1997 OBW - Exhaust heat shield attachment method

[Commuter]

The long heat shield in the middle of the car; the one between the exhaust pipe and the floorpan; it attaches to the floorpan - has come loose on my car. One of the long hex nuts that stands the shield off from the floor is missing and I can see what looks like a threaded stud sticking down. Does someone have a good diagram of this connection? Or can explain exactly what it is? Is the stud welded right into the floorpan, or is it a replaceable fastener? I haven't had a chance to crawl underneath yet. What thread size are these parts? Thanks. My Haynes manual doesn't appear to have the correct diagram for a 97.

[mdjdc]

The hex nut to which you refer is screwed into the floorpan. You probably just lost the 10mm bolt that goes into it. Not sure of the pitch , but it is a very common bolt used on tese cars. The same as one of the bolts holding the fender on.

 

Hopw that helps.

[Allpar Mod]

Don't be surprised that the Haynes manual is erroneous. I have found that these manuals are notoriously error filled. They also seem to forget to include important information way too often.

 

Obviously, no aftermarket manual will be the same as a factory shop manual, but these are the worst, in my opinion.

[MilesFox]

should be m6x1.0 thread. take out one of your fender bolts and bring that with you to the hardware store, that will be the correct thread to find a nut for.

[Gloyale]

the hex piece is essentially a long nut with a stud in the end, to space down the pan for Outback models.

[Commuter]

Turns out, they are M8.

 

The 4 long hex fasteners are all the same. They are similar to a coupling nut, but with a threaded male stud sticking out one end and a blind female hole in the other. The 2 in the middle have the male end screwing up into the floor pan. The 2 on the back end have the female end screwing up onto a stud sticking down from the floor pan. :-\ Subaru, what the heck?!

 

Anyway, they all came loose without much trouble. I used some large flat washers to hold the heat shield in place. The one rear stud was ripped off, so I didn't do anything about it. With 5 of the 6 total fasteners back to a solid condition, the shield is no longer rattling and I'm not worried about losing it.