Whats the importance/function of the manifold heat shield in a cars engine bay?

Answer 1

Heat sheild protect other components. The sparkplug wires rubber outer jacket would melt on many engines without the protection of the sheilds. Fuel lines would become hot and could cause heating of the fuel, damage to the lines, vapor problems, damage to the lines from heating and contracting. The sheilds can also protect the manifold from damage due to cold water spraying or splashing onto the hot manifold when driving in the rain or running through a deep puddle of water. Intoducing cold water to a very hot manifold will crack the manifold instantly and it can be a very expensive and troublesome repair. The sheild also can protect the incoming air from heating and reducing the air fuel mixture the a leaner ratio. The colder incoming air is more dense and therefore created more power. Hot air reduces power. The sheilds can also protect other vital componets such as oxygen sensors, coolant tempature sensors, air conditioning componets, even the oil level dipstick and transmission dipstick. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

A few things mainly it acts as a heat sink to give it one more surface of cooling to take the heat away from the manifold. Helps cool your car. Another is that it is much cooler that your actual manifold and cools faster so it helps not heat up the other components in the engine compartment. i.e. wires cables and such. Heat is a big killer in vehicles so the cooler you keep them the longer things last.

Answer 3

It is a heat sink. It helps remove the heat from the engine and all the components nearby. The cooler the engine the better. good luck.

Answer 4

To keep heat away from other engine components and some times away from the intake manifold.

Cooler intake air = more horsepower.