Why does my car heat shield make a rattling sound?
If the heat shield becomes loose, damaged or broken, perhaps due to loose hardware or damage from rust, it will cause the heat shield to vibrate and produce a rattling sound. The rattling will be most prominent at low engine speeds, and may change in pitch or tone according to engine speed.
When to look for a rattle in a heat shield?
If you’re hearing a persistent, metallic rattle coming from your car or truck (especially when idling), there’s a good chance you have a loose or broken heat shield. Although there are a million places to look for a rattle on an older car, the heat shield on your car’s exhaust system is a good first place to look.
How to fix a rattling heat shield on an exhaust pipe?
Video tutorial on how to fix a rattling heat shield on an exhaust pipe, muffler, or catalytic converter. This cannot be applied to all types of heat shields such as ones that bolt to the underside of the vehicle. This method mainly applies to the ones which wrap around an object.
What are the symptoms of a bad heat shield?
Burning smell Another symptom of a bad or failing heat shield is a burning smell from the engine bay. If the heat shield fails to protect the engine bay from the exhaust heat it may eventually lead to a burning smell from the engine bay. If the heat reaches any plastic, or especially sensitive components it may cause them to overheat and burn up.
What noise does a heat shield make?
If the heat shield becomes loose, damaged or broken, perhaps due to loose hardware or damage from rust, it will cause the heat shield to vibrate and produce a rattling sound. The rattling will be most prominent at low engine speeds, and may change in pitch or tone according to engine speed.
What is a muffler heat shield?
The heat shield is there to keep your 400-degree muffler from setting fire to the wheat field you’re parking in . It’s also there to keep it from setting fire to the contents of your trunk. It wraps around the muffler and, depending on the car, the muffler can be pretty close to the underside of the trunk.
What is exhaust heat shield?
Exhaust heat shields operate similarly to exhaust heat wrap: both components are responsible for retaining thermal energy inside the exhaust system. The work of the exhaust heat shields is based on insulating of the exhaust, thus focusing or redirecting thermal energy where it should be – in the exhaust system.