Heat Shield


Beach-GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 8, 2006
887
Seminole Florida
I noticed in the shop manual there is/should be/was a heat shield between the air filter box and the muffler. I don't have it. Do you? Did it go the way of the do do bird in 2005? I have a 2006. :confused
 

GT Tech

Ford GT Team Alumni
Aug 13, 2006
678
Kingman, Arizona
heat shield

There never was a heat shield between the air box and muffler. At least as far as production cars. Even the prototypes I worked on didn't have one. There may have been plans for one, but I guess it was not needed. The service manual was started early in the program, so maybe it just never got taken out of the book :biggrin
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
heat shield

'Funny you should ask that right now!
I just happened to look at MINE today also (mine's an '06 too) & 'noticed the same darned thing, and WONDERED the same thing - 'cause mine doesn't have one either.
It seems REAL ODD that Ford would put the air intake beside a furnace w/o installing a heat shield in between.

E.P.
 

TrackDay

GT Owner
Mar 20, 2006
128
I had one made and installed on my car.
Trying to keep those Inlet Air Temps (IAT) down as low as possible.
 

1of19(GER)

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
81
Germany
GT Tech said:
There never was a heat shield between the air box and muffler. At least as far as production cars. Even the prototypes I worked on didn't have one. There may have been plans for one, but I guess it was not needed. The service manual was started early in the program, so maybe it just never got taken out of the book :biggrin

Some prototypes had shields installed(Pic1)
and as far as I´m concerned this shield would have
prevent my GT from catching fire(Jan2006).(Pic2+3)
 

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Fubar

Totally ****** Up
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Aug 2, 2006
3,979
Dallas, TX
Holy crap, that sucks!

Sorry I couldn't think of any thing more eloquent.
 

GT Tech

Ford GT Team Alumni
Aug 13, 2006
678
Kingman, Arizona
I went on the program during the crash car builds. There were a few prototypes made before that, so maybe there was some kind of heat shield on those. The picture must be from a VERY early car, as carbon fiber of the inner lift gate looks different. As I said, I never saw any kind of shield while I was one the program.

The muffler you see on the car is just an outer casing. The muffler is actually inside. I'm sure that the whole engine compartment was heat checked during development, and if heat shields were needed, they would have been put on.

Sorry to see the damage in your car. I always get misty eyed to see damage to any of the babies. :frown
 

isaakgt

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 20, 2005
691
Wilder, Idaho
Looks like I will mount that fire extinguisher somewhere. I haven't had the courage to drill any holes until now. The heat shield may be a worthwhile project for the aftermarket guys.
 

barondw

GT Owner
Sep 8, 2005
1,109
Check your air boxes for cracks caused by the high heat. It has a tendency to become brittle and then crack.

IMO there is no doubt that FoMoCo knew about the issue and decided to save money by not installing the heat shield. Just like the trans-axle cooler which was not installed as standard equipment.

Dave
 

SLF360

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
isaakgt said:
Looks like I will mount that fire extinguisher somewhere. I haven't had the courage to drill any holes until now. The heat shield may be a worthwhile project for the aftermarket guys.

Well, for what it's worth it needs to be said that 1 of 19's car is a european official imported one that has had to have the muffler exchanged to pass technical law requirements. So Ford developed a special muffler for the euro cars. Later on, this muffler was then replaced with a new designed one that supposedly get's less hot or is less critical.

This doesn't affect US homologated cars, as they have a different muffler to start with that tends to only get smaller and louder over time in many cases... :biggrin

So reconsider if you need the fire extinguisher ! Also I am convinced 1 of 19 drives his Autobahn GT way faster and hotter than you will !
 

1of19(GER)

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
81
Germany
SLF360 said:
Well, for what it's worth it needs to be said that 1 of 19's car is a european official imported one that has had to have the muffler exchanged to pass technical law requirements. So Ford developed a special muffler for the euro cars. Later on, this muffler was then replaced with a new designed one that supposedly get's less hot or is less critical.

This doesn't affect US homologated cars, as they have a different muffler to start with that tends to only get smaller and louder over time in many cases... :biggrin

So reconsider if you need the fire extinguisher ! Also I am convinced 1 of 19 drives his Autobahn GT way faster and hotter than you will !

Stefan is absolutley right with his specifications:
german modifications,german driver, german Autobahn :biggrin
Even I did not think about a fire-extinguisher although
the second muffler forced the plastic air-outlets to melt(Pic)
2 weeks ago Ford changed this muffler again to a new constructed one - I'll keep you informed
 

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Red Rocket

GT Owner
Aug 31, 2006
410
Pacific North West
barondw said:
IMO there is no doubt that FoMoCo knew about the issue and decided to save money by not installing the heat shield. Just like the trans-axle cooler which was not installed as standard equipment. Dave

Dave, you are a great guy and you've helped me (and many other here at the forum) for which we are thankful, but I have to say I think you are off-base on this. EVERYONE knows Ford did a fantastic job with this car and EVERYONE is amazed at how much car one gets for the money. We all are proud of that - I'd be surprised if that isn't something that you yourself have mentioned to your admiring buddies. We all say, "It's faster/quicker than ____ (fill in the blank) and it costs $____ LESS".

Do you get a transaxle cooler with most other supercars? I don't think so. If you want a supercar that is perfect and does not need any visits to the mechanic you are out of luck - these cars are pushing the envelope for performance and with that naturally comes some issues.

And heat concerns for the transaxle are only something one would expect from lengthy track use, not normal driving. Ditto the heat shield, which is unnecessary unless you're on the autobahn. Frankly if a heat shield came on my car I would've removed it when changing the too-heavy exhaust anyway (mandated by DOT laws, not FFRP!!!). If a heat shield is really important to you, that is an easy proposition to add yourself.

Sheesh, the car is a fantastic deal - it's undeniably gorgeous, with an incredibly stout engine and drivetrain. So they were pushing the envelope with its design and construction - that is why it has so many cutting-edge materials, but also not everything worked perfectly as designed. That's the car biz! If I have to fix a few things or make changes to suit me I am certainly not going to complain about it or blame the car.

Remember, Nothing is more boring than a car you can't do some work on! Enjoy it!
 
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barondw

GT Owner
Sep 8, 2005
1,109
That the threaded holes to mount the trans-axle cooler are on the car means it was considered and deleted probably because of cost and time issues at the last minute. Leaks have been reported by owners even those that don't track their car.

The heat shield would have been a worthy addition because of the potential damage caused to the air intake boxes over a period of time. The plastic becomes extremly brittle.

All that I am trying to point out is that FoMoCo knew about issues and decided not to address them. Again cost and time to get the car into production before the plug was pulled because of the company's financial situation is the most likely culprit.

Dave
 

Red Rocket

GT Owner
Aug 31, 2006
410
Pacific North West
A lawyer would never try to prove "Mens Rea" with that argument!
 

Sinovac

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jul 18, 2006
5,832
Largo, Florida
Heat shield

One of 19, your car appears to have different material under the clamshell vents as shown in your photos. You appear to have some type of metallic material (heat shields?) under vents which is not present on my (U.S.) car. Can anyone else comment on this?
 

TrackDay

GT Owner
Mar 20, 2006
128
Red Rocket said:
A lawyer would never try to prove "Mens Rea" with that argument!

Hi Red Rocket, I believe a lawyer would however go to Ricardo (mfg. of our trans axle) ask them some questions and find that Ricardo did in fact strongly suggest to Ford the need for a trans axle cooler on the GT (even for typical street use not just track use). I’ve already heard it first hand from some Recardo people and truth be told my trans axle leaked fluid (sign of overheating) even with normal street use. “barondw” was pointing out the fact that the GT is all set up for a bolt in cooler right from the factory so this further supports the above assertion.

And yes the GT is a beautiful, fantastic car. Great build, great value for the money, etc.
However no sense sugar coating things that could have / should have been done better. With luck most here will take these suggestions to heart and install a trans axle cooler among other things to make the car better (a “larger / improved vent” is not the solution, the issue here is the unit overheats with normal use and needs the cooler).

However, the original thread here was about the effect of the stock muffler and it’s placement so close to the air filter box. Put 20 or 30,000 miles on your car with that muffler and the next time you remove the plastic cover to inspect / replace the air filter report back how brittle the plastic has become. Been there, done that.
Installation of a heat reflective barrier with perhaps an air gap in between is not that difficult and not that expensive as a precautionary measure. If a GT (someone’s car in general) spends most of it’s time looking pretty at car shows then this may never be an issue but for others it will surely become an issue.

Removal of the stock muffler and installation of the Ida Automotive exhaust is another great way to go. I went with both the Ida exhaust and had him install a heat reflective barrier around my air box after seeing how brittle the air box had become.
 
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Red Rocket

GT Owner
Aug 31, 2006
410
Pacific North West
I DRIVE mine! Sideways. But only have 2000 miles on it so far.

No disrespect, but it's semantics to question whether Ford *should have* put on a trans axle cooler. "Mens Rea" means 'guilty mind' and you can't prove Ford's intent was to stiff the customers - however you could prove they were trying to save customers (and themselves) money, but what's wrong with that? If they put it on, no doubt they would have charged more anyway - this way customers get to choose.

Several guys have said here that a cooler is not necessary unless you intend to track the car. So it is a choice. A little overflow is not proof a cooler is needed, anymore than a little overflow from the rad means you need a bigger radiator. IMHO

Re the heat shield - I am probably going to put one on eventually. Because I like to prevent problems before they happen. And I don't like to complain - I just go ahead and do it. I repeat - part of having a great car that will form a lasting relationship ( as opposed to getting bored in 6 months, like with the latest Lambo, etc,) is having the interaction, i.e. working on them, tweaking them, improving them, etc. That's one reason guys get bored with other supercars because most guys don't even wash their own cars, let alone wrench 'em. My 2 cents.
 
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TrackDay

GT Owner
Mar 20, 2006
128
Hi Red Rocket,
Sorry when I typed
“If your car spends most of it’s time looking pretty at car shows then this may never be an issue for you … etc….”
I did not mean to imply you / your car specifically. I should have put it “If a GT (someone’s car in general) spends most of it’s time looking pretty at car shows then this may never be an issue… etc…”
So I’ve made the above correction to my earlier posting.
My apologies, I love the fact that you drive it hard, sideways, etc.

As for the Trans Axle others may disagree with you’re assessment and hold to their opinion it is truly overheating and in need of the cooler. I don’t believe Ricardo would have so strongly recommended the cooler unless it was needed.

Anyway drive it hard and enjoy but be careful out there going sideways :thumbsup .
 

Red Rocket

GT Owner
Aug 31, 2006
410
Pacific North West
:wink will do. I would have put more miles on it but did not have the car that long before I had to him away for the blasted winter. Sure envy those owners in the Sun belt.
 

TrackDay

GT Owner
Mar 20, 2006
128
I know how difficult it is to see that beauty sitting in the garage and not being able to take it out for some “exercise”. I'm not in the sun-belt but luckily I’m still able to drive the GT. However, it will be getting a winter rest soon enough.

For what it’s worth I’ve already had the trans axle fluid changed twice.
The first time was after several thousand miles of street driving and some track use. The trans axle fluid showed all the signs of overheating.
The second time after having the trans axle cooler installed, with many more miles and more severe track use. This time the fluid looked normal.
So among others here I too believe the cooler is needed and in my opinion it should have been on the car right from the factory.