And not to forget the shield provides splash protection when driving in rainy conditions or through puddles. I personally would put it back on. Otherwise water splashing from the wheels will really splash very deeply up into the engine bay.

 

Believe the power steering hose is also protected by the shield
Keeps things cleaner as well as the electronics drier

 

+1 on keeping undershield in place. Besides. when you need to troubleshoot a leak, it does help when engine is not splashed all over.

 

Well has anyone found a replacement alternative aside from finding one is junk yards. I am surprised some after company have not thought of making it in the marketplace.

 

Not enough sales volume.

Not that hard to fab yer own. 'Improved', even.

Especially easy if you have an intact one to copy- even if it is damaged or corroded.

Otherwise... thin plywood or fiberboard to make the template(s) to get the freaking mounting holes 'right'. Aluminum or Carbon Fiber for the final. Both can be had as 'honeycomb' material, too.

'Hardware' for mounting can be found. Not uncommon for 'too many' of the original fasteners etc. to have gone missing, or damaged.

 

Just some thoughts;
1. previous post on power steering and trans cooler lines correct; removing shield leaves then over-exposed. And, lots of connectors will be over-exposed to water (i.e., power steering pressure regulator).

2. you can repair it very easy, as it is a thermo-formed plastic. Any reasonably good Plastic Welder kit will bond parts (look at Harbor F.).

3. I created an easy on/easy off port in mine to allow oil and filter changes using the same spring clips as OEM and stainless screws. Easy to cut out and then make tabs using plastic welder. Oil and Filter change is now a 4 screw/one beer job. When I did this I ditched the ridiculous factory soundproofing (couch foam in a bag), plastic welded in some additional structural bars, and then lined engine side with butyl rubber/foil covered soundproofing material (I am pretty sure I described this in a older post). Search Canopus on Amazon.

 

Hard to even IMAGINE WTF they were thinking on that bit of unsane wits-dumb where 'the plan' was to live under the dirty side of a high over-the-road speed motorcar?

Must ha' been the same sadistic design team as did certain bovine udders (Holsteins?) and far too many mammalian ********?

 

As for the "what were they thinking" on any and all the positively hilarious "foam in a bag" used all over the XJ8 (underbody, trunk dead spaces, etc.), I have a theory....

They had a crapload of leftover foam glue from the (inevitably failing) headliner glue and some bright young engineer had the idea to blow it into the flimsiest cellophane reject bags and call it sound deadener

 

DO keep in mind that this is from Blighty... where an earlier "enterprising" soul fed Casein Plastic slugs meant to be imitation Ivory brolly handles - remaindered stock from a failed Bumbershoot maker - into a grinder. Packaged and sold the result as similarly-stinky grated Parmesan Cheese.

It's all about inflating the "price premium", ain't it?.


Were that not rude enough, they've done far the nastier as to recycling odds and sods of other left-overs into pubic savants // public servants - not always all of them commoners, either. Or NOW they are?

I did say "Blighty?" N'er one to miss at the cost-saving opportunity of implementing vast ideas with half-vast means!