Is the lower dust cover needed for any reson other than keeping it clean between the motor and tranny?

I will be cleaning and detailing my chasiss underside on a very regular basis. If were to clean in the converter area will I need to run the dust cover?

Tahnks

 

all it's for is keeping dirt and debris out of the front of the trans

 

mines been off for like a year, no problems and looks clean up there, i never thought of it as a dust shield, i thought of them as heat containers. i figure heats a big problem on 700's and no cover will atleast help keep the converter a little cooler and it shouldnt get to dirty unless you offroad all the time

 

The only thing I would worry about is something flying up and hitting the convertor as I'm going down the road.

 

Or if you're under the car for any reason with the engine running and your hand gets stuck in the flywheel- argh, just thinking about that makes me cringe.

 

You wouldn't have to worry about that for long because that hand is coming off. That would suck.