As I was beneath  the car for the water pump and timing belt service, I thought it was also to put an end to the stereo heat shield rattle which drives us all mad.

I ran the engine at optimum rattle speed (~2750rpm for me).

To verify where the rattle was I pressed on the various heat shields with a hammer handle until I felt and saw the rattle effect through the hammer. These shields had about 3mm play in them. The hammer handle literally bounced off the vibrating shields.

With the same hammer I jammed a 3/16” x 3” nails into the gaps of the offending shields.

Happy now.

 

Once while at the dealer, I complained of rattling heat shields and before I could protest, watched as  they drilled a sheet metal screw through the shield into the exhaust!
I have since taken to using large stainless hose clamps that cross the junction from one section to the next.

Edited November 17, 20196 yr by brus brother

Man it’s going to suck when those nails fall out and pop your tire or the motorcyclist coming after you. 

Hack is cool until hack becomes dangerous. Just spend a minute and rethink the solution. There’s many. 

16 hours ago, moosens said:

Man it’s going to suck when those nails fall out and pop your tire or the motorcyclist coming after you. 

as first read in the magazine DOH!

19 hours ago, moosens said:

Man it’s going to suck when those nails fall out and pop your tire or the motorcyclist coming after you. 

Hack is cool until hack becomes dangerous. Just spend a minute and rethink the solution. There’s many. 

Haha thanks, I look into the more permanent options.

At least for now I know where the rattle is.

Mitchy,    I have been hammering in sheet metal screws, bolts, what ever I could find to hammer in to stop the shroud rattle around the exhaust for years. I have never used nails. Nothing has ever fallen out that I can ever tell. It is a red neck fix I know, but a good one in my opinion.

Sometimes the shroud can easily be removed, so I do that to fix the noise problem. The shrouds are there to protect against starting a grass fire, should you ever park in tall dry grass. I never park in high grass, so no problem.

I've cut up pieces of metal coat hangers and bend them so they slide in there and stay tight.

I don't remember where I heard this but I tried it and its been gold so far...

Take some XX fine (or anything close) steel wool and cram as much in between the shrouds and the pipe as you can. anywhere it rattles, usually where the separate pieces connect. I mean, really shove it in there with a chisel or crowbar or anything that fits that shape until you cant cram anymore in. As stated above, has worked wonders for me so far

Edited November 21, 20196 yr by GoudaWagon

LINK

or perhaps use copper scouring pad that won't rust away like steel wool?

Cut 'em off. That's the only permanent fix. The mechanics at the dealership where I worked all had their own tricks. Hose clamps, washers, etc. etc. They all came back.

Heat shields are good for collecting grass seeds and stems to create a fire. Not good if you’re relying on your vehicle to get you out of a remote place you’re visiting... 

Cheers 

Bennie

I reckon the heat shields are there for something more than decoration, so I won’t be cutting them off just yet.
Those nails took some patient hammering to get them in and they have deformed the shields with the force used. The heads butt up against the neighbouring shield’s flange so I don’t even think they could come out over time. Anyhow, I’m always under there so they will be inspected or swapped for less lethal methods!

I took  the shields off the Forester when I did the clutch, they are now covered in baked mud, which loves to trap humidity.

Any way, knowing that the rattle is not fatal, at least its a reason for us wrenchers to get under there now and then.

Because of the road salt used up here and the heat cycling, those things rust out so badly. Something wedged behind it will just cause the shield to break sooner.

The senior master tech at the dealership told me that they're there to keep the heat in the exhaust so the catalytic converters are more efficient. Whether that's the reason or not, I've pulled them off a dozen cars with no noticeable effects.

5 hours ago, Numbchux said:

.The senior master tech at the dealership told me that they're there to keep the heat in the exhaust so the catalytic converters are more efficient. Whether that's the reason or not, I've pulled them off a dozen cars with no noticeable effects.

Makes sense - I’d say more so for  the time it takes to heat up the catalytic converter to allow the ecu to run with the O2 sensor in operation for emissions. 

Cheers 

Bennie