Heat Shield Rattle

Yeah, I've got a 2001 Outback Limited, and the same problem has occurred. It's pretty common, from what I uunderstand. And yes, the dealership is great for excuses, but light on any real action. And since I really *do* take this car off-roading, I'm not about to remove the heat shield just yet.

Here's an idea I'm going to try, as soon as I get the critter back on the lift: I'm going to place a spacer washer above and below the bolt holes (not too thick; just enough to allow for greater mechanical advantage when tightening the bolds down) and torque the whole assembly to factory spec. From what I can gather, the two spacer washers will "clamp down" in a little metal sandwich, and will grip the heat shield more effectively, holding it in place, but givving it no "wiggle room".

It's just an idea - I'll let you know how it turns out...

Gene Moody

Why not use lock-tight on the screws? Or find someone that can weld and have them fix the problem.... I would not allow them to take off the heat shield. This seems like half ass way of fixing somthing.

I'm not yet too familaiar with subarus but I had similar problems with a civic. A couple of other suggestions:

-if extra clamping preasure dosn't help maybe slightly bending the lips to make better or less contact.

-put spacers between the halves to amply seperate the 2 halves.

-use a bit of high heat silicone to keep the metal parts seperated. Maybe even let it set up befor reassembly, so its putting a up a bit of resistance to being clamped dowm. Sometimes even a blob on the edges or at some key point is enough to dampen the harmonics.

Good luck F. Plant

Easy fix: get a hose clamp of the right diameter, use a washer or two to take up the space between the shield and the pipe (bend the washer to conform to the pipe), and tighten the clamp. Lasts for years, but get the all stainless clamps used for underground work. Most dealers simply remove the shields when they get loose. Ed