Repair 7

How to Remove a Heat Shield Problem in a Catalytic Converter

The catalytic converter installed on your vehicle is an important component in your vehicles emissions system. These converters generate a large amount of heat, so the underside of the vehicle typically has a heat shield bolted to the body to help dissipate some of that heat. Should this metal heat shield bend or get damaged, then it will rattle against the catalytic converter, which can damage the converter as well as make a horrible noise. To fix the problem, you need to remove the heat shield from the car to either fix the shield or replace it.

Instructions

1

Lift the vehicle using the jack and put it onto a set of jack stands so that you have enough room to fit underneath the vehicle. Let the exhaust cool down if the vehicle has been run recently so that you dont burn yourself.

2

Crawl underneath the vehicle and locate the catalytic converter, which is an oval shaped section of the exhaust tubing located before the muffler on the exhaust system.

3

Unbolt the metal heat shield from around the catalytic converter using an open-end wrench. Pull the metal heat shield out from behind the catalytic converter and then take it out from under the vehicle.