Exhaust Heat Shield : Dangerous to drive without one?
So a HUGE rattle starts to develop under the car..so I have a poke under and see that the heat shield is falling apart in a number of places and the diesel vibrations were making the whole thing scream...I took it to QuickFit and he had to pull the whole thing off...
He says he can't replace it without taking the whole muffler off..so suggested I wait until the muffler goes (not long now as there was much rusting).
So my question is:
Is it dangerous to run without one?
Thanks...
Ferdi
I don't have one.... I took it off for the exact same reason.
I think that unless you are sitting in a traffic jam in 40°C heat you are probably ok and even then all that will happen is you will get a hot floor. The muffler will cool from the air flowing over it as you drive. There are no wires or anything that I could see that could potentially get damaged by prolonged exposure to heat.
Was an emergency...they will never see it again!
Would not let Quick fit near your G!
I'm sure you will be fine also reckon your exhaust will last a few more years yet!
Just out of interest, how long should they last? I saw the underneath of my G a few months back when it was being serviced, and I saw the boxes and manifold looked rather ‘rusty’ - well to me anyway. The engineer servicing the car, said not to worry as the G exhaust has two ‘skins’. (At this point I nodded and pretended to know what that meant! :oops: ) and that it should last for ‘donkey’s years’
My question is
In this context – How long is a donkey year? When have other members had their exhausts changed (miles/Years?) and if so, one presumes its best to order from MB? :?:
Cheers
Spider1V
My '92 lasted until 2y ago. The weak oints are the brackets which hold it on to the body and the bolts and flanges which join the different sections together. The weld joining the pipe to the muffler is also weak. The steel tubes would last for ever.
The brackets can be adapted/ replaced with another one. The bolts joining the sections is more difficult. There is a flange which is fitted during manufacture and can not be replaced in one piece. I have been indiscussion over the 500 with my local garage (trusted) and they are going to get a local ss fabricator to make up a 2 piece flange which will slip over the pipe and bolt together. This should extend the life of the existing system. The existing brackets have already broken due to rust
My 92 eventually failed when the welds on the central muffler connecting to the exhaust pipe finally failed catastrophically on a rough section of road.
The mounting brackets went first with mine, though I am still on one part original (!991), though flanges are swines, and they also corrode down from about 15mm to 5mm , over the years. Only let a decent outfit try and weld any repairs, ie a high class stainless specialist, bad welders will make it far worse.
JOIN THE GWOA
This website and forum are provided for the benefit of enthusiasts and owners of all Mercedes Benz off road vehicles, in particular the G Wagen. The costs of development, upkeep and provision of the site are met entirely by the annual subscriptions of club members. If you are using the site and are not a member of the G Wagen Owners Association please consider joining. You will have access to areas on the site that are not open to non members, to club trips and meetings and to technical assistance. In addition your contribution (only £25 annually) will help us maintain and develop our website for future users.
Who's new
- Breniq
- Roscoe25
- RozzaTS
- Awon
- f.ecoheat
Would not let Quick fit near your G!
I'm sure you will be fine also reckon your exhaust will last a few more years yet!