Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting @*$%#ing Heat Sheild!

The heat shield over my exhaust has come loose. Looks like some of the rivets (or screws) broke off, and the metal itself has ripped and torn. I've somewhat wedged it back in place, but I doubt it will stay long. I'm thinking rather than yank it out and replace it, I'll just drill some new holes and put it back in place.

This particular piece is where the tailpipe makes two near-90-degree turns heading into the muffler (looks restricting to me, but I digress). Looks like part of a fuel line above it.

I see where some guys had the same problem in '03 on here (heard the rattling and investigated), but the only remedy I saw was someone took it to the dealer to replace.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks!

You do want to keep the heat shield. It doesn't much matter how you get it to stay in place. I would guess that you ran over something on the road that bounced up into it to do that damage.

The restricted exhaust plumbing you see is the infamous "Y" pipe.

Use A Worm clamp (radiator hose clamp) large enough to fit around the exhaust with heat shield in place. tighten up and it will be fine. use two (one on each end if needed). You can find clamps large enough at any reputable parts house/store.
Note* you do not want to just "yank it off" especially if a fuel line is close to it. It was placed there for a specific reason by ford, to shield surrounding components from the extreme heat produced in the exhaust. good luck.

Thanks! That's what I needed to know!