Heatshielding

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Vertuas - 22 Mar 2007 21:24 GMT

Hello

My Escort is loosing its heat shielding (UK Escort!)

Its the bit above the Catalytic Convertor and it is hanging on bt two bolts.
The metal has torn at the mouting, the bolts are still in screwed into the
car

The friendly ford dealer wants £29 + vat for this shaped bit of old tin.

Is it safe to remove the shielding completely and stop the rattling that it
is causing? I don;t see the point in £29+vat for a poxy bit of aluminium
foil that happens to be the right shape.

Thanks

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larry moe 'n curly - 23 Mar 2007 06:42 GMT

> My Escort is loosing its heat shielding (UK Escort!)
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> Is it safe to remove the shielding completely and stop the rattling that it
> is causing?

I can't imagine any car maker spending money on heat shields that
weren't absolutely necessary, but I've seen technical service
bulletins, including one from Ford, that recommended reattaching the
heat shields with stainless steel hose clamps.

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Tom Adkins - 23 Mar 2007 07:56 GMT

>> My Escort is loosing its heat shielding (UK Escort!)
>>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> bulletins, including one from Ford, that recommended reattaching the
> heat shields with stainless steel hose clamps.

If it's the heat shield on the cat, fasten it with a long hose clamp. If it is
attached to the body, well then, add some self tapping screws through the floorboard.
They don't have to be long enough to protrude through the carpet.

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Fordfan - 23 Mar 2007 08:22 GMT

>>> My Escort is loosing its heat shielding (UK Escort!)
>>>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> through the floorboard. They don't have to be long enough to protrude
> through the carpet.

There's a possibility of starting a fire if the car is parked over tall
grass without the catalytic converter heat shield. It depends on where
the converter is located, but it has happened. The British call hose
clamps 'Jubilee' clips. It's a brand name like 'Jello'.

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vertuas - 24 Mar 2007 15:29 GMT

> Hello
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>
> Thanks

Hi guys,

I believe I have been miss understood. It isn't the shielding attached to
the cat itself, but the bit that should be attached to the underside of the
car above where the cat is.

At the moment it is hanging down and rattling on the cat every time there is
a bump in the road.

I could aquire some large washer to hold the thing back on with the original
bolts, but i have to get the thing in the air!

Argos axle stands any good? lol

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Fordfan - 25 Mar 2007 03:25 GMT

> Hi guys,
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> Argos axle stands any good? lol

I've worked on converters by driving the front of the car up on ramps.
(Be sure to block the rear wheels.) This works if the converter is not
located too far back, which most aren't. It shouldn't be that hard to
reinstall the heatshield to the underside of the floor, perhaps with
some new holes and large 'fender' washers. It might be difficult to
drill those holes with the converter in the way though. It depends on
where you need to locate them.

Another possibility is finding a converter heatshield (steel not
aluminum)in a junk yard, which has the right length and curvature to fit
around the upper side of your converter. Then you could use the hose
clamp method with some metal spacers between the heatshield and
converter to maintain an air gap of at least 1/2-inch. Remove the old
heatshield first to make room for the new one.

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