2005 s40 lower shield, engine tray

scotpiper · Post by **scotpiper** » 10 Dec 2012, 12:45

I have 2005 s40 t5 awd manual. There is a large tray or shield under the engine in the front of the vehicle. It's about 3.5 feet wide and about 2.5 front to back. It's held on by 7 torx head screws: 3 in the front, 2 on the side and 2 in the back. 4 of the screws are now missing, 3 on the driver's side and the one center-front ( I have since remove the whole thing). I have three questions about this part. What is it called? What is it's function? What are the risks of continuing to drive the car without replacing this part?

warcraftjunkie · Post by **warcraftjunkie** » 10 Dec 2012, 12:58

Not sure of the official name of this part, but it's essentially a splash guard. It's job is to help keep moisture, road debris and dirt in general out of your engine bay. It also helps with proper cooling of your engine bay. You should get the missing screws and put it back in place as soon as feasible. You won't ruin your car immediately by driving without it, but it would lead to earlier failures of components like belts, pulleys, etc without it.