muffler issue?

[lmei007]

My 98 Dodge Neon started generating metal pipe sound from the bottom few weeks ago when it is idle in trafic lights and parking lot. I guess I may need to tight the muffler somewhere to get rid of that noise.

But recently I found twice the car behave strangely in a small hill. And I was a little scared then that was happening. It was like that the exhaust pipe was blocked and then was opened immediately. The car was vibrated like it was stopped and go immediately and a sport car noisy can be heard inside but not so loud. It also happenned few times when I drive on highway but the symptom was much lighter.

At the time that happened, the temperature was not bad (I am in Boston MA) and the car was hot after at least 5 minutes highway travel.

Anybody can tell me the possible reasons? I am afraid that it may stop right in the middle of the hightway one day and then ....

thanks,

[Airjer_]

Sounds like it could possible be the catalytic converter that has broken up and is rattling around and occasional restricting the flow of exhaust which will cause a significant reduction in the vehicles performance.

[lmei007]

thank you Airjer.

Do I need to replace it as soon as possible or I can wait until next summer?

[MagicRat]

I think you should get it checked out. Whether it's the converter or loose baffles in the muffler the situation will not get better and will likely get worse.

If you have a regular mechanic get home to check it out. If you like, let us know what he says before you get any work done.

Avoid a muffler shop which advertises a 'free' inspection. They will ALWAYS say things are very bad and need to be replaced right away......

[Airjer_]

If your vehicle is losing power I would think that that would be something of great concern and would be addressed as soon as possible! Think about the potentials, what if you really need to move to avoid a situation, you hit the throttle and nothing happens!

At least find out what the rattle is. If its the cat broken up than it needs to be dealt with in a timely manner. Theres no sense in having a disabled vehicle in the future for something you knew you could have taken care of in the past!! I didn't see a mileage in your post but you may be surprised at how far chrysler has extended coverage of these on some vehicles. It may be worth a call to a dealer to see what the current emissions warranty is. Ten years is probably pushing it but if there is a possibility of getting it done for free its worth investigating!!

[curtis73]

I don't think its a critical issue. It sounds like the muffler baffles to me or something rattling against the exhaust like the parking brake cable.

Check the cat. If its bad, it should be replaced. If its the muffler, drive it until it annoys you so much that you have to fix it.