Anyone know what this is?

[aberrant]

I've been hearing something rattling around underneath the truck, so decided to check it out today and found this. Anyone know what it is and if it's supposed to be holding something, as it has those clips...

Truck is a 99 EB Explorer 4.0 SOHC

Thanks.


https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0yGWZuqDGXwFCX

 

[lobo411]

Heat shield?

 

[Wolfgang G.]

Heat shield sitting on the right side of the automatic.

 

[1998Exp]

That, as others have already said, is a heat shield to insulate the floor from the catalytic converter heat. The rattling noise, however, is more likely to be from a loose metal shield that surrounds the converter itself. They are spot-welded to the converter, and these welds occasionally break. If that's the problem, the solution is to wrap a stainless band clamp. Worked great for me.

 

[aberrant]

Thanks all. It is loose, and seems to be attached with only one flimsy bracket. I'll have to figure out a way to secure it or remove it completely. As for the other heat shields, I've already used a band clamp on two. The spot welds did come loose.

 

[drdoom]

I am agreement with Wolfgang, that looks like the heat shield for the transmission servos. It should also have a couple of clips that go over the pan flange. I do not recommend deleting it.

 

[J_C]

When my heat shield welds broke loose, I temporarily wrapped some 12 ga solid electrical wire around it, insulation stripped off of course.. I meant to eventually get stainless clamps but kept putting it off and now at least 8 years later, the wire is still working fine.