Heat shield: Important, or just for giggles?

[PHO2GR4]

So my VX has been rattling something awful ever since I had the new muffler installed. (Yes, the muffler resonates that much!) After much exploration by the friendly folks at my neighborhood Firestone shoppe, it was determined that the rattling was coming from the heat shield.

Furthermore, I apparently didn't even HAVE a heat shield...but rather, a heat-shield-shaped rust shell. It was in awful condition. The upper and lower sections were basically a crumbling mass of iron oxide chunks. They removed it, and it was just flaking off into pieces. Thanks, Florida!

Anyway. Long story longer. What's the dealio with these heat shields? Should I try to replace it with either a new one or a salvage one? One with less rust, this time? Or is it no big deal? I mean, mine was in such bad shape by the time it was removed that I might as well have had nothing there anyway.

Is it okay to drive without this heat shield, or will my VX explode? (And why do all of my problems end up with the VX exploding, in my imagination?) At least, without the rattling heat shield, my ride is much quieter now! Right up to the loud explosion, at least...

[mdwyer]

If I understand correctly, (which would be a stretch) the heat shield may be important for keeping heat IN. That is, it keeps the exhaust system hot enough so that the catalytic converter functions well.

Get a second opinion before you peel it off, but if that's really all it is, I would have no problems losing it. Besides, in Denver, the VX doesn't fit on the emissions test equipment, anyway.

[rowhard]

Eric, if it was me, I'd stop by a couple of muffler shops and get their opinion. I'm thinking the heatshield might be a needed item, if not for what mdymer said, then for keeping the heat from the muffler out of the cab, espically since your 4 legged loved ones will be residing on top of them for hours on end while you travel to MOAB.

[PHO2GR4]

Hmmm...good points.

Will I have to call St. Charles Isuzu to see if a replacement heat shield can even be purchased? This doesn't seem like an easy part to find.

Mine's gone. Powdered. Flaked off into the rusty graveyard in the sky. As I said, I doubt if it has even been effective in ages, given its powdery thinness when it was removed.

If I can find a decent replacement, I'll probably install it, just to be safe.

I'm not too worried. How hot can an Ebony VX get in the Utah desert sun, after all?

[Ldub]

With a little time, imagination, sheet metal, tin snips, a drill & bits, some hose clamps, & a pop rivet tool, you could fab up a new one in less than an hour.

[nfpgasmask]

I have heard of some folks replacing heat sheilds with that silver foam tape stuff too. Probably not a long term fix...but. Anyone else know about the heat sheilding tape? I know I have at least one or two of my heat sheilds making the "jar of change" sounds under my VX.

Bart

[WyrreJ]

When the heat shield on my previous car rusted off, I asked around and was told that it's primary purpose in life was to keep heat in, in order to protect anything I parked over - like grass in a field - from catching on fire. The car ran just fine without it.

[Triathlete]

The tape will work just fine if you have enough room to get in there. Most of the comp buggies use it and have exhaust sytems that at times run very near their body (the human type) parts and often have open floors.

[etlsport]

so where is this heat shield? i was under my vx looking for it because ive got some crazy rattling going on under my vx.. didnt really see what i was looking for.. i did see a plate that looked kind of loose.. had TOD stamped on it, one of the clamps holding that down was loose so i pulled it off and put a new one on... anyone have photos of the heat sheild in question?

[PHO2GR4]

It's a two-piece, rusty, rattling wrap-around cover for part of the exhaust pipe. Passenger side of the engine compartment.

[nfpgasmask]

OK, this morning I ripped off what was left of my big long passenger side sheild. It drove me nuts all the way to and from Moab.



PHO2GR4, did you call St. Charles yet? I am going to call them Monday and see if I can get a replacement.

I have been thumbing through my parts catalog to try to get a part number but I am having no luck. Does anyone know the proper Isuzu term for this part? Nothing is coming up in the index under "heat", "heat sheild" or "insulator". Any other key words I should look for? Or better yet, what "section" of the vehicle would this most likely be under? Chassis? Frame? Emission system?

Thanks - Bart

[CrnCnn]

So is this the piece that makes me feel "not so cool" when someone is checkin out the VX, then all of the sudden rattle rattle

[PHO2GR4]

Bart, if you can believe it, the remains of MY heat shield looked much worse than yours!

I've driven close to 3000 miles across searing desert heat for 10 hours at a stretch with no obvious problems, though. I wonder what this part actually does? Is it like a spleen, which can be removed without causing any bad issues?

[Dino]

Want a mechanics input... well here it is anyway!

Heat shields are there to protect things surrounding that super-hot exhaust pipe! It's fine moving down the road with air rushing by, but when a vehicle gets shut down with a super-heated exhaust, the heat rises and super-heats your floorboards and other bits that are nearby that don't take well to repeated, intense, heat!

It's best to try to keep them on.
If they're rattling, any competent muffler shop's welder-on-duty should be able to tack weld them back in place.

...and there's me 2 cents.

[Joe Isuzu]

I'm definitely not the only one on this apparently, after I got mine I was very annoyed at the rattling that would happen when the car was idling, I traced it down to the heat shield and the u-bolt (right term?) had rusted, the shield wasn't in great shape but it was mostly there and I simply replaced the bolt so it wasn't sitting on the exhaust pipe, simple enough solution but sometimes I fear looking underneath my VX b/c I see a lot of rusty looking emissions equipment that soon looks like it will need to be replaced....
cha-ching!