Heat shield question

Greetings!

I would like to know that the catalythic converter's heat shield does?
Upon installing Catman Y-pipe I removed it - all four bolts broke off - and woundering if I should re-intall it (re-move broken bolts and re-thread - a pain in the batt and in whole back, in fact) . I have it off for 3.000 miles already and didn't see any alarming signs. (Well, after about 500 miles after I put the Y-pipe the Check Engine light came on with 5-5 code, "undefined"; I reset it and it's good for now).

Thanks,

Eugene

R U going 2 wrap your pipe? ( with heat wrap ) its the stuff they use on turbos and headers to ceap them nice and cool.
TWISTED MAXIMA:bandit:

I was referring to a metal shield attached to the Cat, which function is unclear to me. As for the wrapping the Y-pipe, never occured to me and the OEM doesn't have it.
Thanks,
Eugene

I dont think it will afect anything under your car. the only heat shield that is importtant is the one over under the car by the spare or gass tank.. as for the heat shield on the cat u dont need it. I have a 97 max with stillen race pipe , random highflow cat,and custom cat back straight pipe. when i got the high flowcat i removed it..ps the heat wrap does help /its ugly but it helps.no make that hiddius.
hope this is of some use to u TWISTED MAXIMA:bandit:

Thanks Twisted Maxima!
Indeed, it's helpful. Would you please elaborate about the heat wrap: what is it, where to get it and how to attach it? What will it do - the Y-pipe gets hot very fast without any insulation?

Thanks again!

Eugene

the heat wrap basicly keaps the pipeing cool.(it does create a little more hp. not much thoe)as far as price that depends on whoe you get it from and wher you get it from .u can probably pick some up att any performance shop or go to pep boys and ask for exauhst heat wrap.dont do the whole exhaust just the front of it/but doing all of it would be good but it would look fugly.
TWISTED MAXIMA:bandit:

Thanks Twisted Maxima! However am I missing something here:
if you wrap your exhaust, it'll keep it hot, not cool. Like inside your computer: there's heatsink on the processor, not wrap. Besides, why it needs to be cold? The exhaust itself is hot and piping will not cool it down.

CALL MY FRIENDS AT ENGINUITY THERE NUMBER IS 1-619-336-1666 THEY CAN GET MORE TECHNICAL THAN ME..im not shure what it does but all i know is that every race car i see at the shows have ther headers and there down pipes wraped in that shit so it must do sumthin...remember the stuf looks groosssss so there obviosly not doin it 4 looks..when you call ask for HAW or LAVEL they are the shittt..

TWISTED MAXIMA:bandit: