I have the typical Honda Heat shield rattle, this time it's the shield over the catalytic converter. My question is can I remove the shield? I can't see how it could be fixed given that it's so badly rusted on the edges of the shield that there isn't anything to rebolt back together. Also what function does the shield perform?

 

Go ahead and take it off to stop the rattle. I have had mine off for some time now - no ill effects whatsoever.

 

you can get a strap from the honda dealer (they usually do this for free) and wrap it around the heat shield to kill the rattle. I took my car in for the T-belt change and the guy who drove it in to the bay lifted the car up and put the strap around the heat shield. No more rattles here. The guy told me that they do it to any honda that comes in with that RATTLE FREE OF CHARGE. Burkle Honda in Minneapolis MN

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by briq4 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... Also what function does the shield perform? </TD></TR></TABLE>
It prevents your cat from setting fire to the wires & stuff inside your console.

Seriously, most people can probably get away without it. If you're running rich, your cat will be hotter than 'normal'. And if you spend a lot of time sitting it traffic or idling in a parking lot, then you don't have lots of air flowing under there. Honda has to design those heat shields for the worst possible combination of conditions.

I've lost the cat heatshield from my '95; but every excuse I get I'm under there looking for signs of heat damage. If I ever see anything, I'll probably buy a new shield.