elad68

Last time I had service at the dealer on my '04 Accord, they told me the heat shield on my catalytic converter was damaged and needed to be replaced. They wanted to charge me about $150.00. How important is this shield? Can I let it go a while? What does it look like?

Thanks..

sncobra331

I would just remove the upper and lower heat shield on the converter...My feeling is as long as the body heat shield is still there then the converter
shields can be removed.

Stuff

See parts 5 and 6 http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...+PIPE+%28L4%29

Shouldn't be a big deal doing without it in the winter. Supposedly if you park on dry grass without it you will start a fire. Or if you're a slob and have newspaper on your garage floor.

Also - stop going to the dealer. For most things outside of warranty they charge the most and give the worst service.

Maverick1961

I had my heat shield rattling to the point that it was annoying. One of the bolts had rust thru. I ordered a new one online. I removed the old shield, but have yet to install the new part. I have been running without it now for over a year, with no adverse effects (even during the heat of summer).

Targa250R

Not at all. It's certainly not worth spending $150 to replace.

The main reason the shields are there is to avoid starting a fire if the car is parked in high dry grass or a pile of dead leaves. If you don't regularly park your car in a mass of combustible materials, it's nothing to worry about.

I've removed deteriorated/rattling heat shields from hundreds of cars over the years with no adverse effects.

lostforawhile

I wouldn't pay a ton of money for one, you could get one at the yard for almost nothing, normally the converters are hacked off anyway, just a few bolts and it's off. it can be really important, if something goes wrong with the FI system, the converters can actually get red hot, if the shield isn't there between the body and the converter, it can set the undercoating, carpet in the car, etc on fire, It happens more often then you think. if you know anything about metal work, one could be hammered out pretty easy with some wood and a body hammer.

99blackcivicSi

sounds like someone has been wronged before this is not true for all dealers just because some people are thieves and can't fix a car does not mean all of us are i assure you that

as Targa250R stated i too have removed hundreds of heat shields throughout my career with no adverse effects.

Targa250R

While there is validity to this, it's also the main reason why there is additional heat shielding attached to the body of the car above the exhaust. As sncobra331 mentioned above, removing the converter shields isn't really a concern as long as the body heat shield remains.

Also, in a modern Honda with an OBD-2 system designed primarily to protect the emissions equipment, there is very little chance of the converter heating up that much. A misfire severe enough to make the cat glow will generally make the car undriveable.

lostforawhile

why remove something simple and functional like a heat shield? if it rattles a bolt is a little loose or it's bent, bend it by hand or tighten whats loose

Targa250R

The heat shields disintegrate due to road salt corrosion in the rust belt. There is often no metal left to bend or tighten, and the rattling occurs due to the shield rusting away completely from the mounting bolts. The shields can be quieted temporarily with large diameter hose clamps, but this usually only buys another couple of years before they need to be removed completely.

bike1962

I have the same problem with a rattle when the engine is cold, or when I accelerate. I like the clamp idea. Seems rather inexpensive and not too time consuming.

DeanHondaPGH

I always just use 2 big hose clamps and just connect them together. Easy and Cheap fix next to just ripping it off.

McCleert

The lower heat shield on my catalytic converter had to be removed because the rear bolt area rusted through. I have a 2002 Honda Accord. If I order the part directly from Honda will it fit MY Honda? Are they year specific? My husband could reattach it-certainly cheaper than the dealership.

hometheaterman

I had this issue on our 96 Accord and I removed this shield a long time ago. I drove it for years like this with no problems.

datkins-rozzie

Dealer replaced my lower heat shield for $200 a few months ago. Then the rattle returned. They want $700 to replace the upper heat shield because it is in a difficult place and they will have to take the engine out or something. They charged my wife $100 to diagnose this problem and she has to pay that to get the car back now without any work being done. Prime Honda in West Roxbury (Boston).

cricket84

I like the idea of removing the shield, but we live in the country. Always have leaves and grass and such. To me it sounds dangerous. I would rather replace it. Any ideas where I can get one cheap? Do they have them in the junkyards??

Maverick1961

I removed the heat shield about 2 years ago on my 2005 Accord Coupe. I ordered a new one from Majestic Honda right after I removed the original one. I have yet to have the urge, or quite frankly the need, to install it (it is still in the original packaging). I have probably put another 40K on the odometer with no problems.

as400jockey

FYI - I have an '05 Odyssey that with the rattling heat shield. I used a 6 inch stainless clamp and a 2 inch stainless clamp to get around both halves of the heat shield. Snugged it up... nice and quiet.

Ray Pip

The catalytic converter covers are inexpensive and easy to replace.
I think I've read that their principal purpose is to guard against thermal shock to the converter core if the vehicle encounters snow or splashing water.

They also guard against road salt corrosion, although the casing of catalytic converters are made of stainless steel.

pinkcat5

my husband has a 2009 honda crv- only 20k miles on it. he was in a bad accident in jan 2013- insurance is not paying for the heat shield that cracked - which was from the accident. the heat shield is now rattling REALLY bad and hanging down and cracked. our mechanic said that it has to be replaced w/ the catalyc converter which will be about $2000!!!!! Do these items have to replaced together? his car is due for an emissions test now- and it won't pass until we get this rattling fixed.

Maverick1961

I have been running without a heat shield on my 2005 Accord Coupe for more than two years now, with no detrimental effects. I probably would not try it in hotter climates. That being said, you can buy the heat shield as a separate item (I know cause I did just that) and install it quite easily (I have not done this, but it appears to be an easy install, as long as you by new bolts. As long as the converter itself has not cracked or show any other signs of damage, it should be no problem. The best place I have found to buy Honda parts online is Majestic Honda (no, I don't work for them or have any affiliations with them). The have a good website with good pricing.

datkins-rozzie

After several years of enduring the sound of rattle which announced the approach of our s-box minivan, we resolved the problem of the catalytic converter heat shield problem on our 2005 Honda Odyssey. As we were having the front brakes replaced, the repair shop was able to simply apply some hose clamps for about $40 to stop the rattle.

We will never go to the dealer again. They tried to scare my wife by telling her that if we did not pay thousands of dollars to buy a new heat shield, then the car might catch on fire. Another shop had offered to remove the shield for a few hundred dollars--but the simple, do-it-yourself approach of just securing the thing seems to work great.

I want to know if there will EVER be a recall around this issue as it seems to be pretty well-known at the dealer as a predictable expense for all Honda Odyssey owners after 5 years or so. The way the shields are attached appears to require major, complicated labor that guarantees dealers a nice $1500-2000 residual down the road when the bolts rust off.

Ray Pip

The upper and lower heat shields will eventually rust out, at which point one can either replace them or drive without them. I've replaced them on my cars, but I did not on my mother-in-law's car. And she is still with us.

Honda two-part heat shields can be purchased from any Honda dealer who sells on-line for about $25-$30 each plus shipping.
bkhondaparts.com is one such source; there are many others.

The heat shield is attached to the converter by four hardened, heat-resistant small bolts, also sold by Honda on-line.

I've never been able to remove the front two; the steel is hardened and I cannot even drill them out. (The little suckers cost about $4 each from Honda on-line.) An oxy-acet torch would blast them out, but nothing less. I never replace them, but instead use a large hose clamp (about 6"-8" in diameter) to keep the front ends of the heat shield together.

The rear two bolts come out with pb-blaster. I suggest removing and replacing these rear two bolts. They clamp the rear ends of the two shells of the heat shield to the converter and keep the shield from sliding around or moving fore and aft.
.
So: one hose clamp on the front and two bolts on the back works fine; two hose clamps (one in front, one in back) probably will also work, but maybe not so well as one clamp in front and two bolts in back.

It takes about a half hour to do the job. I charged my brother-in-law for the parts plus $185 for labor, and he walked away a happy man (and gave me a $15 tip!)

malch

I took my Honda CRV in because it was 'rattling' whenever I was stopped at a red light, or in Park, and the guy there said the cause was the hard-to-reach clamp that other posters have referred to (I think he mentioned it was a clamp for the exhaust system but I can't remember exactly; he said the engine would have to be taken out to get at this clamp).
He said that all his mechanic could do was to reach the thing with some kind of tool, and bend it a bit, in hopes of stopping the rattling.
Now the car RATTLES when it's stopped, and SQUEAKS like the old Beverley Hillbillies' jalopy when it's moving.
I called Honda service right back and complained, and was told that it would be "astronomically expensive" to take the engine (and whatever else out) to fix this clamp.
I've read through this whole thread in hopes of being able to make a suggestion or two to Honda service... so... shall I ask them to apply some "hose clamps", as some people have said they've done successfully?
Thanks for any advice.
I can't believe that something that needs to be replaced would be put in such a hard-to-reach place!
Regards, malch

94vtecmn

You can buy a couple hose clamps at your local hardware store for probably less than $20 and strap them on there yourself. Just be sure if you raise the car, to use proper ramps, or block the chassis if you use a jack so it doesn't fall on you.