Under Car Protection

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mbunting
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Under Car Protection

Post by mbunting »

While working on my spheres a few weeks ago, I discovered what looks to be a mounting point for some kind of under-engine tray.
Having ( until recently ) had a Merc A-Class ( which had a tray all the way underneath the car, protecting the car from the elements ), I'm thinking about protecting the underneath of the car from the elements ( particularly the engine bay, and the rear height corrector ).
Am I missing an under-engine tray, or is the mounting point there for fun ? I'll publish by design for the height corrector protector once i've completed it ( in about a year <g> ).
Mat.
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Post by JohnD »

Hi Mat - Yes! my Xantia (2.1TD)has a tray bolted to the underside of the engine bay, and I have been tempted to leave it off when I've had it removed. It has a small trap door in it to give access to the sump drain plug, however the initial spurt of oil invariably hits the top side of the tray, making one hell of a mess. Having completed an oil and filter change, I like to spray and clean down the engine. With the tray in place, that becomes difficult. Checking gearbox oil level is also impossible with the tray attached. The captive nuts to hold the bolts are only stapled in place, break away from their fixing. All in all, you're probably better off without a tray.
mbunting
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Post by mbunting »

I thought so, thanks for confirming.
Rather than get a replacement, I might take your comments on board and see how many bars of gold bullion it would cost me to hack up a new design <g>..
The under-trays protect the engine bay to a certain degree, but also help with the aerodynamics ( As seen in many new cars, including the A-Class and Astra Eco 4 ).
hardmanm
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Post by hardmanm »

I too have a 2.1TD, and recently left the under-engine tray off for a week or two. The trouble is there is a lot more engine noise with the tray out, presumably noise reflecting off the road and back up. So my advice is to leave it fitted.
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Post by NiSk »

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I too have a 2.1TD, and recently left the under-engine tray off for a week or two. The trouble is there is a lot more engine noise with the tray out, presumably noise reflecting off the road and back up. So my advice is to leave it fitted.

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NiSk
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Post by NiSk »

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
I too have a 2.1TD, and recently left the under-engine tray off for a week or two. The trouble is there is a lot more engine noise with the tray out, presumably noise
reflecting off the road and back up. So my advice is to leave it fitted.

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Ops! clicked the reply button too soon!
Yes the undertray is fitted to diesels in order to reduce the engine noise (applies to ZX, Xantia, XM etc). I expect i improves the aerodynamics somewhat as well and it definitely reduces the amount of gravel which gets lodged in the subframe! However, since its only made of plastisized fibreboard, it won't help you if you go rock climbing!
//NiSK

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henrysheil
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Post by henrysheil »

Plasticised fibreboard sounds like a nice fire hazard once it's got some oil onto it.
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