Heatshielding

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

Reply to
Vertuas
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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.

Reply to
larry moe 'n curly

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'.

Reply to
Fordfan

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.

Reply to
Tom Adkins

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

Reply to
vertuas

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.

Reply to
Fordfan

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