2011 Wrx Stock Heat Shield Bolt

Subirex09 · 04-25-2012, 07:53 PM

Hey Everyone,
What is the easiest way to get the last stock heat shield bolt back in? The shield is really tightly wrapped around the turbo of course and I couldn't move it enough to line up the bolt hole. I took it out because I was trying to put the SPT heat shield on, but I gave up for today since I couldn't get all 3 bolts in to secure it.

SnowSTI2011 · 04-25-2012, 08:13 PM

Get someone with small hands/fore arms to reach down there for you. That bolt is a PITA for sure.

Subirex09 · 04-25-2012, 09:23 PM

Ha...that's what I thought. Maybe my bro can help me next week, you think someone just needs to keep the pressure on the back long enough for me to line it up?

SnowSTI2011 · 04-25-2012, 09:47 PM

I would loosen the other bolts off slightly so you can get them all in place first. Then tighten them all down tight.

Daijoubo-yo · 04-26-2012, 12:15 AM

Did you take the intercooler off for more room to work with? I stripped the bolt heads off all three screws on my 2010 when putting on that heat shield. It literally took me about 5 hours to get the stripped bolts out and get the heat shield installed. Take the intercooler off and it will be easier to install that last bolt. It's fairly simple to remove the intercooler, just search for a how to. Good luck that thing was a royal pain on the ass for me but I got it done and it definitely shields the heat a lot more from the I/C.

Subirex09 · 04-26-2012, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daijoubo-yo

Did you take the intercooler off for more room to work with? I stripped the bolt heads off all three screws on my 2010 when putting on that heat shield. It literally took me about 5 hours to get the stripped bolts out and get the heat shield installed. Take the intercooler off and it will be easier to install that last bolt. It's fairly simple to remove the intercooler, just search for a how to. Good luck that thing was a royal pain on the ass for me but I got it done and it definitely shields the heat a lot more from the I/C.

Yeah, the intercooler was no problem, it did give me a lot of room, but i have really big hands so I pretty much scuffed the s out of my forearms and hands...but luckily I didn't strip any bolts. I will give it another shot next week with an extra pair of hands and hopefully will have better luck.

Daijoubo-yo · 04-26-2012, 01:32 AM

Good stuff. It took me alot of patience. I scuffed my arms and hands up a little bit as well. To get it to fit right is the hardest part and just a bunch of trial and error. It's worth it though!

Subirex09 · 04-26-2012, 11:11 AM

Thanks for the help guys. Yesterday I did try backing most of the bolts out a bit to loosen the shield so I could get this tough bolt in but the shield still didn't have a lot of give...and of course I dropped a bolt or two under the motor, so whenever I get back to it, I have to drop that splash guard first, and hope the bolts didn't find a way out.

I will take more time next time and get it done.

Daijoubo-yo · 04-26-2012, 07:57 PM

You can always take that stock shield off and drill the holes a little bit bigger for easier bolt fitment. I had to leave one of the bolts for the stock shield off because I couldn't line it up right either. I did get the three bolts that went with the spt shield in there no problem after that. No rattles or anything either thankfully. Oh and I dropped the bolts plenty of times under the motor as well. Had to fish em out with the splash shield off, good times. You'll get it man just be patient and take a break from it and regroup if you get frustrated.

Daijoubo-yo · 04-26-2012, 08:01 PM

I believe there are five bolts on the stock shield and two more around the downpipe area. Did you loosen those two? You should be able to wiggle it around if so.

Subirex09 · 04-26-2012, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daijoubo-yo

I believe there are five bolts on the stock shield and two more around the downpipe area. Did you loosen those two? You should be able to wiggle it around if so.

Yeah I loosened them but by that point I was too afraid to take them all the way out for fear I wouldn't be able to line them back up again : ). The shield was moving but still not enough to coax that last bolt in. I may go the route where I take it all the way off and increase the size of some of the holes a bit.

Subirex09 · 04-30-2012, 04:05 PM

Anyone know the length of the largest spacer and longest bolt that came with the SPT heat shield? Also where do the retaining washers go, between the heat shield and the spacers?

I dropped it under the engine when I was working on it last week and I couldn't fish it out with my magnet. I finally dropped the splash guard today but it was nowhere to be found. Must have gotten loose and left the splash guard.

I want to pick up another spacer and bolt at the hardware store but I didn't measure it nor do I have the instructions which may or may not have listed the sizes.

Thanks in advance.

f1speeder · 04-30-2012, 06:20 PM

Call or pm Jackie from Annapolis Subaru. I'm sure she can help.

I put the SPT heat shield on my 2011 WRX too. What a pain in the ass! The directions were wrong! The only way I could get the sucker on was to remove the IC!

Subirex09 · 05-01-2012, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1speeder

Call or pm Jackie from Annapolis Subaru. I'm sure she can help.

I put the SPT heat shield on my 2011 WRX too. What a pain in the ass! The directions were wrong! The only way I could get the sucker on was to remove the IC!

Will do.

Subirex09 · 05-10-2012, 03:59 PM

Not the best looking install since the spacer substitute I picked up was a little long, but everything is secure and I think the heatshield will still be able to do what it's intended to do...I am sure it would be better if the spt heatshield was directly on the stock heatshield everywhere possible but I think this will do.

The most effective bolt removal to get my original problem bolt threaded in ended up being the bolt on the back of the heatshield, but it had to come all the way out to give me enough leeway. Then that one didn't go back in terribly easy but I took my time and got it all worked out. I also loosened the two downpipe bolts that were keeping the stock heatshield bracket in place, I thought that might let me flex the stock heatshield a bit more and it did.

Daijoubo-yo · 05-11-2012, 03:14 AM

Glad you figured it out man. Looks good! Ya I just left that rear bolt out cause I couldn't get it to line up after everything was installed again. I see you got it back in though.

Subirex09 · 05-11-2012, 01:03 PM

Yeah, the stock heatshield sheet metal was not drilled with a full circle for that back bolt, it was a half circle so it was covering up half of the bolt hole. I was looking at it with a mirror. When I loosened the two bolts attached to the downpipe, I was able to pull the stock shield up enough so I could see the whole bolt hole and thread it in a little by hand. I am worried that it would have been an easy bolt to crossthread but it seemed to go in pretty smoothy so i am hoping it's ok if I ever need to take the bolt out again.

Felonious Monk · 10-06-2012, 11:23 PM

I just got done installing my heat shield today. It did take a little finesse that is for sure. I tried to do it one day and got all frustrated, took a day off then it only took about an hour after I worked up a good plan. The key is to loosen all the bolts on the stock heat shield so you can line every thing up again, thanks for this thread to get me going in the right direction.

WRXLTD · 10-07-2012, 07:36 AM

After two 1 hr each attempts, I gave up.

I'm currently running only two bolts on my SPT turbo heatshield...no rattles or buzzing whatsoever.

nappynick · 10-07-2012, 11:36 AM

I dont wanna sound like a ding dong....doesnt the SPT Sheild replace the one that comes with the car?? Ive never seen that before...the 2 together!

nightdown fox · 10-07-2012, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nappynick

I dont wanna sound like a ding dong....doesnt the SPT Sheild replace the one that comes with the car?? Ive never seen that before...the 2 together!

Nope! The SPT shield is designed to provide additional heat soak protection, and it's supposed to go over the stock heat shield. With mine, the tubes can be hand touched even after a hard run.

OP, it took forever for me to get it with my fat hands, but after a while everything just popped into place.

nappynick · 10-07-2012, 12:16 PM

I thought it was a replacement for the stock one. Reason being for an after market DP. I Though an after market DP didnt fit with the stock heat shield.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightdown fox

Nope! The SPT shield is designed to provide additional heat soak protection, and it's supposed to go over the stock heat shield. With mine, the tubes can be hand touched even after a hard run.

OP, it took forever for me to get it with my fat hands, but after a while everything just popped into place.

the suicidal eggroll · 10-07-2012, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nappynick

I Though an after market DP didnt fit with the stock heat shield.

An angle grinder will fix that right up

shamrocker · 02-02-2013, 03:39 PM

I just finished the SPT install on mine. It looks great, and yes, I had to remove the IC to do it. No matter how careful I was, I dropped all of the little lock washers and a couple of the spacers down below. I was not able to line up all three bolts for the life of me, so I installed the bottom left and top bolt. If there are any issues, I can try to fit the other bolt on later, now that everything is threaded. I was interested to see that there was only one bolt on the bottom installed from the factory. I also had to bend the handle of the transmission dipstick, to keep it from touching. My back and legs are killing me, LOL. This install was a pain in the butt, for sure!

Update: I was finally able to get the third bolt in. I loosened the existing heat shield screws, and tapped the original heat shield with a rubber mallet to get the last hole to line up. I did so after seeing some strange knock events on my data logs, and it wasn't terribly difficult. Now it's done for good!

04-25-2012, 07:53 PM	#1
Subirex09 Scooby Newbie Member#: 207880 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CT Vehicle: 2013 STi Awesome SWP	2011 Wrx Stock Heat Shield Bolt Hey Everyone, What is the easiest way to get the last stock heat shield bolt back in? The shield is really tightly wrapped around the turbo of course and I couldn't move it enough to line up the bolt hole. I took it out because I was trying to put the SPT heat shield on, but I gave up for today since I couldn't get all 3 bolts in to secure it.

04-30-2012, 04:05 PM	#12
Subirex09 Scooby Newbie Member#: 207880 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CT Vehicle: 2013 STi Awesome SWP	Anyone know the length of the largest spacer and longest bolt that came with the SPT heat shield? Also where do the retaining washers go, between the heat shield and the spacers? I dropped it under the engine when I was working on it last week and I couldn't fish it out with my magnet. I finally dropped the splash guard today but it was nowhere to be found. Must have gotten loose and left the splash guard. I want to pick up another spacer and bolt at the hardware store but I didn't measure it nor do I have the instructions which may or may not have listed the sizes. Thanks in advance. Last edited by Subirex09; 04-30-2012 at 04:49 PM.

02-02-2013, 03:39 PM	#24
shamrocker Scooby Newbie Member#: 258219 Join Date: Sep 2010 Chapter/Region: South East Location: Greenville, SC Vehicle: 2011 WRX Limited WR Blue Pearl	I just finished the SPT install on mine. It looks great, and yes, I had to remove the IC to do it. No matter how careful I was, I dropped all of the little lock washers and a couple of the spacers down below. I was not able to line up all three bolts for the life of me, so I installed the bottom left and top bolt. If there are any issues, I can try to fit the other bolt on later, now that everything is threaded. I was interested to see that there was only one bolt on the bottom installed from the factory. I also had to bend the handle of the transmission dipstick, to keep it from touching. My back and legs are killing me, LOL. This install was a pain in the butt, for sure! Update: I was finally able to get the third bolt in. I loosened the existing heat shield screws, and tapped the original heat shield with a rubber mallet to get the last hole to line up. I did so after seeing some strange knock events on my data logs, and it wasn't terribly difficult. Now it's done for good! Last edited by shamrocker; 03-24-2013 at 10:20 PM.

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04-25-2012, 08:13 PM	#2
SnowSTI2011 Scooby Newbie Member#: 276186 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Guelph, Ontario Vehicle: 2011 STI stage 2 2012 Odyssey	Get someone with small hands/fore arms to reach down there for you. That bolt is a PITA for sure.

04-25-2012, 09:23 PM	#3
Subirex09 Scooby Newbie Member#: 207880 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CT Vehicle: 2013 STi Awesome SWP	Ha...that's what I thought. Maybe my bro can help me next week, you think someone just needs to keep the pressure on the back long enough for me to line it up?

04-25-2012, 09:47 PM	#4
SnowSTI2011 Scooby Newbie Member#: 276186 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Guelph, Ontario Vehicle: 2011 STI stage 2 2012 Odyssey	I would loosen the other bolts off slightly so you can get them all in place first. Then tighten them all down tight.

04-26-2012, 12:15 AM	#5
Daijoubo-yo Scooby Newbie Member#: 252612 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: MS, OH Vehicle: 2010 WRX 5dr 97 Lude Sh,99 Durango 5.2	Did you take the intercooler off for more room to work with? I stripped the bolt heads off all three screws on my 2010 when putting on that heat shield. It literally took me about 5 hours to get the stripped bolts out and get the heat shield installed. Take the intercooler off and it will be easier to install that last bolt. It's fairly simple to remove the intercooler, just search for a how to. Good luck that thing was a royal pain on the ass for me but I got it done and it definitely shields the heat a lot more from the I/C.

04-26-2012, 01:32 AM	#7
Daijoubo-yo Scooby Newbie Member#: 252612 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: MS, OH Vehicle: 2010 WRX 5dr 97 Lude Sh,99 Durango 5.2	Good stuff. It took me alot of patience. I scuffed my arms and hands up a little bit as well. To get it to fit right is the hardest part and just a bunch of trial and error. It's worth it though!

04-26-2012, 11:11 AM	#8
Subirex09 Scooby Newbie Member#: 207880 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CT Vehicle: 2013 STi Awesome SWP	Thanks for the help guys. Yesterday I did try backing most of the bolts out a bit to loosen the shield so I could get this tough bolt in but the shield still didn't have a lot of give...and of course I dropped a bolt or two under the motor, so whenever I get back to it, I have to drop that splash guard first, and hope the bolts didn't find a way out. I will take more time next time and get it done.

04-26-2012, 07:57 PM	#9
Daijoubo-yo Scooby Newbie Member#: 252612 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: MS, OH Vehicle: 2010 WRX 5dr 97 Lude Sh,99 Durango 5.2	You can always take that stock shield off and drill the holes a little bit bigger for easier bolt fitment. I had to leave one of the bolts for the stock shield off because I couldn't line it up right either. I did get the three bolts that went with the spt shield in there no problem after that. No rattles or anything either thankfully. Oh and I dropped the bolts plenty of times under the motor as well. Had to fish em out with the splash shield off, good times. You'll get it man just be patient and take a break from it and regroup if you get frustrated.

04-26-2012, 08:01 PM	#10
Daijoubo-yo Scooby Newbie Member#: 252612 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: MS, OH Vehicle: 2010 WRX 5dr 97 Lude Sh,99 Durango 5.2	I believe there are five bolts on the stock shield and two more around the downpipe area. Did you loosen those two? You should be able to wiggle it around if so.

04-30-2012, 06:20 PM	#13
f1speeder Scooby Specialist Member#: 138854 Join Date: Jan 2007 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: HANOVER PA Vehicle: 2011 WRX WRB	Call or pm Jackie from Annapolis Subaru. I'm sure she can help. I put the SPT heat shield on my 2011 WRX too. What a pain in the ass! The directions were wrong! The only way I could get the sucker on was to remove the IC!

05-10-2012, 03:59 PM	#15
Subirex09 Scooby Newbie Member#: 207880 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CT Vehicle: 2013 STi Awesome SWP	Not the best looking install since the spacer substitute I picked up was a little long, but everything is secure and I think the heatshield will still be able to do what it's intended to do...I am sure it would be better if the spt heatshield was directly on the stock heatshield everywhere possible but I think this will do. The most effective bolt removal to get my original problem bolt threaded in ended up being the bolt on the back of the heatshield, but it had to come all the way out to give me enough leeway. Then that one didn't go back in terribly easy but I took my time and got it all worked out. I also loosened the two downpipe bolts that were keeping the stock heatshield bracket in place, I thought that might let me flex the stock heatshield a bit more and it did.

05-11-2012, 03:14 AM	#16
Daijoubo-yo Scooby Newbie Member#: 252612 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: MS, OH Vehicle: 2010 WRX 5dr 97 Lude Sh,99 Durango 5.2	Glad you figured it out man. Looks good! Ya I just left that rear bolt out cause I couldn't get it to line up after everything was installed again. I see you got it back in though.

05-11-2012, 01:03 PM	#17
Subirex09 Scooby Newbie Member#: 207880 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: CT Vehicle: 2013 STi Awesome SWP	Yeah, the stock heatshield sheet metal was not drilled with a full circle for that back bolt, it was a half circle so it was covering up half of the bolt hole. I was looking at it with a mirror. When I loosened the two bolts attached to the downpipe, I was able to pull the stock shield up enough so I could see the whole bolt hole and thread it in a little by hand. I am worried that it would have been an easy bolt to crossthread but it seemed to go in pretty smoothy so i am hoping it's ok if I ever need to take the bolt out again.

10-06-2012, 11:23 PM	#18
Felonious Monk Scooby Newbie Member#: 294516 Join Date: Sep 2011 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Bothell, WA Vehicle: 2011 WRX Sedan WR Blue	I just got done installing my heat shield today. It did take a little finesse that is for sure. I tried to do it one day and got all frustrated, took a day off then it only took about an hour after I worked up a good plan. The key is to loosen all the bolts on the stock heat shield so you can line every thing up again, thanks for this thread to get me going in the right direction.

10-07-2012, 07:36 AM	#19
WRXLTD Scooby Specialist Member#: 136314 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: A$$achusetts Vehicle: 2014 Grand Cherokee	After two 1 hr each attempts, I gave up. I'm currently running only two bolts on my SPT turbo heatshield...no rattles or buzzing whatsoever.

10-07-2012, 11:36 AM	#20
nappynick Scooby Newbie Member#: 317114 Join Date: Apr 2012 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: Arizona / SoCal Vehicle: '12 WRX Hatch Silver	I dont wanna sound like a ding dong....doesnt the SPT Sheild replace the one that comes with the car?? Ive never seen that before...the 2 together!