Hello: I am a 67 year old woman who drives a 2009 Chevy Cobalt. Today I arrived home from a trip across Houston and saw smoke coming from under my hood. I opened the hood and saw sparks and lots of smoke. I poured my glass of water on it and the sparks stopped, but it kept smoking. I got a bucket of water and douced the fire. After it cooled, I pulled the burnt item out. It was insulation that was drenched in oil and had caught fire. Lucky I was there and saw it. Anyway, I need to know if I need to replace this insulation. It came from over the part that looks like stacked solo cups. Can anyone tell me this part name and if the insulation sleeve is necessary? I have attached a photo. is thiis the exhaust manifold?

 

Glad you were able to prevent a complete loss of the car from fire.

It's hard to tell from the picture, but if my general memory serves me right, there is a brake line and AC line that crosses over in that area. I would say some insulation over it would definitely be needed, but it likely won't need the OEM version.

I'd try to find where the oil came from so it doesn't happen again, and then you could use an aftermarket auto insulation to protect it from heat. Design Engineering Inc (DEI) Heat Shield Products make products that can be wrapped around tubing without having to uninstall the tube.

 

welcome