for the past month,the manifold heatshields on my car have begun to resonate,particularly at low revs.so today i have spent all afternoon underneath it,mig welder in hand,splodging every nut,bolt and broken weld i could find.but all i have succeeded in doing is creating an almighty 'screech',amplified,and caused by the turbo heatshield...sooooo..can the turbo heatshield be removed,without any detrimental effect and consequently thrown into the local canal.any advice will be muchly appreciated,as i'm still working on it now still.

 

pretty please

 

you haven't mentioned what year your car is...
i ran my my01 for a while without a heatshield, but was suffering bad brake fade which i put down to excess heat build up.
many of the STi's don't have a heatshield on the turbo-
come on guys, help us out!
simon

 

I have been running my WRX MY96 without the heat shield from under the exhaust manifold on the driver's side for nearly 3 years. I have had no problems. I have put some reflective material on the wiring harness,which runs in front of it behind the bumper.

The only potential problem I can see is a fire risk if you park the car on long dry grass or other flammable material. I suppose the exposed section of manifold is subject to greater thermal stress from water splash.

 

I hope you disconnected the alternator wiring plug whilst welding, so you didn't blow the diodes.....

As for the heat shield, Subaru went to the trouble/cost of designing/fitting it for a reason. I personally wouldn't run without one, particularly the turbo one - you are increasing the underbonnet, and thus inlet, temperature.....

 

many thanks for your replies.don't think i fancy any brake fade or
causing possible bush fire!
the problem seems to have stemmed from some over-zealous trimming to fit shield over ss de-cat pipe.
perhaps i was a little flippant in my original question,you are correct dave,it is imperative to protect electrical systems b4 welding,but,any welding around an engine bay is not really a good idea.myself and 2 tradesmen colleagues did the job in a fully equipped wshop,with the engine swathed in fire blankets and plenty of extinguishers at hand!...thanks again tmfr

 

You could remove the metal heat shield and fit a turbo blanket. These are available from Demon Tweeks amongst others. They keep the engine bay cool as they actually keep more heat in the turbo and increase efficiency. (and they don't rattle )

Andy

 

You may also be fined if you are found disposing of heatshields in canals under the 1933 heatshield act!

Good luck, MD.

 

at last! somebody with a(much needed) sense of humour.