How necessary is this shield?
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,346
Likes: 160
From: new iberia la
how long do you want your differential to last? If you just cruise around town once a month, probably no big deal without it ... if you take long trips often on the interstate, you will shorten its life without that heat shield..there is no oil cooler on the differential
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 19,294
Likes: 2,754
From: Charlotte NC
WHY 're-invent the wheel' here and like it is not a huge problem to re-install this part that GM found to spend money on???
YES..I know...countless Corvettes that do not have the shield are just fine and dandy...just like the heat shield used to protect the starter solenoid....
ANYTHING that you can do to help out components that GM provided parts for is wise to always re-install....REGARDLESS if the year before your year model the shield was not there.
Whether GM did it for the differential or actually curbing the direct heat on a steel spring and strut rod bushings that they may have found the temperature was higher than they liked...becasue HEAT does effect spring steel..and it is not good for the rubber bushings...the shield was installed.
Somewhat similar is the heat shield GM installed to protect the fuel filter on the later C4's...but the earlier years did not have the shield...and YET the filter is still in the same basic location.
DUB
