stock exhaust removed. whats this heat shield?
 

Ok I removed the stock exhaust on my 2001 986 2.7L :dance: heavy! I want to detail and clean up under and then install my Fab speed setup. Whats this heat shield? is it sopost to be on both sides? Is one side is missing? Can i take it off ?
Thanks!:) Oh! ALSO ! should change the manual trans fluid while its apart?

Wow.
I've taken-apart a few of these now, and I can tell you I haven't yet seen a shield like that one.

I DUNNO!!!

Bizarre.....!

Same, I have never seen it either. And it doesn't look some homebrew job either.

It is only one side and protects the shift linkage.

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1580963834.jpg

Early car?

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The picture is of my 4/98 base which has an interesting assortment of the 97 and 98 MYs. However the OP says his is what an 01 ? so more likely related to base cars? And pay no attention to the exhaust bracket that was a mod I did with an 03 S muffler.

shurgs its a 2001 base 2.7 im not sure it looks just like yours!

This is a pic i found. I dont see that heat shield here ? This is the exhaust im installing too. i think Ill remove it?? the heat shield ? it looks like it messes with cool and air flow?

My '02 base had that shield. I forgot to put it back on after some work I was doing, and the car has survived just fine ever since then.

The rubber/plastic baffling on the bottom aluminum pan is different on the base 2000-04 too. I'd recommend leaving it if you plan on tracking your car. I believe it has to do with cooling the transmission/Cv and heat is what kills transmissions.

That heat shield is there to prevent radiant heating of the shift linkage by the muffler. Although at speed the turbulent air under the car eliminates convective heating, it does nothing about radiant heating.
The Porsche engineers put it there for a good reason; removing it saves, what, a few ounces of weight, and shortens the service life of the rubber parts in the shift linkage.Poor tradeoff.

My 03 s has a different sort of heart shield. It's more like 2- sided, maybe 4"x6" each side, louvered, and screws to the "top" (bottom of the trunk). It seems at some point they decided that was enough?

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The 6 speeds got a smaller heat shield that was closer to the shifter links that's only purpose was to protect from the exhaust. Tiptronics never got any metal heat shield in the 986 even though the shifter cable is closer to the muffler

Ok thanks ill leave it on

Thanks for your help :)