Is it ok to drive without the heat shield or should I replace it?
It really depends on where this heat sheild is supposed to be . Have an independent muffler shop look at the vehicle and tell you what it will cost to replace it .
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The heat shield protects the under-side of the floor from reaching such a high temperature that it burns the carpet. Best course is to replace it.
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If it’s below the exhaust, I wouldn’t worry about it.
Some vehicles don’t even have heat shields on the exhaust.
Tester
The underneath heat shields can prevent fires if, for example, you are idling or driving over dry grass, leaves, etc.
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I cannot say that I’ve ever seen a Catalytic Converter catch anything on fire nor do I know anyone who has suffered this mishap, but I have seen the dead grass spot from cars that have parked on a lawn…
Does anyone else remember it happening on the final episode of the “Sopranos”
A final bit of Soprano trivia… Robert Iler who played the son, “A.J.” actually dated Jamie-lynn Sigler, who played “Meadow,” his sister…
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I have seen multiple vehicles catch on fire due to the Catalytic Converter failures, I had to use a fire extinguisher on a Lincoln Continental 3.8 FWD that had a vacuum leak and the timing retarded too much, the cat was glowing… lol… The service manager (a true idiot, long story) drove the vehicle after a test drive and it was smoking, he thought is was overheating and popped the hood and then started yelling it’s on fire, it’s on fire over and over… I grabbed an extinguisher and calmly put it out, he was just standing there freaking out… lol
But yes I have seen carpets catch on fire or start smoking really bad multiple times…
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And what does another one of your off topic film things have to do with heat shields?
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On recent broadcast of This American Life they told a humorous story about a group of Boston area friends who decided it would be a good idea to buy a used boat for weekend boat outings (don’t try this at home …lol … ). The first outing the boat sprang a leak, Boston Harbor, near Logan Int’l airport, started to sink. Everyone on board seemed bewildered, no idea what to do. Finally one the the friends of the group who was invited along for the inaugural ride decided she better take charge, and started issuing common sense commands. “You bail from the back, you bail from the front, I’ll phone the coast guard!” Fortunately everyone was rescued before boat sank. The boat’s captain, the leader of the group, later said he had already phoned the coast guard, but didn’t mention this to anybody else … lol …