noisy heat shields

[DonaldH]

2000 Outback S/W, 2.5L, AT, ~50,000 miles

The heat shields on the "Y" pipes have developed an annoying "buzzing" sound
that is quite loud. I initially had my mechanic check them. While on the
lift with an assistant goosing the engine, he used a large pipe wrench to
squeeze them in spots. This minimized the buzz for a time.

A few weeks later while under the car for an oil change I used a pliers to
tighten the crimp tabs the lock the two halves of the shields -- this helped
as well.

Now, over time they are getting quite loud again (bystanders seem to notice
me coming from too far away ).

So, my question is not what is wrong, but does anyone have similar issues?
Is there any way of getting this repaired under my extended warranty? Does
anyone know of a real fix for this problem?

Thanks.

 

[remcow]

I think this is a common Subaru complaint, as I've seen in in my old DL and
my daughter's Impreza.
I used a hose clamp to tighten it all together.

Hope this helps.
REmco

 

[Diva]

I had mine into the dealer last July and had the same problem upon
driving home -- not to mention the fact that they left air in the
brake lines, it was Friday at 5 pm, and I had business that weekend in
which I needed the car and didn't quite feel safe double braking. I
ended up having to take it to have the brakes bled the next morning at
a local service shop. The dealer paid for that, and they fixed the
heat shield so it didn't rattle, but that meant I had to take the car
back 35 miles to have this done.

June

 

[George Adams]

From: "DonaldH"

So, my question is not what is wrong, but does anyone have similar issues?
Is there any way of getting this repaired under my extended warranty? Does
anyone know of a real fix for this problem?

Mine were making a terrible racket. (1998 Forester) I took my car to the dealer
for an oil change anf had them fix the problem. They charged me a half hour's
labor, but that was close to a year ago, and the noise hasn't come back.


George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller

 

[Dominic Richens]

So, my question is not what is wrong, but does anyone have similar
issues? Is there any way of getting this repaired under my extended
warranty? Does anyone know of a real fix for this problem?

1995 Legacy - I had the same problem and the dealer mechanic just removed
the offending heatshield, saying that they were required when my soob was
built but since then the certification rules for Canada have changed and
that particular heat sheild is not required.

 

[DG]

2000 Outback S/W, 2.5L, AT, ~50,000 miles

The heat shields on the "Y" pipes have developed an annoying "buzzing" sound
that is quite loud. I initially had my mechanic check them. While on the
lift with an assistant goosing the engine, he used a large pipe wrench to
squeeze them in spots. This minimized the buzz for a time.

A few weeks later while under the car for an oil change I used a pliers to
tighten the crimp tabs the lock the two halves of the shields -- this helped
as well.

Now, over time they are getting quite loud again (bystanders seem to notice
me coming from too far away ).

So, my question is not what is wrong, but does anyone have similar issues?
Is there any way of getting this repaired under my extended warranty? Does
anyone know of a real fix for this problem?

Thanks.

As others have mentioned, this is common. Tightening the shields and using
more clamps doesn't always help because many times the problem is caused by
the internal support brackets of the shields breaking off. The shield then
rattles around the pipe and can't be tightened any further. This can be
solved by packing the shields with stainless steel "steel wool" like one
would use to clean pots and pans. Works great, doesn't rust, lasts a long
time!

 

[jMon]

I bought my 2003 Baja exactly one year ago. And with nearly 18,000
miles on it, I too have this noisy heat shield problem. My question
is: where exactly is this thing located so I can try to stop it from
rattling?

(Please don't advise me to take it back to the dealer.)

Hillsboro, VA

 

[George Adams]

From: (e-mail address removed)

I bought my 2003 Baja exactly one year ago. And with nearly 18,000
miles on it, I too have this noisy heat shield problem. My question
is: where exactly is this thing located so I can try to stop it from
rattling?

(Please don't advise me to take it back to the dealer.)

Why not? If I paid that kind of money for a new car and I had a problem after
only 18K, I'd be damned if I'd work on it myself.


George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller

 

[Gilles Gour]

I had mine into the dealer last July and had the same problem upon
driving home -- not to mention the fact that they left air in the
brake lines, it was Friday at 5 pm, and I had business that weekend in
which I needed the car and didn't quite feel safe double braking. I
ended up having to take it to have the brakes bled the next morning at
a local service shop. The dealer paid for that, and they fixed the
heat shield so it didn't rattle, but that meant I had to take the car
back 35 miles to have this done.

June



"buzzing" sound


wrench to


pliers to


this helped


warranty? Does

I tried all sorts of things with mixed results. Last time I think I
nailed it. In fact I screwed it. I drilled holes everywhere the
vibration was occuring and screwed in metal screws of the right size
(mainly 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch until they exerted a pressure on the
inside pipe. I dulled the points on my bench grinder first to protect
the pipes. It's been close to three months now and they are still
silent. At last I can hear the true sound of my boxer engine when I rev
pas 4000.

 

[Gilles Gour]

I bought my 2003 Baja exactly one year ago. And with nearly 18,000
miles on it, I too have this noisy heat shield problem. My question
is: where exactly is this thing located so I can try to stop it from
rattling?

(Please don't advise me to take it back to the dealer.)

It can be anywhere from the exhaust collector to the second cat. You
have to get under the car and hit the shields everywhere with a small
mallet and listen. As for the cure, have a look at my other post on the
same subject.
Take care.

 

[jMon]

I guess I'm "old school". By this I mean that I practice the rule "if
you want something done right, do it yourself". This noise, to me, is
a minor problem, not worth the time & trouble to take it to the dealer
and have them fix it. Plus, I like working on my cars.

 

[Danny Russell]

I tried all sorts of things with mixed results. Last time I think I
nailed it. In fact I screwed it. I drilled holes everywhere the
vibration was occuring and screwed in metal screws of the right size
(mainly 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch until they exerted a pressure on the
inside pipe. I dulled the points on my bench grinder first to protect
the pipes. It's been close to three months now and they are still
silent. At last I can hear the true sound of my boxer engine when I rev
past 4000.

This is exactly what I resorted to doing. I put screws in four places, who's specific location was
based on listening for the noises while thumping my palm on the exhaust system.

They've been in for the better part of a year now successfully eliminating the noise. I've had to
snug 'em up a bit a couple times tho. -Danny

 

[Vince C]

You can glue a heat blanket to the shield.

 

[Chris Phillipo]

Subject: noisy heat shields
From: "DonaldH" <(e-mail address removed)>
Newsgroups: alt.autos.subaru

2000 Outback S/W, 2.5L, AT, ~50,000 miles

The heat shields on the "Y" pipes have developed an annoying "buzzing" sound
that is quite loud. I initially had my mechanic check them. While on the
lift with an assistant goosing the engine, he used a large pipe wrench to
squeeze them in spots. This minimized the buzz for a time.

A few weeks later while under the car for an oil change I used a pliers to
tighten the crimp tabs the lock the two halves of the shields -- this helped
as well.

Now, over time they are getting quite loud again (bystanders seem to notice
me coming from too far away ).

So, my question is not what is wrong, but does anyone have similar issues?
Is there any way of getting this repaired under my extended warranty? Does
anyone know of a real fix for this problem?

Thanks.

This is common on all cars, I doubt that an extended warranty will cover
heat shields since they tend to rust off in short order. Worm clamp
usually takes care of it.