After I installed my Cobb downpipe, Cobb turbo heat shield, and flashed to Stage 2, I started hearing a random rattle under my hood and I figured it was just wastegate flutter, but it turns out it was actually my Cobb turbo heat shield rubbing up against a metal line (for lack of a better description). I don't actually know what the part is called - maybe someone can tell me what it is from the pics I took - but I'm glad I found the problem because if I let it go, I'm sure it would have eventually punctured the line. Fortunately, without taking anything apart, I was able to neatly grind away a small section of the heat shield with a dremel tool to allow what I think is significant clearance between the two parts. I'm happy to report that my rattle is now gone. So, if anyone is thinking of buying and installing a Cobb turbo heat shield, just beware of this potential issue.
Damn, i could make my own heatsheild for like $10.... But then again it doesn't say "COBB" on it. It looks like man show got an early production COBB heatsheild before they fixed the problem???
96 accord: Sorry, I didn't mean to compare wastegate flutter to my rattle. I honestly don't really know what wastegate flutter sounds like. Shortly after I upgraded to Stage 2, I noticed the sound and did a little reading on these forums and one of the most common answers I got was, "The sound you're hearing is most likely wastegate flutter," so I just assumed that's what it was. The rattle that I was hearing before is definitely gone, but I'm sure there's still a little bit of wastegate flutter - I still don't know exactly what that sounds like. The thing my heatshield was rubbing against very well could be my wastegate arm - I don't know. And I believe your heat shield is different than mine. I just ordered my part from the cheapest place I could find it and assumed it would work. But shit happens and parts get mixed up, so I don't blame the company who made it or the place I ordered it from. Other than that one obvious point of contact, it seems to fit fine now.
SuBeast: Yep, I paid $50.00 for it from Boostbuddy.com Home Page and I think I had free shipping, but I can't remember. And yes, you can make your own turbo heat shield for less money, but I took the lazy way out because I preferred to have some bling under my hood - and it matches my downpipe, so that's my excuse. You can actually modify (cut) your stock turbo heat shield, but that thing is fugly in my opinion and I decided to keep mine in tact in case I ever wanted to put my car back to stock to sell it. I very well could have been sent an older version of the turbo heat shield, but I have no way of knowing. In a way, it was my own fault for not thoroughly checking clearances when I installed it. I'm sure I would have noticed how close it was to the metal tube, but I was just happy to have everything back together at the time.
zmanoside: Yeah, I wish mine had that notch taken out. It would have saved me a little trouble, but I think everything's good now. I'm glad you looked at yours though, because if your turbo heat shield was rubbing a notch in your metal line, I bet you'd be pretty happy you read this and I'd feel good for helping a fellow Subie out
yep that def. is the wastegate actuator arm. nice job wiht the dremel. its amazing the damage the heatsheild did to the arm. lucky you caught it before it made it any worse
Cool, thanks.. I tried to take a picture of the dent in the arm, but I couldn't get the camera down far enough for a really good view. Even though the dent is about 1/4 of the way through the arm, it still feels pretty solid, so I don't think I'll have to replace it. Thanks for the info guys.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Subaru WRX Forum
329.6K posts
38.3K members
Since 2002
We're a forum community dedicated to the Subaru WRX. Come join the discussion on performance modifications, accessories, turbo upgrades, maintenance and more!