strange paper/felt matt in engine bay

so i've recently gotten my first jeep, and i've been going over it slowly eliminating leaks and such, and i've recently noticed a strange felt or paper matt at the bottom of the engine bay right near the front. it's pretty badly ripped, and parts are hanging down. it's also got old oil all over it. it's getting in my way trying see what else might be going on down there. anyone have any idea what this is, and if it's safe to remove? i ask because given the shape it's in it's not any too likely there'll be enough of it left when i get it out to put it back. the only real purpose i can see that it might serve it to either keep water from splashing up, or oil or similar from dripping down. i'd love to get it out of the way but don't want to pull it out only to find out it's important and hard to find, then have to go searching for a new one.

thanks guys
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stock 95XJ, 4.0, AW4/231, D30/C8.25

Its a "splash" shield to help keep mud and stuff out of the engine and the oil in, you can remove it if you want. You can find new ones online if you really want to replace it.

Mine doesnt have one and I'm making mine own out of metal for when i play in mud

I tore mine out while replacing my tranny cooler lines. Had wanted to keep it but frustration got the best of me after it dumped road dirt on my face for the last time. It also did more harm than good for me, it held road salt and water against the front of the oil sump until it literally rusted through - I thought my XJ had a rear main seal leak, but no, it's oil leaking out of a rusted through pan.

I have stock front skid plates on both my jeeps now anyways, so I don't really miss the splash shield all that much.

nice. thanks man. it's been driving me nuts trying to see around it.

so now that i've got it out, i can see where all the crap on it seems to come from. the trans cooler lines seem to be absolutely coated in either oil or atf. it's so full of crap i can't tell what color it used to be. it only seems to be on the flex parts of the lines. ahh... yet another leak of some sort. i think i've finally found a new hobby. : )

I replace mine with some rubber floor mat from ace, cut to fit.

kastein said:

I tore mine out while replacing my tranny cooler lines. Had wanted to keep it but frustration got the best of me after it dumped road dirt on my face for the last time. It also did more harm than good for me, it held road salt and water against the front of the oil sump until it literally rusted through - I thought my XJ had a rear main seal leak, but no, it's oil leaking out of a rusted through pan.

I have stock front skid plates on both my jeeps now anyways, so I don't really miss the splash shield all that much.

Click to expand...

Stuff can still go around the back of the front skid though

i like the idea of rubber floor mat. i'm currently considering using PVC shower stall liner i've seen at lowes. need to look up chemical/solvent resistance though. would hate to put it in there only to have it melt in oil or gas and get all over everything.

http://www.coleparmer.com/techinfo/ChemComp.asp should help.

I don't know if it's really an issue...especially for those people that muck around in snow, mud, gravel, and deep (reasonably deep...like over a foot) water. It'll keep your underbelly from getting "splashed" in a puddle and that's about it.

It's a great thing for a newer, un-modified, street only driver but it's still a pain in the arse to work around, once you go off-road or in-mud it's a useless mud collector. I never had one on either rig. PO's always tore them out or they just disintegrated.

How necessary is though? Some have it, some don't. Does not having it effect cooling at all? I'd love to get rid of mine. Just figured it was an important part of keeping the flow of air across the engine bay.

I think you're thinking too much, and that thinking is clouding your thinking.

Just do away with it.

kujito said:

I think you're thinking too much, and that thinking is clouding your thinking.

Just do away with it.

Click to expand...

:huh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Thanks for helping me think about my thinking. Next time i get under there it's gone!