1983GSP

what would be the outcome of leaving the heat sheild by the transmission off of the car. would it have any undesired effects? i know its there for a reason, but i just wanted an opinion. has anybody done this, and what are your conclusions.

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

Mine's been off since I got the car. In fact, I didn't realize we had one until I was working on Marc's car and realized that I couldn't get to the transmission side of the driveshaft because there was a shield in the way!

No crazy effects on my car. Probably allowing more grit/grime onto the spot where the tranny and driveshaft meet, that's about it.

Though... I now have a RB exhaust system so I don't know if there would have been long-term effects had I stayed stock.

Jon

vipergts_3

iTrader: (9)

same here , even after a 2 hour road trip and driving around town it does nothing. runs fine

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

really not much of a change other than the fact that i can feel some added heat near the shifter and around there your right leg would rest against the trans tunnel. no adverse effects.

1983GSP

thanks. i guess ill be leaving it off then. so theres no noticeable increase in sound inside the car? or the floorboards heating up enough to melt the carpet? i just wanna be sure.

mikewoodkozar

I took mine off when i was putting my exhaust on as it was simpler and the free-er flowing exhaust "should" hold and radiate less heat

vipernicus42

iTrader: (4)

I did take an 8hr-each-way trip down to Pine Plains NY and back with stock exhaust and a cat that clogged halfway back and started glowing red.

It wasn't until the cat started glowing red that the stock sealant/soundproofing under the passenger carpet singed a bit, but nothing past that. Definitely nothing as far back as the tranny.

Looking at it, it seems more like it would be a shield to protect that area from road dirt and provide better under-car aerodynamics. That's just a guess, but I don't know another reason why they would extend it so far from the exhaust.

Jon

mikewoodkozar

WOW, glowing cats and burning isulation, lol. Smelled good too i bet

Kentetsu

If you ditch the cat, then I wouldn't worry about it. Cats can get pretty hot though, so don't park in tall grass or anything like that unless you're after the insurance money.

gsl-se addict

iTrader: (3)

Well, I'll throw in my opinion on this too. If you have cats, I recommend leaving it on. My car didn't have the heat shield when I got it. Sometimes in traffic, the cat would heat up the transmission so much, that it would leak oil from the real seal (yes, I replaced the rear seal, so the seal was not bad). Of course, this oil dripped onto the hot cat and burned off filling the car and the general area with some seriously stinky smoke. Also, without the shield, the shifter (metal part) gets quite hot. Also, the passenger seat rail gets hot enough to burn you.

I have since got a heat shield from a wrecker and things are much better now. If you have hollowed cats or aftermarket exhaust, you probably don't need the shields as much.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Agreed. The heat shielding is there because of the cat, which can reach some extreme temps. Without the cats, I've never had a problem with overhating the tranny or cabin.

1983GSP

thanks, i installed a test pipe a while ago, so theres no cat to worry about. it overheated one day so i had it removed. the information is much appreciated.