Well, some of you had asked about removing the exhaust manifold heat shield, and since mine was rattling, decided I'd give it a go. First, this was WAY harder than removing the heat sheild on my '82 Datsun Pickup. There was lots of clearance there, not so here.

Tools are simple: 1 3/8" drive ratchet, 10mm socket, 12mm socket.

Disconnect the O2 sensor comming out of the lower end of the manifold. Remove the 10mm bolt holding the O2 sensor wire bracket.

Remove the 10mm bolt holding the dipstick to the heat sheild.

Remove the 12mm bolt holding the exhaust gas line to the lower middle of manifold. Once you have this bolt removed, loosen the 10mm bolt on the lower side of this bracket, and rotate it out of the way.

Now, it's just a matter of pulling out the heatsheild. Easier said than done. Since I was working in the dark (never a great idea) with just my trusty MAG light to guide me, I didn't realize that the bracket holding that exhaust line was movable, so I spent a considerable amount of time fighting it. I wasn't about to put it back in so I could see how easy it was with that bolt loosened. :o)

All in all, took me about 30 minutes and a lot of swearing. If you have difficulty getting it out, just remember that it will bend a little in any direction, and it's OK to scratch it on other metal parts. Just try not to cut any hoses with it...

Be sure to be carefull when pulling the shield off the O2 sensor, so that you don't damage the sensor lead.

Oh, I also removed (temporarily, of course) the spark plug wire looms bolted to the valve cover. This provided me a little more room to work, and let me rock the shield towards the engine when trying to "unhook" the bottom half of the shield.

Anyway, after I buttoned everything up, I took the car for a quick spin and no more rattle! We'll see if it lasts...

Dave <[email protected]>
I2C#1