exhaust heat shield rattle: is there a way to fix this?

[Clean PG]

ive noticed that potentially my heat shield or whatever guard that is 1 step toward the front of the car from where the inlet pipe connects to the exhaust system may be the reason for my rattle at 2k and 3k rpms. i think its a heat shield but im not sure. the thing is it seems properly mounted, nothing is cracked/broken/or loose. but when i do try and wiggle it it does make a slight creeking noise that sounds similar to the rattle i get. so i could forsee this as being my issue.

but, is there anyway to fix this rattle w/out just taking off the part? i figure its there for a reason and it looks like its held on in 2 places. but theyre not nuts they almost look like spot welds or something. 1 on each side. any ideas on what to do?

something to get you all in here:

[Clean PG]

bumpage

[BoostdIndigo]

Hmmm. Some of the 2.0's that come into the shop with a rattle have the oil pan shield on them and they come loose or get broken and they sometimes rattle. Do you have any pics for reference on the heatshield?

[03_uni-B]

i have the same thing foinf on. its getting really annoying!

[Clean PG]

Quote, originally posted by BoostdIndigo »

Hmmm. Some of the 2.0's that come into the shop with a rattle have the oil pan shield on them and they come loose or get broken and they sometimes rattle. Do you have any pics for reference on the heatshield?

an oil pan heat shield? ill have to check that out. if i jack up the front end nice and high is it easily accesible?

the one im talking about is mounted to "can" object so to speak thats mounted right before the stock sleeve that the inlet pipe mounts into. is that my catalytic converter?

[TheRedMouse]

the center exhaust hanger?

you can have that re-welded.

but a better fix is getting a 2.5-3" screw clamp, slide over and tighten down.

[Clean PG]

Quote, originally posted by TheRedMouse »

the center exhaust hanger? you can have that re-welded. but a better fix is getting a 2.5-3" screw clamp, slide over and tighten down.

its not the hanger. what im trying to describe is before that even. ill have to get a pic tomorrow. but anyway, ive had my gf get the rattle to sound in neutral when i was laying beside the car and its definitely coming for further up the car than that. ill have to check out that oil pan shield, never looked @ that yet. i just dont get why itd only sound at 2k and 3k rpms. unless its my catalytic converter...

[TheRedMouse]

just something else to check when your down there...

take a rubber malet or dead blow hammer and tap on the cat converter, sometimes the insides will get blown apart and rattle around.

[ebensqauat16]

when i had that issue, my mechanic did it for free, really only took like 5 min. piece of cake. Just bring it to any mechanic, it is a common, easy fix.

[minionkid256]

when i lowered my car....my heat shield stopped rattling, i dont get it, but it works for me lol. maybe if you lower your car more your will stop

[Clean PG]

Quote, originally posted by minionkid256 »

when i lowered my car....my heat shield stopped rattling, i dont get it, but it works for me lol. maybe if you lower your car more your will stop

not a bad idea but im already pretty much as low as i want to be for my daily driver. maybe i can stop by my mech on fri and see if he'll at least offer to find the problem for me if i look under a bit more throughout the week and still cant come across the culprit.

[norman18]

I had the same problem on my jetta, it was the oil pan heat shield clips, they break apparently. It was 5 bucks for the part, just get it done on your next oil change.

[dremhmrk2]

The heat shield above the cat can come loose, they are held on by these threaded posts, the washer that pushes onto the post can become corroded and wont hold on anymore, a zip tie around the post fixes it.

[Clean PG]

Quote, originally posted by norman18 »

I had the same problem on my jetta, it was the oil pan heat shield clips, they break apparently. It was 5 bucks for the part, just get it done on your next oil change.

turns out this was my exact problem too, 1 of the clips/pins and its rubber grommet went bad. soooo happy to have it gone, cant believe i put up with it as long as i did.

[2010Wolfburg]

I have a 2010 Jetta Wolfsburg which is 2 months old, and has less than 2000 miles. My car is in the shop as I type this post. The tech at VW told me they couldn't hear a rattle between 2k and 3k rpm, however heard the noise of the resonator. I guess that makes sense but never thought about it, and to be honest, it's a poor design. I traded my G35 couple which had an exhaust note of angles to a tech on the other end of the phone saying, "that's what it's suppose to sound like."