October 21, 200520 yr I have a 03 Baja, and it's kind of a pain in the butt to remove that plastic cover to get at the oil filter for oil changes. Can a person get away with removing the whole cover? Has anyone done it? Any ill effects? Thanks in advance for help! Kurt
October 21, 200520 yr There are only 2 reasons why i would see it being a good idea to keep it: 1) offroading, if you don't then you dont' need it 2) Cooling, it might be affected by the removal of the plate, airflow around the engine and what not, take it off and go for a drive, if you dont' notice it any hotter then its a non issue.
October 21, 200520 yr Well, some people believe it plays a part in extraction of hot air from the engine bay. Others who have temperature gauges mounted in the oil passageways have noted BETTER cooling without the shields in place. On trackdays. So, I think its mainly good for keeping salt water and stones off the sump, which is nice in winter.
October 21, 200520 yr also depending on where you live? protection from the elements/debris/salt... why do you hate it so much you can always replace it with a real skid plate (aluminum) Jamie
October 21, 200520 yr I have a 03 Baja, and it's kind of a pain in the butt to remove that plastic cover to get at the oil filter for oil changes. Can a person get away with removing the whole cover? Has anyone done it? Any ill effects? Thanks in advance for help! Kurt I don't consider it to be such a big problem. You remove the three fasteners at the front and slide the door out. Now the one on my 2005 WRX is a REAL pain in the butt - it doesn't have a door, so the whole cover has to be removed.
October 21, 200520 yr Author The problem is that I DID go off roading with it, and now one of the sides is hanging down! But a little JB weld with fix that right up! And your right, its not that big of a deal to take off to get at the filter. But I do like Jamie's idea of an aluminum cover! Kurt
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