i called the dealer they said the 09 dont have the heat shield cover located near the o2 sensor is it true?

my 09 TCH doesnt have a manifold cover is there really no cover the 09's?

My 08 looks the same. No cover. Are you guys saying their used to be a cover? Which would mean then just the 07's would have had it. If someone has a cover on theirs maybe they could take a picture so we could see it.

Alex Strand- Realtor (Dallas Area)
ERA North Point
(972)984-0204
www.come2dallas.com

I have a 2007 Camry Hybrid (bought June 2006) with a manifold that looks identical to the one in the picture. My 2005 Camry SE 4cyl also looked identical. What you are seeing is the "California emissions" version of the exhaust manifold and catalytic converter. I call it that because that design first came out in California to satisfy their strict emissions standards. We got that in the Camry (4cyl) for Massachusetts starting in 2005 and got a sticker saying "ULEV" (ultra low emissions vehicle). My Camry hybrid has a "PZEV" sticker meaning "Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle". I'm guessing that your state must have just started getting that new design recently.

As far as I know, there has never been an exhaust manifold cover and my 07 looks just like the picture above. If I recall correctly, my 89 Camry looked more or less the same. I don't see a reason to need a cover.

My 97 Ford Ranger also did not have a cover over the manifold.

I saw a 2004 Camry engine (4-cyl) and there was a distinct aluminum heat shield covering the whole manifold (all the way to the engine block). On my hybrid (and my previous 2005 Camry), you can still see the mounts that used to hold that heat shield. Also, the manifold was a simple cast (iron?) that curved continuously down and around the engine. The new design has that cylinder appearance and goes straight down.

I'm not too worried about this design, but I wonder if the engine compartment will be exposed to more heat without the shield. It would be interesting if someone could measure the engine compartment temperature of both designs for comparison...

Andrew,

The new design places the catalytic converter closer to the engine (that cylinder going straight down) to increase the heat in the converter. By doing this the engine will pass the ULEV standards easier than if it was plumbed the old way (converter downstream farther).