Lost Heat Shield over cat, no big deal?

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Aug 2, 2018
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I noticed this was hanging by a thread on our van. I worked it back and forth a few times and it came free. The top half protecting the vehicle floor is still very solid and in tact. This was the bottom piece. Should I worry about replacing it or just leave it be.


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^^This. 100's of thousands of acres of forest burned near my grandparents place in Montana due to the catalytic converter on a rancher's pickup lighting grass on fire.
 
I would fix it.. Any exhaust shop should be able to weld it back on easily and cheaply, or as stated, some clamps. It beats having the inconvenience of not having it (not being able to park in fields and on top of gas soaked rags LOL!)
 
If you want to be real cheap about it, (or just temporary until you get something else) you could even fasten it back on with a few wraps of 12ga solid core copper wire, insulation removed of course. You'd want to check it every year or so to make sure it's not corroding away.
 
I’ve always been told it’s not needed and most people I know don’t bother putting them back on. However I feel you should. They sell special clamps for it that is the way I would go. I’ve never seen on cause any trouble or anything but it very well could.
 
I’ve always been told it’s not needed and most people I know don’t bother putting them back on. However I feel you should. They sell special clamps for it that is the way I would go. I’ve never seen on cause any trouble or anything but it very well could.
The temperature of a catalytic converter can range from 1200-1600 degrees. The heat shield is there for a reason. Paper burns at 451 degrees.
 
The temperature of a catalytic converter can range from 1200-1600 degrees. The heat shield is there for a reason. Paper burns at 451 degrees.
Didn’t realize it got that hot dang. I was thinking max of about 500 degrees or something I can imagine how hot it would be on a very hot summer day then.
 
Mine are gone around the cat, there is a larger one still attached to the body above. 10 years. My car smells like melted carpet and starts fires all the time.
 
A relative of mine's Buick was having problems, so I was following her home. On the way to her house it was dumping so much raw gas into the exhaust that it melted the catalyst material and lots of it blew down in to the muffler which started glowing red hot (visible in daylight) and was melting the plastic rear inner fender cover. Cat's can get wicked hot.
 
hmm learn something new every day. My old old car 10+years ago lost its shield and I just rolled with it that way for 100,000 more miles. I don’t think I ever parked on grass. I remember telling the mechanics to watch out every time I took it on for service. I always thought it was to prevent burns while working on the car. Made an absolute racket for a few months before I yanked it off.
 
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