Dear Tom and Ray:

I own a five speed, 1989 Acura Legend Coupe. Recently, it's been making a disturbing noise. When I put the car into Reverse, then stop, and put the car into first gear, I hear a terrible grinding noise as I go forward. And more recently, I hear the noise when I start off from a complete stop, even if I haven't just been in Reverse. I took it to the Acura dealership, where they replaced the constant velocity (CV) boots, feeling this would cure the problem. No, it did not. Now I'm afraid that extensive damage is being done to the car. Do you have any idea what the problem could be? Denise

Tom: Well, it's not the CV boots, Denise.

Ray: Such insight. Aren't you glad you wrote to us, Denise?

Tom: Actually, the CV boots were a bad guess. I think you have a loose heat shield, Denise. The heat shield is made up of thin pieces of metal that wrap around the exhaust system to protect things around it from, what? Intense heat!

Ray: And this car has a heat shield that covers just about every inch of the exhaust system.

Tom: And when the exhaust system gets older, some of the welds around the heat sheilds start to break. And under certain conditions, when the engine and drive train are twisted certain ways, the vibrating exhaust pipe can press up against a loose piece of the heat shield and create a growling or roaring noise. And it can be very loud.

Ray: Ask the dealership to check the heat shields. And if any of them are loose, have them re-weld them for you.

Everybody wants a new car. But from a purely financial point of view, there is no question that buying a used car is always cheaper, even in the long run. To learn more, order Tom and Ray's pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1994 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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