Yes, it's a heat shield. The Y-shaped part underneath is the exhaust manifold, which carries hot exhaust gases away from the four cylinders and into what looks like a catalytic convertor (round object). The sensor with the wire attached is most likely the oxygen sensor. The manifold is made of cast iron, which is brittle and can crack, as you've seen. If exhaust gas is escaping there (you may see soot build up), then I think that's an MOT failure. Replacing the manifold will be complicated by the fact that all the bolts are rusted solid (by the looks of it).
Cheers John, that's most educational. :) Though the cracked manifold could be bad news. The car made it through an MOT in December without note but I'm not sure what state it was in then.
You're right about the bolts, they appear to be rusted solid. In particular, the left one looks like the screw thread might have sheared above the bolt. There's also a bolt further down that holds the retaining clip for the oxygen sensor - that bolt appears to have sheared off somehow.
Comments 3
Hope that helps!
Reply
You're right about the bolts, they appear to be rusted solid. In particular, the left one looks like the screw thread might have sheared above the bolt. There's also a bolt further down that holds the retaining clip for the oxygen sensor - that bolt appears to have sheared off somehow.
Frankly, it's a bit of a mess down there. :s
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment