I'm trying to diagnose some nasty rear end rumbling, and came across the rear-most heatshield (the one with 4 bolts, above the muffler and hanging between muffler and gas tank).
Two of the bolts had rust around them and the tin was rattling loose something fierce! Is it OK to remove this heat shield and not replace? I took it off, but those two bolts were rusted tight and the raised metal they attach to ended up twisting...I've read tons of "lets remove all the heatshield" posts on the forums, but haven't found one yet that addresses this heat shield specifically, and I'm kinda worried about the gas tank being right there, as well as the rear cargo area getting more heat (I have a sub amp in the styrofoam area).
Two of the bolts had rust around them and the tin was rattling loose something fierce! Is it OK to remove this heat shield and not replace? I took it off, but those two bolts were rusted tight and the raised metal they attach to ended up twisting...I've read tons of "lets remove all the heatshield" posts on the forums, but haven't found one yet that addresses this heat shield specifically, and I'm kinda worried about the gas tank being right there, as well as the rear cargo area getting more heat (I have a sub amp in the styrofoam area).