Any suggs for quieting the catalytic heat shield?

I stuffed a piece of steel wool in between the shield and pipe a little closer to the engine. It proved that the rattle was where I thought it was, but the wool doesn't last long, maybe two months, and my rattle is back. Next, I'm going to try aluminum foil...just enough to stop the noise.

-John O

I call it bandiron. I think it's called strapping tape in the hardware stores. It is flexible metal strip that is perforated with 1/4" holes. Comes in thin and heavy thickness so get the thick stuff. It's galvanized but the thin stuff will rust out is less than a winter (due to road salt). The thicker stuff is harder to mold to shape but lasts longer. See

You wrap it around whatever you want to compress and use a long 1/4" bolt and nut to pull it together. Try to wrap it around so it takes the least amount of bandiron so when you tighten it you aren't stretching out crimps or bends. At the ends, you slide in a bolt through the hole at one end and through the hole at the other, affix a nut, and tighten which pulls the bandiron taut. Don't bother cutting it to length because you'll always be wrong. Wrap it around, put the bolt through the hold on the end, and try to reach the farthest hole you possibly can and still get the nut on the end of the bolt. It can help to bend the tape at a right-angle on both the bolt head end and the hole you are trying to get it through. On something like a muffler or converter, I'd probably use a 3" bolt so I had a good distance to tighten up the tape. If you are just fixing the rusted through clamps on the ends of the heat shields by using the bandiron to secure them again, probably 1-1/2 or 2 inch bolts are okay. Just grab a selection of 1/4" bolts for length to see what works best.

While I recommend using a locknut, do not use the type with the plastic insert as you are placing it next to the hot pipe or converter. Use the type that has the nut slightly crushed (making it irregular shaped). You'll see little round dimples on 3 of the 6 faces. That locknut is just metal. Harder to put on and off but then if the bandiron rusts through it breaks apart or if you need it off you just use a snips to cut it.

After a week of putting it on, you'll want to re-tighten the bandiron due to any stretching (not necessarily of the tape but due to pulling out bends or crimps) or deformation of the shield you secured.

My 03 Forester had one start to rattle last month. I used ceiling wire to tie it down. It's an aluminum wire used for hanging a suspended ceiling. A worm gear style hose clamp also works well.

Do the hose clamps join them together till is long eough. Simply tighten them up till the noise is gone. Best & last forever. "Rob Aries" wrote in message news:rob snipped-for-privacy@comcast.dca.giganews.com... If there's anything that makes a car sound like a junker it's that rattle. I have a '95 Legacy with the problem. I guess one could just pull the thing off, but I understand it can be a safety concern when parking on grass, etc. I'm just wondering what others have done about this. Thanks!