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Piece hanging from undercarriage

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by notcreative, Jan 24, 2017.

  1. notcreative

    notcreative New Member

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    Hi all,

    I gunned the throttle through a flooded area just outside of my work parking garage the other day and then heard a scraping sound. Peeking under my 2011 Prius it looks like the piece indicated in the attached picture is hanging down and scraping (but only under 40 MPH!). Any idea what the piece is, how necessary it is for the car, and how much it will cost to fix or replace?

    Thanks in advance!

    NC

    smbottomfront_1.jpg
     
    #1 notcreative, Jan 24, 2017
  2. Samprocat

    Samprocat Active Member

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    #2 Samprocat, Jan 24, 2017
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    looks like some sort of protective plate, or maybe heat shield for the cat? if you drive carefully, you should be okay until you get it replaced. any reason it can't be fixed? i can't tell from the pic.
     
    #3 bisco, Jan 25, 2017
  4. notcreative

    notcreative New Member

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    That's not my actual car - just a picture of the undercarriage here. I think it should be fixable, though it's been dragging for a day now.
     
    #4 notcreative, Jan 26, 2017
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah pretty sure it's heat shield. One blessing: it's metal, can be hammered back into shape. You've got ramps or floor jack?
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Jan 26, 2017
  6. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

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    Speaking of the aluminum heat shield circled in red, I noticed it was only attached by four (4) plastic fasteners. Once would assume the shields purpose is to prevent combustibles from reaching the catalytic converter, or might there be another purpose for such?
     
    #6 SFO, Oct 29, 2019
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