Heat Shield & Rack

[lemmingzappa 75 1 Cars]

The heatshield which sits underneath the downpipe and next to the steering rack is being an arse. I'm running a 4-branch manifold and a de-pas'd steering rack, and the heatshield is being pressed between the two so i'm getting alot of vibrations through the column.

 

Will the heat from the exhaust kill the rack if I remove the heatshield completely ? or is it there to protect something else ?

 

 

Secondly, on the rack there are two holes which are no longer used due to being de-pas'd. If these fill up with water will it destroy the insides of the rack or can I leave them uncovered ?

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

Secondly, on the rack there are two holes which are no longer used due to being de-pas'd. If these fill up with water will it destroy the insides of the rack or can I leave them uncovered ?

 

I filled mine with silicone sealer to prevent any ingress and to disguise what I'd done to an observant MOT man.

[Anthony 1,003]

Mine have been uncovered for something like 30-40k miles and used in all weather conditions, with no ill-effects. Of course I'm sure that it could never be run with PAS again with the inevitable water and dust ingress, but that's not an issue as I've no plans to anyway.

 

I'd have to double-check, but I'm 90% sure that the heatshield isn't fitted on mine either, again, with no obvious ill-effects.

[Baz 421]

Pretty sure the heat shield is shaped for the PAS ram to be there, which if it isn't, wouldn't fit properly anywys!

 

Likewise as abovem one of mine runs without the holes sealed and is fine, on another though i've gobbed it up with some sealant.