My heat sheild that wraps around the headers has rusted though and is now radeling aginst the headers/ what ever eles is down there. it sounds really bad so i want to take it out, when I do I plan on wraping my headers with that tape/cloth heat protection stuff. If I do, so that will I have to put a new heat sheild in??

-Thanks for all your help

 

No, you won't if you wrap the headers. I had some prob's with the Oxygen sensor and getting it out, so I cut the stock heat sheild out from around the stock exhaust manifold on my N/A and it never caused a problem. in fact, I think it is running a little cooler now that air is getting to it (the manifold, not the engine)

 

We all have raddling heat shields there. Usually you can repair them pretty easy if you pull them out first.

 

Cool thanks to both of ya

 

wtf does the o2 sensor do, it doesnt seem any different with it plugged in, and unplugged.

 

It gets you good gas mileage while crusing on the freeway b y going into closed loop mode.

 

Yeah, what it does is it checks your exhaust, if the gas/air mixture is off, it compensates. However, it ONLY works in highway driving really. Driving around at a constant speed with no shifting. In city driving it does next to nothing.

Just an example, I replaced mine a few weeks ago. My city driving economy went up slightly, but not much (I run pig rich) but my highway mileage went from around 15 MPG to around 21, with the AC on. Neato.

 

It's also used at idle