# The purpose of the engine shield



## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

OK - its a splash shield. I knew I found out about it on this forum.

Read on...

http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/9-ch...sion-forum/4856-panel-under-cruze-engine.html

News | Chevy Cruze latest GM vehicle to get engine-protecting splash shield | Consumers Digest

No other purpose was intended, but if it works for other purposes all the better!


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

Your first link to the forum post indicates this is NOT just for water protection. to quote  "It also helps reduce under body corrosion and promotes better aerodynamics."

I still say this does very little to protect from water. I bet with or without the aerodynamic lower shield if I drive though 1ft of water the water gets just as high in the engine compartment. For the morons who hit water in the road at speed, I bet this could have a MAJOR effect on how much water gets splashed higher on the engine & possibly cause issues. 

Anyway I look at it this shield has an engineered purpose(mostly aerodynamics) & should not be hacked apart. GM is trying to get off on the cheap with their HACK JOB recall instead of a properly re engineered piece. 

Looking under the car there is no way the whole center of the shield needs to be cut out. Around oil drain plug, along the exhaust pipe & a few other drain holes is all that would possibly be needed. 

GM do the right thing & redesign the shield for 2013 & make the holes line up with existing cruzes so those of us who think this fix sucks can still have a shield. Then you can make more money when we buy the new part & retain what was originally designed into our cars.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

So now we actually have GM spokesman explaining why the splash shield is there. That makes the hack job a "cheap out" on GMs part. Since they publicly stated the Cruze would have one they need to not just hack it away. GM needs to replace the existing shields with the redesigned shield.


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## GoldenCruze (Dec 18, 2011)

I could have predicted further argument on this.

As I explained in another thread, drain holes won't work. That is because of the viscosity of oil, which leaves a film behind even after draining. That is how engines are protected. And that film can flame.


As far as I know, the redesigned shield is the same dimensions. We'll have less splash protection.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

My shield is about 4" short of the engine pan drain plug, suppose some would spill into the shield if you tried to drain it with the car hanging on a rope tied to the rear bumper with the nose pointed to the ground.

Then if oil did somehow get unto the shield that would be the fuel, have oxygen, but what about ignition temperature? Suppose if you were driving your Cruze at mach five, due to air friction alone, could ignite that oil. My Cruze won't go that fast.

Conceivably, with an improperly installed oil filter cap, oil could leak down to the shield, but wouldn't be much of a puddle since that shield is angled downward. But that same oil could spill on that very hot exhaust manifold that would ignite it.

Not sure how they are butchering up that shield, but certainly wouldn't prevent a fire by doing so, as that can't possibly prevent a fire. At most, just ease it with less oil to consume.

Not going to let them butcher up my shield, until a very logical reason is given. That oil filter is in somewhat of an awkward position, could be mounted vertically and move forward several inches. If they come up with a new bolt on combination bracket and feed and return tube, would be happy to have that done. 

That is the was the 2.2L DOHC Ecotec oil filter is, and a lot easier to replace the filter in that one.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

GoldenCruze said:


> I could have predicted further argument on this.
> 
> As I explained in another thread, drain holes won't work. That is because of the viscosity of oil, which leaves a film behind even after draining. That is how engines are protected. And that film can flame.



If the shield was designed properly(also of the proper materials) very litttle oil would ever get onto this lower cover without having an engine oil leak. Guess what, ALL CARS can ignite with an oil leak regardless if there is a cover involved. 

I reiterate all they need to do is trim some around oil pan/exhaust pipe & install drain holes. When I say drain holes I do not mean holes made with a drill allowing oil to drain & film left behind. I mean an engineered spot where if oil leaks when changing the filter it has the panel cut so 99% of the oil ends up on the ground. 

See this image below, the angle of the oi filter housing all oil drains toward the front of engine by the turbo(kinda seems like a bad design, any oil leak here is a fire risk). Seems the panel just needs to be a hole cut around this location. Actually the existing exhaust cut would just need to be larger so it would not catch oil at this point. http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/atta...1295803733-cruze-oil-change-1-4t-100_7443.jpg

Mark my words with this oil filter housing location angled toward the hot turbo/exhaust there will still be fires in cruzes. Their fix may have removed what was catching all of of oil but the potential for a fire is still there. Hope you all feel good with this piss poor fix. 

Seems GM would have been smarter with the exhaust on back of engine like the 2.0turbo ecotecs & other ecotec engines.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

NickD said:


> Conceivably, with an improperly installed oil filter cap, oil could leak down to the shield, but wouldn't be much of a puddle since that shield is angled downward. But that same oil could spill on that very hot exhaust manifold that would ignite it.
> 
> Not sure how they are butchering up that shield, but certainly wouldn't prevent a fire by doing so, as that can't possibly prevent a fire. At most, just ease it with less oil to consume.


You are exactly right, this is a bandaid fix at most. the potential fire risk is still there. All this does is remove some of the fires fuel source(oil covered plastic shield).


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm waiting for somebody to come up with an aluminum copy of the original shield and start selling that for $$$. No fire risk, same aerodynamics, and the same corrosion/water protection. Kinda like the PanzerPlates the older Jetta TDI's have available. Hey, this is a German car too (well, German/Korean design that happens to be built in the US), where's the love?!?


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## Big Tom (Mar 8, 2011)

No words of wisdom from Stacy?


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## bartonmd (Jun 30, 2011)

sciphi said:


> I'm waiting for somebody to come up with an aluminum copy of the original shield and start selling that for $$$. No fire risk, same aerodynamics, and the same corrosion/water protection. Kinda like the PanzerPlates the older Jetta TDI's have available. Hey, this is a German car too (well, German/Korean design that happens to be built in the US), where's the love?!?


FWIW, I make skid plates and bumpers and stuff for Trailblazers/Envoys, but I wouldn't TOUCH a replacement shield for these things, based solely on liability. One of these lights on fire, for whatever reason, and somebody's lawyer says "So... GM changed these because of fire risk, and you made them like the original fire-risk version?"



Big Tom said:


> No words of wisdom from Stacy?


I LOL'd...

Mike


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Big Tom said:


> No words of wisdom from Stacy?


Stacy posted in other threads that she'll be on vacation this week.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Wouldn't wrapping the exhaust with header wrap within reasonable proximity of the affected area be an effective solution to this problem?

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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

XtremeRevolution said:


> Wouldn't wrapping the exhaust with header wrap within reasonable proximity of the affected area be an effective solution to this problem?
> 
> Sent from my Bulletproof_Doubleshot using AutoGuide.Com Free App


What happens when oil soaks the wrap? I'm thinking it's the area right underneath the fill cap, or right nearby the drain plug. A careless tech (no disrespect meant to the professionals on this board) could manage to mess up an oil change even with the revised shield. 

I still say that one solution is to do topside oil changes. Another solution is to DIY the oil change. Then, you know it's done right!


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## macrolly (Jul 2, 2012)

*cruze pannel*

The all new 2.0 litre VCDi engine under the hood of the Chevrolet Cruze delivers an impressive 166 PS of unadulterated power on tap which is simply the Best.Rather, the Cruze has been recalled to modify the engine shield that's located to the floor structure and a sub assembly to the rear floor pan. Under certain circumstances, the fluid could be burning as it exits the vent hole


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

So how are they doing this?



















Gather the green below is what is left. Using a chain saw, jig saw, acetylene torch, an ax? Certainly not very much of it left. What really needs a shield is the AC compressor, way down there, and if you are forced to drive in salted slush, that shield offers a lot of protection. 04 Cavalier didn't have one, this is my first GM car that did.

If any car needs the shield cut, is my 88 Supra turbo, never a recall on that.

This photo has be a bit envious using a cast aluminum filter housing, the one on my Cruze is plastic!


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## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

obermd said:


> Stacy posted in other threads that she'll be on vacation this week.



LOL...Just like the Supreme Court! Get as far away from a HOT topic as you possibly can!


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## cecaa850 (Apr 9, 2012)

I haven't seen it talked about, but one of the things they do is remove the metal shield that's on the top of the splash shield. There's a thought that oil can get between the layers and somehow get hot enough to ignite.


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## cecaa850 (Apr 9, 2012)

sciphi said:


> What happens when oil soaks the wrap? I'm thinking it's the area right underneath the fill cap, or right nearby the drain plug. A careless tech (no disrespect meant to the professionals on this board) could manage to mess up an oil change even with the revised shield.
> 
> I still say that one solution is to do topside oil changes. Another solution is to DIY the oil change. Then, you know it's done right!


The other undiscussed part of this recall is the manual transmission vehicles. GM is concerned that if you continue to drive a vehicle with a worn out clutch (I didn't think that was even possible) that somehow hydraulic fluid will spew from the clutch vent (??????) and catch fire.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

cecaa850 said:


> The other undiscussed part of this recall is the manual transmission vehicles. GM is concerned that if you continue to drive a vehicle with a worn out clutch (I didn't think that was even possible) that somehow hydraulic fluid will spew from the clutch vent (??????) and catch fire.


This may actually be a bigger problem than most people realize. The clutch fluid is also the brake fluid in the Cruze, so leaking clutch fluid also impacts your brakes.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

obermd said:


> This may actually be a bigger problem than most people realize. The clutch fluid is also the brake fluid in the Cruze, so leaking clutch fluid also impacts your brakes.


Both systems have the same reservoir? Yes, page 10-22 of the OM says so.


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## weimerrj (Dec 4, 2011)

Sharing brake fluid with the clutch is fairly common - My old Isuzu Impulse (1st gen) had that, I believe.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

It's not the sharing of clutch and brake fluid that concerns me. It's the fact that this fluid can leak out when the clutch starts wearing down, thus bringing you down from three braking systems to one. You could lose both the ability to down shift and engine brake as well as your brake pedal at the same time. The hand brake should still work because it's a direct cable to one of the rear tires.


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

They're talking about transmission lubricant spewing out, not clutch hydraulic stuff. 

Some folks will keep trying to limp a worn clutch home even when it's well and dead. GM's worried about those folks, not those of us who call AAA for a tow.


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## cecaa850 (Apr 9, 2012)

sciphi said:


> They're talking about transmission lubricant spewing out, not clutch hydraulic stuff.
> 
> Some folks will keep trying to limp a worn clutch home even when it's well and dead. GM's worried about those folks, not those of us who call AAA for a tow.


You are correct, they are worried about fluid coming out of the "clutch housing vent hole".


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Thank you for the clarification.


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## CapitalTruck (Jun 12, 2012)

So my sister just had her cruze recall done. Biggest mistake we ever made. They just eviscorated that shield. I told her in advance we shouldn't even do it, but I can't blame her for wanting to get it done. It's like said above, sawzall destruction. Whatever tech did this for whatever reason at some point took the oil cap off the engine. Never put it back on. That turned to fun on the way home. It's at the dealership now to get the engine cleaned up.


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## jdubb11 (Mar 14, 2012)

wow...just wow. im not having mine done


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## CapitalTruck (Jun 12, 2012)

If anybody is interested, here is the original part number for the air shield (I think this is the right one)

GM Part 95459793


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

FWIW, I had the hack job done last Monday. I asked the service manager what GM would do when it turns out that this alleged fix results in further damage (corrosion, road debris taking out the AC compressor, etc). He shrugged and said "They'll fix whatever damage happens under warranty as well."

I gave him the Death Glare(tm) and said "OH GOOD. Yeah, let's not PREVENT problems, let's address them AFTER they happen. Does that sound like good engineering practice to you?"

Another shrug.

Un. Fscking. Believable. I still love my Cruze, but I'm starting to doubt the wisdom of my purchase if GM and Chevy's idea of efficiency is "run it until it breaks."


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Keep the responses coming. Give me a piece of your mind so I can forward these to Tom Read and make it painfully clear how unaceptable this is.

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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

I don't like how it leaves the low-hanging alternator and A/C compressor open to road debris damage. I've heard rocks clunk off that shield before. Ditto the corrosion protection that is now gone. I was amazed how clean everything was underneath that shield earlier this summer when it came off to change the gearbox oil. The parts that were protected had a thin film of road grime. The unprotected areas were far dirtier. 

Regardless, until we get winter conditions 6 months from now in North America, we won't know any winter-time effects of this modification. Any complaining, including mine, about negative winter effects is pure speculation until then. 

I wonder if GM did any winter testing or assessment of this recall? 

And, for the dealer that said any damage will get repaired under warranty, some of us will have year-old cars with NO WARRANTY thanks to how much driving we do. Fat lot of good warranty work does when one doesn't have warranty anymore!


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## ems2158 (Feb 2, 2012)

I went out to check the shield this morning. I changed my own oil about 3,000 miles/2 months ago. I noticed a little oil residue was left in the shield near the engine oil drain. Not much more than a light film. When I drained the oil, I forgot to remove the oil fill cap and the oil burped out of the drain and landed on the shield. I wiped almost all of it up. The exhaust pipe was at least 3 inches from that part of the shield and would never ignite the film of oil that was left there. There is a 1/4 inch turned up edge on the shield that traps the oil. If a couple of slots were cut in the edge of the shield it wouldn't hold any oil. If I didn't wipe up the spill the shield could have held a few ounces of oil.

As it has been noted here repeatedly, we are getting the shield hacked to avoid a fire due to gross incompetence of maintenance people and a rush by GM to fix the problem as cheaply as possible with no consideration of the aesthetics of the repair.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

ems2158 said:


> I went out to check the shield this morning. I changed my own oil about 3,000 miles/2 months ago. I noticed a little oil residue was left in the shield near the engine oil drain. Not much more than a light film. When I drained the oil, I forgot to remove the oil fill cap and the oil burped out of the drain and landed on the shield. I wiped almost all of it up. The exhaust pipe was at least 3 inches from that part of the shield and would never ignite the film of oil that was left there. There is a 1/4 inch turned up edge on the shield that traps the oil. If a couple of slots were cut in the edge of the shield it wouldn't hold any oil. If I didn't wipe up the spill the shield could have held a few ounces of oil.


Why just cut a couple of slots - sand down the entire raised lip. There is no reason to put a raised lip on the top of a splash shield since you want anthing landing on the top to slide or drip off.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

For those of you who think oil will sit on this shield it doesn't if you park facing hill. After my second oil change I pulled my car out of my driveway and saw oil on the driveway where it had dripped off the shield. I park on a 10 degree uphill slope. I can see possible oil sitting if you park facing downhill or possibly level, especially with the 1/4 inch lip ems2158 reported. Removing the lip would most likely allow spilled oil to slide off the shield as well since it doesn't hang level anywhere under the car.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

I had my shield removed. For what reason I do not know other than the dealer said we must do this. I have the 1.8 and there is no way to get oil on this shield unless you purposely pour it there! I was kinda happy it was removed tho. When I changed my oil, the engine was a little warm and I dropped my socket and it was nice to hear it hit the garage floor instead of moving the car to make it fall out the hole. IMO The real reason I think they did the recall "fumbling mechanics" that drop their tools and cant get them back. So in "SilverLSs" defense I am kinda happy they removed the shield(I occasionally drop a tool or 2) and I will forget about it being there or not there.


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## Mr95Kenny (Jan 13, 2019)

Here is my video I made about this. 

https://youtu.be/7TZ0PS6WnPA


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