Technical heat shield on punto

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Technical heat shield on punto

shellyleeds

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hi,i have a fiat punto 1.2..2001 reg,my heat shield on it,became loose,and a guy whos mum i know took it off n sed he'd get me another one,from a scrapyard,he told me to not drive far either or my car would set afire,,this was in april 2011,n i haven't seen him since ,is it dangerous to drive without it?i had my punto in for it's M.O.T today n the advisory sheet says front exhaust heat shield insecure,but it looked to me like the guy who stole my heat shield stole a big piece of it!! im scared to drive far! is it safe?am actually happy cos my car only failed the MOT on a wiper,a bulb n a tyre but this heat shield thing is worrying me.
 
Scaremongering stuff!
It should be ok but better with the shield. You could get one from a breakers but it might have to be fixed with twisted wire as the bolts are probably rusted up.
 
If it's the front one (runs down the manifold in front of the engine) it'll be OK -- Cento turbos generally run without them and the manifolds get way beyond cherry red (which is bleddy hot).

I'd ask the MOT folk how to secure/remove it. Assuming that it's not a manicat (where the catalytic converter forms part of the manifold) you could use thermal exhaust bandage/lagging, but I'd be inclined not to bother.
 
Assuming that it's not a manicat (where the catalytic converter forms part of the manifold)

it has to be a manicat if its a y reg 1.2:)
these covers make the engine bay look pretty but reasonably on a cooking car do nowt as you say,the radiator wont melt or anthing:)
leave it be or remove it completely OP
be aware they are made of razor blades mind
 
Scaremongering stuff!
It should be ok but better with the shield. You could get one from a breakers but it might have to be fixed with twisted wire as the bolts are probably rusted up.
Amen. I always thought the real reason for the heat shield was to keep the cat as hot as possible by shielding it from the air.
 
Heh, I took mine off. I was meaning to put it back on again but the bottom bits that it bolts onto came off with it, and the bolts and washers holding it on the top had turned into rust, and the aluminium around the washers had corroded away, so there's simply no way to put it back on again sensibly that I can see!

It's been to two garages since, once a fiat main dealer for a service, and neither commented on its absence. From this, I can only assume that it's just not necessary.
 
thanks guys! i don't drive it long distance but in march i'm taking someone to blackpool! i live in leeds and this is what's worrying me! with the heat shield removed! cos the person who took it off my car when it became loose said it would set afire i told him i'd ring the RAC to put it back on for me n he said he'd do it! but i havent seen my heat shield or him since that day ! n that was in 2011
****!
 
Have seen lots of cars without them with no apparent ill effects. Remember puntos in some countries are running in ambients of over 40 degrees and you don't want the exhaust heating the radiator. Having one fitted is better in theory , less chance of burning youself or wires , lower exhaust back pressure, cat hotter sooner , etc etc - but would you ever see a difference? I don't think so. In theory an ocean liner sinks a bit if you put a feather on the deck.
 
my daily user punto in my possesion at the moment is cover less and i have absolutely no concerns, in fact if i wanted to warm a pie up for lunch then it could be a bonus being cover less it would get warmer quickly and think of the savings over turning on the microwave:D,just got to work out how to get the horn to sound at 2 minutes 30 seconds now:confused:
 
it's a heat shield that was fully covering the exhaust n it came loose when i was driving to work n this idiot took it off n said to me that he wud get me another at a breakers yard,but i never saw him again i dony use my car to drive far in it but i will be tomorrow,i rang a garage who said heat shields usually r a nuisance n they more take them off for people rather than put a new one one....it's a y reg punto 1.2 i drive shud i go get it checked out before i set off on my two hr journey hellppppppp
 
it's a heat shield that was fully covering the exhaust n it came loose when i was driving to work n this idiot took it off n said to me that he wud get me another at a breakers yard,but i never saw him again i dony use my car to drive far in it but i will be tomorrow,i rang a garage who said heat shields usually r a nuisance n they more take them off for people rather than put a new one one....it's a y reg punto 1.2 i drive shud i go get it checked out before i set off on my two hr journey hellppppppp

do you mean the one under the bonnet? that one don't need to be there
 
it's a heat shield that was fully covering the exhaust n it came loose when i was driving to work n this idiot took it off n said to me that he wud get me another at a breakers yard,but i never saw him again i dony use my car to drive far in it but i will be tomorrow,i rang a garage who said heat shields usually r a nuisance n they more take them off for people rather than put a new one one....it's a y reg punto 1.2 i drive shud i go get it checked out before i set off on my two hr journey hellppppppp
 
the idiot who nicked it took all the bits off it! ..he was the one who said to me i hope u only drive local places cos if u drive far distance like for example i live in leeds!... he said if i drove to somewhere like sheffield the exhaust would heat up n set the petrol tank afire..n all my passengers wudnt stand a chance n i was like what,well give me it here n ill get R.A.C to put it bk on for me!,n he was adamant he wud do it! but he pinched it,
i mean i have from leeds to blackpool to be driving to tomorrow! n i'm just so thinking of driving slow to avoid my car going up in flames!....
 
i just checked the M.O.T... according to the advisory sheet it says front exhaust heat shield insecure!....yet when the shield came loose when i was driving to work last year,it was a long weird shaped piece of thin like aliminum..! according to a garage who i rang they reckon they disitigrate eventually anyway so god knows! i'm a lady driver who's a worrier lol
 
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