and exhaust. in that scenario, use a dremel to bore out one of the drain holes in the shield and tap out any stones.

On mine the bracket holding it to the exhaust pipe rusted off......we just took a torch and cut the sucker off......I've got another one rattling too......it'll be gone soon enough if/when i get my full exhaust.

I wouldn't be too concerned if I was going to do my exhaust sometime soon, but it looks like those plans will be put on hold until I can scare up some more cash. Therefore I just need to address the issue at hand. Thanks for the helpful advice. I think I'll try to look at it this weekend.

-Brian

This problem seems typical on Subarus. My old GT has a buncha heatshields rattling (car was too low and I hit the exhaust too many times). I just cut them off . . .

Some people will tell you that it might be a firehazard, but I never had problems. Just make sure you don't park over any dry leaves or grass.

And FWIW, aftermarket exhaust systems don't fit in the shielding anyway, so if you're gonna mod the exhaust, they're useless.

Unless you're driving in tall long grass......the heat shields really don't matter.....there is shielding on the car body for the real hot places like the cat converter....but that's mainly it.

I know I know. I'll be looking into it this weekend. After I figure out what the hell's wrong, I'll be sure to let you guys know. I'm fairly certain it's somewhere in the engine compartment but who knows. Wish me luck!

-Brian

WEIGHT REDUCTION !! hehe. You never know when those 5 extra lbs (if that) might help

For the record, I've got the rattle too.

take them off ---it dont matter

well i know what i will be doing tomorrow removing those damn heat shields they rattle anyways was just putting it off will do it when i remove the silencer for the air box always looking for more power

I found the rattle. It was a shield that covers the uppipe where it bends toward the turbo. The bolts are all rusted as hell though so I couldn't tighten or loosen the bolt at all. When I tried to tighten the bolt, the shield itself broke. I'm going to have to figure out a way to remove this piece of shielding now that the shield itself is broken and all the bolts are rusted. I'll probably have to cut away the area around the bolts. I'll keep you guys posted though. Regardless, it makes less noise now than it did before.

-Brian

The only reason I leave them on is fear of cracking due to water. especially upstream of the turbo. I know it's not so much a problem downstream. But I worry that if I hit a huge puddle and my exhaust is particularly hot, that all the water rusing against it will cause the manifold to crack. there's only one section that doesn't have it (right side where the right exhaust meets the left and goes up) and I always worry about it.

Interesting point Igg. I hadn't even thought of that. Maybe I'll try to figure out a way to keep it intact afterall. It'll take some creative thought though as the shield itself is now cracked.

-Brian

Use muffler cement to patch the heat shields. they don't hold pressure and they don't get too hot, so simple muffler cement or maybe even JB weld will hold it together nicely. if it's past the turbo, and definitely if it's past the cats, you shouldn't have to worry about crackage. especially since the heat capacity is so low (thin pipes). but the thick-walled manifold is the place I worry about crackage.

I would, but the area that cracked is a BITCH to get to. It's the upper shield and is very difficult to get to. What makes it even tougher is that the part that cracked is the small area around the nut. I'm not sure there's enough material there to cement, and if there is, it's hell of rusted.

-Brian

Well, it's my turn to jump in the conversation here, mine started out as a slight rattle only under backpressure from engine braking, but now sitting at a drive-thru against a building, the echo at idle drives me nuts! I sounds like it's right at my feet which would probably mean somewhere near the cat... I'll figure it out later if and when I have more time...

My turn! I can hear mine rattle whenever I shut the driver's door. I've also noticed it at drive-thrus. I've also got a noise that I hope is the heat shield at certain rpm.

One more thing for the when-it-gets-warmer-out list I guess!

I'min the same boat with my GT. rattles at 3900rpm and 50 each side but i'm living with it 4 now. (cos I nana about)

Just coz I remember my old exhaust manifold gaskets looking like sheeot the last time I took my manifolds off, I put new gaskets on today...

Allow me to say that my car is much quieter, obviously, and a little more torque and engine-braking are present with more backpressure, but what I thought was heat-shields rattling has been vastly improved! I can still hear the actual shields themselves faintly rattle when engine-braking next to a wall or curb, but the other noises I heard seemed to vanish afterwards (rattling under power, etc.)

Since the two gaskets cost about $20 and they take a whole 45 minutes to replace (for N/A's anyway ), see if that helps you...

Hmm... That's interesting. Definitely something else to look at one day.

I solved my rattle with hose clamps I got from Home Depot. I had tried shoving a big nail between the shield and the exhaust, but it fell out and the shield started rattling again.