My wife drives a 2001 Suzuki XL7. While she was out, the exhaust heat shield fell off the catalytic converter. My question is does this affect the car's ability to function in any way? Is it still safe to drive? My wife is freaking out over it.
View 6 RepliesMy wife drives a 2005 Honda accord and the catalytic converter heat shield recently fell off. I am wondering if it is safe to continue driving the car without the heat shield? I have read that the main function of the heat shield is to prevent fires when parking in long grass. Does it also protect the bottom of the car from starting on fire?
View 1 RepliesThe catalytic converter shield is tack welded on the front end but free on the rear end. There was originally some braided wire packing at the rear to keep the shield from rattling against the pipes. Mine was deteriorated and had been damaged, I think, when I sustained some oil pan damage last summer -- big jolt to the system when running over a muffler on the highway.
The fix is simple. Bought a foot of 3/16" braided stainless steel cable. I used about 8 inches and layed in the lower bead line on the catalytic converter shield (see picture below). You can see a bit of the cable thru the gap in the upper/lower shield on the left side. (1/4" cable would be a better fit, but this will work for a long time.) Cost: $1.84
The local VW parts man dug out an exploded drawing of the system but it showed NO parts or packing for this problem.
The heat shield on the catalytic converter of my 2005 Honda Civic rusted and was hanging on by one nut, so I decided to rip the bottom part off. Is it necessary to get a replacement or can i go without it?
View 5 RepliesGot a rattle from the car, I think it's the catalytic converter heat shield. Looking for any pictures of what it looks like? I don't know if it is a full cover on our Toyota's, or a half cover. I will post a picture of what mine looks like now that it is rattling later today. Hoping it's an easy fix.
2009 Corolla CE 1.8L.
I want to replace the auto trans coolant lines on my 2001 F150 4.2L. I discovered I can actually see the top coolant line flare nut from outside the right wheel well, with the wheel and wheel liner removed. The lower line is just a few inches below. See photo, it's a little off, so the line connector is not seen:
The heat shield is just a little bit in the way for my hands, I have to put one through the red circled area. A 1/2" hex head bolt holds the shield to the frame (circled in green). This was easy to remove from the wheel well. After that the heat shield could be moved slightly away from the points I need to access.
I would prefer to unfasten the shield & move it out of the way for my hands. I found another bolt holding the rear end of the shield down to the frame, wasn't able to remove this - the bolt fastens to a U-nut in the frame that broke off & has trapped the bolt. Are there any other bolts fastening the heat shield down?
I was able to remove the old flare nuts with a 5/8" flare nut wrench, but have not been able to start the new nuts into their fittings, just not quite enough visibility and access.
Long story, I'll try to make this short, 2000 E250 5.4L What would or could happen if the catalytic converter was removed from the exhaust system?
View 5 RepliesI have a 2001 Ford F250 Diesel. I recently cut the 4 inch exhaust pipe right behind the end of the cab cutting off the muffler and I thought the catalytic converter as well. I was talking to another super duty owner and he said he thought there was another catalytic converter further up in the pipe. Is this true? If so, how far would would I have to cut it to cut it off. Would this make the truck any louder...wouldn't mind if it did.
View 6 RepliesMy exhaust on my 01 was rattling. It was coming from the catalytic converter, I assumed it was the heat shield. Put it up on the lift and lo and behold it was something in the cat that was rattling. I was popping a code for the cat anyways so figured I'd just swap it out. Fast forward to tonight. I get the car back up on the lift and I wiggle the cat but no rattling? I go farther back to the first muffler/resonator now it's rattling. It's not a hanger or a heat shield or metal to metal on the outside, there is obviously something of substantial mass inside of it I can almost feel where it is by wiggling around. I chose to wait and cut the exhaust up a different night because I plan on taking that section out as well now, hoping to get out whatever is rattling. If not I'll just have some spare pipe on hand to replace it.
View 6 RepliesI own a 2000 E 250 Econoline van with 170,000 miles. I've been encountering loss of power on acceleration for months. Terrible gas mileage (8-10 mpg) and just recently, I get that rotten egg smell when I gun it and and travel above 65/70. I can feel heat from under the van when i step out as well. I've been blowing individual coil packs every other month after a long drive with a lot of inclines. It all points to a clogged catalytic converter. This van has 3. A front left and right by the manifolds, and a large one before the muffler. My question is, what causes them to go bad? I want to fix the cause before spend the money on new cats. Ive heard a rich fuel mixture could do it. Are there sensors that need to be changed?
View 1 RepliesI have a 42 DD tb exhaust. And so far I've used a 3" exhaust clamp over the last hanger (after the muffler) which raised the exhaust all the way up against the heatshield, eliminating the rattle over the rear axle beam. But the exhaust was rattling against the heatshield.
So I bought 15 ft of exhaust wrap and wrapped the section that comes in contact with the heatshield. It worked a bit but it still rattles a little! I hate this rattling! How to get rid of the rattling? Should I just use more exhaust wrap?
Had an annoying vibration when pulling from a stop til up to speed or if I was going up a hill at low speed. Figured it was the exhaust heat shield so I took it in for service. I was told that it was indeed the heat shield and that there is a service bulletin regarding it. I believe they repaired it with a pair of clamps.
View 3 RepliesWhat would cause both Cat converters to fail at 20,000 mi.? Mine went out and the back pressure caused the engine to knock under acceleration. Also blew out an injector and plug. Luckily it was under warranty but wonder what could caused it.
View 8 RepliesThe clamp connecting the resonator and the catalytic converter is leaking around the edges. I changed the bolts and tightened the clamp but still leaking.
View 24 RepliesAfter hearing some loud noise coming from my exhaust system, it was determined that there is a hole (from rust) in part of the cat. assembly. Three shops advised for replacement, there are no aftermarket products for this unit. I have NOT gotten any error codes, the only problem is the noise. What to do? The car is 10 years old with 86000 miles. I have been reading about some of you getting just the one piece and having it welded on, but I do not believe any of the shops here will do that, and indicated that it would be a very temporary fix.
View 17 RepliesYesterday my 1995 Toyota Corolla (which runs well otherwise) started making the loudest rumbling exhaust sound I've ever heard whenever I stepped on the gas pedal. It also felt like it had trouble accelerating when I would try to get going after a stop. I took it to a mechanic right away, who says it needs a new catalytic converter and resonator pipe.
My boyfriend says this is a repair he could do. He has done some car repair and worked with a mechanic before, so I am considering trusting him on that, but I don't know what types of repairs he's done before and I know he has never worked on this model. What would you take into consideration whether or not it would be safe to attempt this repair at home?
I've noticed that potentially my heat shield or whatever guard that is 1 step toward the front of the car from where the inlet pipe connects to the exhaust system may be the reason for my rattle at 2k and 3k rpms. i think its a heat shield but I am not sure. the thing is it seems properly mounted, nothing is cracked/broken/or loose. But when I do try and wiggle it it does make a slight creaking noise that sounds similar to the rattle I get. So I could foresee this as being my issue.
But, is there anyway to fix this rattle w/out just taking off the part? i figure its there for a reason and it looks like its held on in 2 places. But they're not nuts they almost look like spot welds or something. 1 on each side. What to do?
Something to get you all in here:
I recently purchased this truck and have towed a couple of times with it. It has 98,000 miles and I do not know if the automatic transmission fluid has been changed. Should I have it flushed or drop the pan and change it? I have a lift so doing the change is no problem, although it might be worth it to pay a transmission shop to do it.
Also, I hear what appears to be like a heat shield rattle or something that sounds kinda like an exhaust leak during loaded acceleration. What to look for to locate the noise? One last question, the air bag light is on sometimes then off sometimes. Any known air bag light issues? I love the truck, hate the gas mileage!
The engine splash shield to my 2010 Prius fell/tore off after ran over some chunks of ice and snow. (The plastic "flap" that folds down to allow access to the oil filter and drain plug. My local dealership says I need to replace the entire plastic lining under the vehicle to the tune of $250+.
View 19 RepliesThe plastic shield under the engine has fell down and dragged while driving. I have put it back up with zip ties and i seem to be getting worse gas mileage now since air is catching?? Is it ok just to remove this guard?
View 5 RepliesI recently had my catalytic converter replaced with a non-OEM cat. The check engine light came on and a different shop (different from the shop that replaced the cat) said that it will keep coming on because I had the cat replaced with a non-OEM cat.
View 3 Replies