Removing Heat Sheild and Misc Exhaust Part

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by concernedCarOwner, Dec 1, 2021.

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  1. concernedCarOwner

    concernedCarOwner New Member

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    Hello!

    Instead of a TL;DR, I highlighted below the two specific questions I have.



    I own a 2010 Prius, and have been having rattling issues since a few months after I bought it. (March 2019) Recently, the rattle got significantly worse, and after looking under the car, it was clear the heat shield was loose.

    As I was unable to lift the car myself, I brought it into a shop to see what it would cost to re-attach. They said they would not be able to re-fit the shield, and instead suggested removing it. They insisted it would not cause any issues, and while I was hesitant, I figure this at least would solve the rattle in the short term.

    I had done some research, and it seems the general consensus is to use JB Weld, or large washers, to re-secure the heat shield. I intend to do this, but my first question is:

    1) How urgent is repairing a heat sheild? I currently have the heat shield sitting in my trunk, but would have to buy a hydraulic jack to be able to even start looking at re-attaching it. I would much prefer to get through Christmas before even touching the repair, but wanted to ask if anyone has had any issues doing without a heat shield for a few months over the winter.

    This brings me to my next concern.

    After the shop removed the heat shield, they were driving my car back out of the garage, and could still hear a (different) rattle. This was after I had paid, and so I was just waiting for the keys.They put the car back onto a lift (without asking), and then one of the mechanics came out and gave me a piece they removed (without asking), saying something about how rusty the exhaust is, and that the piece wasn't necessary in the vehicle.

    Ive spent a bit of time trying to find where the piece is on the exhaust, and I found a few pictures, but was unable to figure out the name of the part, or how necessary it actually is to the Prius' exhaust system.

    Here are some images:
    The first two are images I found online, where I circled what I believe is the correct part. The third image is a picture I took of the actual part they removed.

    2) Does anyone know what this part is (images above)? Or what role it plays in the exhaust system? Is this something that I can just leave removed, or should I look into repairing/replacing it?

    I'm glad they finally fixed the 2+ year rattle, but this was my first time using this shop, so I don't have much trust in them (yet) and I just want to make sure everything is a-ok.

    Thank you!
     
    #1 concernedCarOwner, Dec 1, 2021
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I can't see the picture... You'll be fine procrastinating on heat shield in the Winter, but more concerning in heat wave times in Summer.
     
    #2 PriusCamper, Dec 1, 2021
  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    #3 Mendel Leisk, Dec 1, 2021
  4. OptimusPriustus

    OptimusPriustus Active Member

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    Old thread but i could not find any newer. Anyway, i have annoying exhaust rattle also. Dealership had a look during regular maintenance and said that heatshield is toasted and that bolts jammed&rusted and that it’ll be couple hours job to replace shield (@115eur/h..). I wish i had asked for code so that i could buy the shield and have it replaced at some cheaper shop. Dealership did mention though that shield is not expensive but that they just ran out time.

    What might be the shield in question? Is there several?
     
    #4 OptimusPriustus, Sep 14, 2025
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Are you able to raise it yourself?
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Sep 14, 2025
  6. OptimusPriustus

    OptimusPriustus Active Member

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    I’ll try to jack it up and see. I think sound is coming from mid-section, not from the back
     
    #6 OptimusPriustus, Sep 14, 2025
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  7. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    There's too much heat there to not have a shield. You need this part
     
    #7 douglasjre, Sep 15, 2025
  8. OptimusPriustus

    OptimusPriustus Active Member

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    Spent some quality time under the car:) Removed lots(!) of sand and pebbles that had accumulated on top of those underbody plastic panels. They had started to bend possibly because of sand, snow, ice had got there too easily. Zip ties fixed the problem nicely (i hope).

    While under the car i noticed the heat shield is in final stages of ”dissolving”. One piece size of palm was totally loose so i just picked it up and threw to bin. No wonder the annoying rattle has went away. But what made me really wonder are those posts that appear like mufler fixing posts but nothing attached to them. Are EU and US versions having different exausts or am i missing some exhaust fixing parts..?
     

    Attached Files:

    #8 OptimusPriustus, Jul 21, 2026 at 9:20 AM
  9. Georgina Rudkus

    Georgina Rudkus Senior Member

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    Easy fix with the heat shields you have in the trunk.

    Just go on Amazon and get the one inch outer diameter neoprene backed stainless steel washers with 1/4 inch center holes.

    They will fit on the M6x1.0 screws that go into the M6x1.0 captive nuts in the floor pan.

    The large one inch diameter washer will span any torn out hole in the thin aluminum heat shield. Placing the neoprene washers on the aluminum surface will prevent rattling.

    Those washers can also keep the plastic or fuzzy cardboard underbody covers from tearing off.

    I did this to my own car as a preventive measure to stop that which happened to the OP.
     
    #9 Georgina Rudkus, Jul 21, 2026 at 9:39 AM
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2026 at 9:57 AM
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  10. OptimusPriustus

    OptimusPriustus Active Member

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    Thanks for the tip(!). First i need to source the shield since i believe there is nothing left.

    Btw, just weighted the sand that came out: 5.3kg. Unbelievable. Probably all the sand car has been picking there during it’s lifetime.
     
    #10 OptimusPriustus, Jul 21, 2026 at 12:29 PM
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