Are Engine Splash Guards Really Needed?

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I would say that they are really needed. I ran without the small panel on my Celica that covered the bottom of the oil pan area (for the same reason you mentioned, it made oil changes quicker). After two changes, I noticed rust forming on my oil pan bolts and that everything under there had become salty. I waited until I had driven a few times in the rain to wash everything clean and then reinstalled the panel.

On my Rx7, the panel is needed to force air to go through the radiator. Without it, the car overheats at speed as the air can hit the radiator and flow underneath it. Obviously this isn't a common situation, but it's another reason to keep it if it covers the bottom of the rad area.
 
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke
The previous owner was probably never even told that the service people removed it and threw it away.

I would have been mad if some shop had thrown mine away without telling me.
If that's what happened and I discovered it soon enough, the shop would be buying a replacement.

Back to the reasons for them, they also provide noise reduction. These things cost the automaker money so you can be sure they ain't putting them on "just because".
 
Does anyone know whether much older cars, pre-1950 or so, had something roughly similar? They likely would've been steel, not plastic back then. I ask because I recall my father questioning whether something was missing when he could see the ground under our then-new 50's car by looking down beside the engine.
 
Our cheapie little base model 2015 Nissan Versa 1.6 sedan has no shielding under or over the engine and wow what a mess rust belt winters do to the engine bay.

I shouldn't say NO covers given the front right fender liner has a section that protects the serpentine belt.

The engine gets blasted pretty badly on my 2017 Ram 1500 w/ pentastar as well. You can about stand on the ground between the radiator and engine bay there's so much room in there.
 
I hate those things but the fo serve a purpose in sloppy weather. They are fairly cheap on EBay Amazon though many say they aren't as thick / strong. Those things don't like being taken off and on so cut that oil filter hole.
We had one on a Sonata 5 years as well as daughters Elantra they never put one in 🤬( gee thanks Hyundai). Dropping the pan with no lift is a pita. The hole for the filter never let enough slop up to mention.
Only thing with those pans is , ice banks , ice chunks (from trucks) and Interstate 🊠. Any of those will make a meal out of those pans. That's probably what happened to yours earlier.
 
I ordered them today. I was glad to find out from a Prius forum that these 2 pieces don't cover the oil and filter, so I'll be able to do my OCI without taking them off. They're kind of like a wind deflector and I shouldn't have any trouble keeping them on. We don't get ice chunks here in East Tennessee and I don't drive too many miles.
I get wonderful gas mileage with the car [about 50 MPGs average] as is but I think these will make the car drive a little bit better by possibly making less wind noise and slightly better MPGs.
 
Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by Mr_Luke
The previous owner was probably never even told that the service people removed it and threw it away.

I would have been mad if some shop had thrown mine away without telling me.
If that's what happened and I discovered it soon enough, the shop would be buying a replacement.

Back to the reasons for them, they also provide noise reduction. These things cost the automaker money so you can be sure they ain't putting them on "just because".


I figure they must provide some benefit. My '08 Outback is the "base" model and only came with two small, partial covers while all the other trim levels had a full tray. The full cover fits the base model and only required two spacer pieces at the forward mount points.
 
Definitely replace them! I bought my Cadillac CTS used and the shield was missing. Drove for a few years with no problems but then my PS hose caught a stone. Not a difficult job but messy.

Check AAP website for aftermarket shields. Mine was less than half the price of everywhere else.
 
I don't know how much of a purpose the ones on the very bottom of vehicle serve, but I can tell you the ones on the inside of the wheel wells definitely serve a purpose. The one in my passenger side front wheel well was coming off on my '04 Corolla, so I just removed it. Shortly after that I noticed I was getting a battery light on my dash while driving in the rain. Come to find out the front tire was splashing water on the serpentine belt pully and the belt was actually hydroplaning on the pully, causing the belt to slip, which was causing the battery light to come on. I reinstalled the panel and the light never came on again...
 
Hey OP - let us know if you can tell or see a mpg difference!

We've had two s60s recently, one with, and one without. The one with the pan was in general a quieter car, and the engine bay stayed cleaner.

-m
 
Yes.

With all the measures for cutting costs down to absolute necessity, why would the manufacturer waste money on an unnecessary part?
 
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