I am replacing the front section of Exhaust pipe on my '01 Forester, the factory pipe that is on it now (and is broken in half:( ) has heat shield on it.

 

I'm wondering if it is worth my time to pull the shield off and put it on the new pipe before I install it?

 

Any other wisdom on this job would be appreciated as well,

 

Thanks,

 

E

i wouldn't install the heat shield, over time they start coming apart and rattling - it's very common and annoying. they get removed all the time.

 

not sure which pipe you mean. depends what condition they're in but seized/sheared off fasteners is the only hard part to the job. everything else is easy. have some high quality rust penetrant available - like YIELD or Liquid Wrench is available at most auto stores. Soak them ahead of time if you can. be prepared to need new bolts/nuts depending....

 

have soapy water for any exhaust hangers - turns a 7 minute knuckle buster into 7 seconds of ease.

 

Subaru exhaust manifold gaskets are much better than aftermarkets if you need to replace those.

 

often times they are easy to weld back together. OEM Subaru exhaust pipe is easy to weld and such highly quality it's worth the effort to keep the original parts.

 

it's particularly worth it considering that aftermarket exhaust parts usually only last a couple years...well here in the snow/rust belt anyway. and OEM parts are insanely expensive.

 

 

 

heck, email me pictures of yours when you get it off and i might buy it from you!