I was driving and heard a pretty loud pop at the back of the car. What is that?

Question

I left the house to go to the mall, and while on the highway I was going sort of fast. A couple of minutes later while going fast, I heard a loud pop at the back of the car. Scared the hell out of me so I pulled over thinking a tire popped or something but they were fine. What was that pop? Is it ok?

nothing else happened after that one pop. Do I really need a new exhaust syste/catalytic converter? What's a weasel.

Answer 1

i own a repair shop,and i,ll try and answer this without writing a book on it,i think you may have had a gas build up in the exhaust system on it,this probably what made it pop,or back fire,it may never do it again,but no you don't need a new exhaust system i have been doing this for 36 yrs,,and i have never replaced an exhaust system ,because of one back fire it just did it,,my personal truck did it once on me,and it don't hurt anything,bad gas can cause it to do this,, dont worry about it,,it should be fine,,just drive it,good luck i hope this help,s

Answer 2

Back-fire or backfire is an explosion of a car's exhaust, which creates a loud noise and which can sometimes even result in the emission of flames from the vehicle's tailpipe. The term was derived from experiences with early unreliable guns which could literally blow up in a shooter's face. From this came the use of the word "backfire", as a verb to indicate something that produces an unexpected, undesired result.

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Explanation
There are two types of backfire. One is an explosion in the engine's exhaust manifold or exhaust system, and the other is an explosion in the engine's intake manifold.

Backfire in an automobile engine typically results from various malfunctions related to the air to fuel ratio. Usually, backfiring occurs in carbureted engines that are running lean where the air fuel mixture has insufficient fuel. ("Running lean" is typically a sign of mal-adjusted carburetors or fuel injection where there is not enough fuel for the amount of air). Afterfire, however, occurs in engines that have an exhaust leak or unburnt fuel in a decatted exhaust system. When a driver shifts up and lets off the gas, the engine has a moment of running rich or with insufficient oxygen. This causes an incomplete burn which causes the fumes to explode in the exhaust system. The leak itself is the most dangerous aspect. Without it, the mixture would cool enough not to explode. A fuel injected engine may backfire if an intake leak is present (causing the engine to run rich), or a fuel injection component such as an air-flow sensor is defective.

Common causes of backfires are:

Timing – If car is distributor-less
Timing – If a two stroke engine is backfiring every other stroke.
Fuel pressure, fuel filter and pump – leaks and corrosion could cause lack of fuel during the fuel injection event.
Bad wiring in ignition – ..if car won't run for more than a few moments.

In older engines, backfiring may be considered normal. Backfire is rare in modern cars with fuel-injection and computer-controlled fuel mixtures.

Common causes of back fires in the intake manifold are bad spark timing, or incorrect (usually lean) fuel ratio.

When starting an engine, timing that is too advanced will fire the spark plug before the intake valve is closed. The flame front will travel back in to the intake manifold, igniting all of that air and fuel as well. The resulting explosion then travels out of the carburetor and air cleaner. A common air filter will allow the gases to escape, but will block the flame front. On many small marine engines, no air filter is used, but a screen is placed over the intake of the carburetor as a flame arrestor to prevent these flames from escaping the intake, and potentially igniting fuel, or fuel vapors in the enclosed sump or bilge of the boat and causing a fire or explosion. Improperly adjusted carburetors that create a lean condition during acceleration can cause the air fuel mixture to burn so slowly, that combustion is still taking place during the exhaust stroke, and even when the intake valve opens. The flame front can then travel up the intake and cause a backfire.

In drag racing, backfires in the intake usually result in the complete destruction of the intake manifold, the carburetors, blower, and sometimes engine.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back-fire"

Answer 3

It's probably a backfire from your car. It's harmless,but you might need some new exhaust

Answer 4

You probally had a rock hit your windshield, thats the sound that makes.

Answer 5

it was probly your exhaust..they backfire

you may need a new exhaust system/Catalytic converter

Answer 6

It must have been a weasel, they pop a lot.

Answer 7

sounds like it backfired...probably need to get a tuneup