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Removed muffler heat shield

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Classic_pri, Mar 14, 2022.

  1. Classic_pri

    Classic_pri Former 2001 Prius 0wner

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    It was rusted out at two mounting points, and I snapped off the third screw that was its only remaining connection to the car. Looking at the muffler placement, I suppose it could transfer heat to the area where the 12V battery sits, but how hot can the muffer get muffling this little engine? The car hasn't been south of the Wisconsin state line since we bought it and it gets mostly highway miles. So I don't envision a lot of heat buildup.

    Does anybody have any dire warnings for me?
     
    #1 Classic_pri, Mar 14, 2022
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it's air then metal above, it's probably fine. if plastic, that might be shaky
     
    #2 bisco, Mar 14, 2022
  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Check the battery hole. Get a flashlight and look in that hole the battery sits in make sure the 12 volt battery is not sitting in standing water which is very very common.

    I guess as long as it spends its life on the highway should not get to hot. But you need to check out how hot it gets. At least i would.

    It wouldn't last long down here in Florida.
     
    #3 edthefox5, Mar 14, 2022
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  4. Classic_pri

    Classic_pri Former 2001 Prius 0wner

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    Ed, funny you cautioned about water. I wanted to see if I could spot the screws for the heat shield sticking out from the floor pan somewhere in the spare tire bay, so I looked in there and in the battery compartment. Everything looked dry, but couldn't spot any screws either.

    The guy who came up with the idea of retaining these aluminum heat shield with steel screws should be strung up by his thumbs. I'm surprised it held out on this car as long as it did.
     
    #4 Classic_pri, Mar 14, 2022
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  5. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    I’m more convinced each day that Toyota had one rogue engineer probably from Ford or Nissan, who deviously introduced this and other genius features like the impossible to get to rear hatch release or teeny tiny 12v battery into the Prius.
     
    #5 Another, Mar 15, 2022
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  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Good no water it must be garaged. Or you have the only g2 made that doesn’t have cracked hatch joints.
    I wonder if you rarely if at all open the hatch? Mine leaked pretty good and I hypothesized the hatch corners are cracking because the hatch gets slammed alot l But most likely it’s just body flex as that’s where the rear quarter is spot welded To the roof.

    If rust is bad out back it may be really bad on the front suspension that gets splashed the most. Show us some pictures if you look under there please.
     
    #6 edthefox5, Mar 15, 2022
  7. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    yeah how much more $ would it have cost for stainless steel nuts right there?
    I recall numerous Posts about that shield.
     
    #7 edthefox5, Mar 15, 2022
  8. qmanqman

    qmanqman Active Member

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    I put mine back on my Suburban with very large stainless steel hose clamps. Highway miles is when the engine runs most on these cars. The mufflers can extremely hot. I'd try to get it back on there as best I could.
     
    #8 qmanqman, Mar 15, 2022
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  9. Classic_pri

    Classic_pri Former 2001 Prius 0wner

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    The HV battery croaked last week (the original, at 143.5k miles), and since I'm fortunate to live near Madison, I had Eric of EV Powers come out and install a new battery (I posted a different thread this week on the experience of working with Eric). He showed me those potential water ingress points where the roof and C-pillar panels come together, so today I coated them with waterproof sealant. Hopefully that will head off any potential problems.

    Eric said not to worry about the heat shield as the HV battery and muffler are some distance apart. To be honest, the thought crossed my mind that my removing the shield played a role in the battery's death.
     
    #9 Classic_pri, May 4, 2022
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