Drive Shaft Shield Rattle Repair/Modification

So if you have a rattle which is not related to the drop links, it is probably likely it's the plastic shield which covers the Driveshaft at the bottom of the car in the centre of the engine bay.

0/ get some space underneath the car so you can get to the undertray (if you have one).
1/ you need to remove the undertray, if you have one.
2/ Locate and test the shield, if it rattles and the bolts are tight it needs repairing.
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3/ Remove the shield with a 16mm socket (with 50mm extension) by removing the two 16mm bolts.
4/ I thoroughly cleaned the shield with WD40.
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5/ Check the play in the two double ended washer, mine had 3mm on one side where the plastic rubbed against the metal, the other side had 1.5mm play.
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6/ In order to remove the washer I got a Dremel tool and carefully wore down one side till I could push it through the hole.
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7/ I went to Halfords and bought two electrical rubber washers for 40p and fitted them into the hole where the metal washers were, thankfully the extra wear and play one of the holes had was taken up with the rubber washer.
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8/ I checked the fit was OK with the original 16mm bolts.
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9/ I reused the metal washers I cut out behind the shield in the bolts for spacers by rubbing them down to flat profile with a slight lip. I used my Dremel but a belt sander would have made a better job.
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10/ Refitted the shield and gave it a flick to check to see if there was a rattle. Nope. All good.
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Hopefully this will prevent the rubbing on the plastic so much and if it starts rattling again I can get another couple of replacement rubber washers from Halfords.

I hope this was helpful.
 
Nice repair and guide! I have had this on mine and will implement your solution over my temp bodge!
 

Nice guide there , just thought id give you a heads up though ,, in your photo you say look at all the crud on the sheild , well id say its drive shaft grease , when the tripod bearings get worn the bearings run much hotter than they should and the CV joint grease gets thinner and works it way out of the boot and sprays everywhere, apart from a mess everywhere the drive shaft bearing now does not have enough grease as well as being worn and will fail , i helped another member recently with this problem and still one side left to replace and on his tripod bearing it had been weaping grease out of both boots for some time as sprayed everywhere, it had eaten one of the bearings and still going on the remainding 2 tripod bearings waiting for self destruction id imagine ... Advisable to check you CV joints for play and at least clean all the old grease out and replace CV grease and give the securing clips a nip tighter or if worn replace the whole driveshaft CV joint.

Regards Gary
 
here is my long standing fix to the same problem. I am some what sceptical about how long the rubber grommets will last in the oil and grim and heat at the back of the lower part of the engine, but I may be wrong and they last a long time.

My fix as per the photo involves the use of 4 penny washers, available from B&Q in a pack of 10 for just over 2 quid from memory. The hole needs drilling out to 10mm to suit the mounting bolts (I think the washers are 9mm holes), also one of the washers needs a little sawing off the edge to let it sit flush. A washer is placed either side of the plastic shield and bolts tightened up, result is shield is fixed in place and does not rattle or rub on the inner CV joint any more.

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Cheers,
 
Great back up option for me there.

Though I am now worried about my pocket and these bearing problems I might have Jigsaw pointed out. Fingers crossed it's not as bad as I have been fretting all night?

here is my long standing fix to the same problem. I am some what sceptical about how long the rubber grommets will last in the oil and grim and heat at the back of the lower part of the engine, but I may be wrong and they last a long time.

My fix as per the photo involves the use of 4 penny washers, available from B&Q in a pack of 10 for just over 2 quid from memory. The hole needs drilling out to 10mm to suit the mounting bolts (I think the washers are 9mm holes), also one of the washers needs a little sawing off the edge to let it sit flush. A washer is placed either side of the plastic shield and bolts tightened up, result is shield is fixed in place and does not rattle or rub on the inner CV joint any more.

View attachment 30007

Cheers,
 
agreed got 8,000 miles on the JR CV joints and been spot on, I changed all 4 and they come with clips, boots, grease and the joint, was £58 for the four delivered
I have paid more for boots and metal clips for other cars than JR charge for the complete joint kit
 
A big thank you to @AudA2Numpty for this thread and @depronman for his suggestion. It enabled me to identify what was catching on my driveshaft, making a clicking noise (especially when I was reversing) and then fix it. Love this forum, thank you!
You are welcome and I am glad it helped.
The repair I did is still intact and still solid so feel it is a good long lasting repair.
 
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