Exhaust manifold heat shield on bulkhead

Hi

Since I am now finally becoming an active member of this forum I would like to ask if you have experienced this problem. The thing is that this heat shield (pictured below) keeps breaking in my car (I have had the car since new in April 2001 and I have driven about 43.000 km.), it looks as if something hits this shield but I never remember anything hitting the car at this place. This shield has broken two times and is now broken again. (Maybe I should just buy 12 at a time) You can see in the pictures below what shield I am talking about. Please let me know if you have experienced this or if you know what is wrong.

http://www.grund.is/kjartan/heatshield1.jpg
http://www.grund.is/kjartan/heatshield2.jpg
http://www.grund.is/kjartan/heatshield3.jpg

Kjartan Juliusson

sorry mate,but i can't see a picture? If its the heat shield i'm thinking off,a small piece of metal,i ripped that off ages agoo because it kept coming lose and vibrating.

Hi

I don't know why you cannot see the pictures, but it is the heat shield in front of the engine.

You can try to go to the actual url of the pictures:
http://www.grund.is/kjartan/heatshield1.jpg
http://www.grund.is/kjartan/heatshield2.jpg
http://www.grund.is/kjartan/heatshield3.jpg

I don't know what is wrong because I see the pictures.

Schumi i also had this changed recently... i know banflu also changed his... its a flimbsy part and cracks easily... its not from hitting stuff!! Maybe buying a few at a time would be a good idea wink

but it should be on warranty... i got mine done under warranty for free...

I agree with Dave, take it off otherwise you will have this for the rest of ownership. I have spoken to so many people about this. Its very common to remove it!

What's the use for this shield? Simply to protect you, humans from touching the manifold? And why would it break by itself?! I'll have to check my one asap.

Well Justin,

It does proect the human with his hand in the bay, but it deflects the heat down away from the bonnet and surrounding engine bay, however, these are manufactured so shoddy, that they are breaking at the weakest point, possibly due to vibrations or a simple heat/stress design fault.

I would rather take that rattling item off and use exhaust wrap. Not sure how well it would cover the top of the manifold though.

Use exhaust wrap as a heat barrier to keep engines and driving compartments cool, and to keep wires and hoses from melting under extreme conditions. also to control heat in exhaust systems for a performance boost. BTW - nowadays, its all asbestos free! eek!

http://store5.yimg.com/I/chucker54_1714_18594116

sorry,i can see the pics now.I forgot that Zonealarm wont load ppics that take longer than 3 secs,so its a pain in the evening.Yep,thats the one,my 7yr old could make a better effort out of plasticine!

Ok, it’s like this…
I had my old heat shield broke in 4 places, first on the bolts below then I’ve reinforced and after some day on the bolts on top, 4 big holes!!!
Then I’ve tried to fix then all, that’s when, the heat shield broken in half in 2 pieces!!!
I’ve tried to change it to a new heat shield cause is was under the warranty but they said that it was broke cause I had hit the street bellow with the heat shield!
But it wasn’t my fault…I think that the original heat shield is a heat “b u l l” “c h i t”!!!
Cause I didn’t want to spend more money with that shield I’ve drive some days without, that’s when I’ve found out that the engine wasn’t 100%, losing power sometime, and it was very hot under and on top of the engine bay!
Then I’ve talk with some mechanics fiend of mine and they told me that it was better I install a new heat shield, that’s when I’ve order a new one.
My new heat shield is a little different from the original, its stronger and harder, and it was made with better quality!!!
It’s really strange, but my mechanics have order a specific 147 heat shield directly from Fiat/Alfa.
Maybe they have many claims and changed the original heat shield with a resistant one!!!

That exhaust wraps that alfaowner said before, it’s used in competition, and it’s also good solution.

OK, I am going to get a new one soon, but if you look at the picture it actually looks as if it had the ground, but I actually don't see how that can be possible, but then again, we don't have the best roads here in Iceland.

I believe that it could hit the ground…my suspension tuned 147 hit less the ground with less height of the ground, that with the much more high with original suspension!!!
There is a logical explanation, and it was one of the factor that made me change the suspension, is because the original springs/dampers are too soft and when you break hard the car front goes way down…so down that one time I really hit the ground in a flat street!!!

i've had two new heat shields so far.

Second one split around all of the retaining bolts.

Incidentally there were no dents in it at all to indicate i had hit anything.

Both were replaced under warranty as defective parts.

Oddly enough the second one was fitted with only the top bolts secured - i reckon that the four bolts don't allow sufficient expansion or contraction and thus cause cracking...

A possible solution to this problem would be as follows.

1) remove all 4 retaining bolts.
2) remove heat shield from exhaust system
3) Put "High temperature silicon" (one version is in a copper coloured tube and the silicon is also copper coloured.) on the flat surface of exhaust around each of the studs.
4)Replace the heat sheild on the Exhaust so that it is gently placed in the silicon rubber.
5) Put silicon rubber around the stud on top of the heat shield
6) Replace the 4 bolts but only until the silicon is being jgently squeezed out.
If this is done properly then you should have a silicon rubber gasket which will allow thermal expansion and contraction of heat shield and hence reduce the chances of cracking.
Of course this may not solve the problem at all

i have this prob too, as G said; i ordered it a couple of weeks ago and its still not arrived!!
but it should be here in a week or so..

the problem i'm sure is hitting the ground, as the roads in malta are terrible, as some of you know

when i was talking to my mechanic i told him that i was going to remove it, full stop
but he didnt let me, he made a real big deal of it;
he said that the cover was there so that it would protect the manifold from getting wet in rain.. because wetting it will result in quenching, which will damage the manifold in the long term. i dont know if AlfaOwner's solution stops water coming through?

maybe some ppl will think this is b u 11 s h 1t, but i believe him, simply because it makes sense

hope the new one is better, like Paulo said