we were driving on the interstate when a rock or something hit us underneath. The muffler busted open and the truck stalled less then a mile later. My husband said it cant be the muffler causing the problem, but what else could it be? Please help!
2006-10-15 12:04:01 · 10 answers · asked by Moneymaka 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
a damaged muffler can cause your car to stall and run badly.. by reducing the back pressure in your exhaust manifold.. however it is more likely that since the truck will not start that you have damaged the electrical system around the starter motor
2006-10-15 12:09:17 · answer #1 · answered by artistformerlyknownasloader 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I highly doubt the muffler is the cause of the problem. First thing to look for is if the gas line may have been damaged by the debris from the road. Is there gas getting to the engine? Is there spark at the spark plug wires? The muffler does provide back pressure for the engine to run properly but will not cause the engine to stall or not start. It is possible that what ever hit the under neath of the vehicle also hit some wires and shorted something out. Without looking at the vehicle it is difficult to diagnose exactly what is wrong. Hope these few suggestions will help.
2006-10-15 12:12:50 · answer #2 · answered by str8ball 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It takes approximately 9.5 volts to start a car. If you hear a clicking sound, your battery is not putting out enough voltage. Your radio, headlights, etc., will all work, so you will think that your problem is your starter. NOT SO. Either you have a weak battery which need charging, or the most likely culprit are your battery cables. Most people will look at their cables and if they LOOK clean, and don't see any white corrosion build up on the terminals, they believe the battery terminals are making a good contact. Once again - NOT SO. Those terminals and cables are lead. Lead is a shiny metal. Scrap the top of a battery terminal and it will shine. That darkness on the terminal you scraped off is also present between you battery terminal and cable, and will prevent a good contact. All it needs is to cause a drop in voltage to your starter and you will hear a clicking sound from the starter. Get a good battery terminal and cable cleaner at your auto parts store. The type with the wires inside that will really make those terminals and cables shine. Once you have cleaned them, your battery will put out max voltage. If you still hear the clicking sound, take your battery to an auto parts store and they will check it. It may not be holding a charge or you may have a dead cell. However, DO NOT try and clean your battery terminals with Baking Soda or Coca Cola. I've worked on cars for over 50 years and all that does is clean the OUTSIDE of the terminals - NOT the connection between the cable and terminal. So many people run out and buy a new starter or battery when it is really the connection itself. You say "nothing is corroded" but humor me, get that wire brush terminal cleaner and go at it.
2016-05-22 04:54:49 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's quite possible that what ever hit the underside of your vehicle might have also hit or bounced off of the fuel tank in which case it might have dislodged or broken the fuel pump inside the fuel tank, check to see if you have fuel at the engine by loosing the fuel line by the injector rail or carburator and turning the engine over, be very careful not to let fuel spray around, cover the area that you are working on with a towel or wet cloth. you'll only need to turn the engine over for about 5-10 seconds tops. Good Luck.
2006-10-15 12:15:41 · answer #4 · answered by Panzer 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you hit something big enough to knock your muffler off... chances are something else is damaged. Well... 100% chance something else is damaged... you're driving a ford, it came off the line damaged. Remember that ad campaign back in the 80's... "Q1... quality is job 1"? made me laugh back then and just remembering it now kills me. Good luck getting it fixed!
2006-10-15 12:11:13 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The exhaust system if damaged can in some cases inhibit a car from starting. Check for damage in the fuel tank/pump as well.
2006-10-15 12:17:42 · answer #6 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check for obvious fuel leaks, if not maybe you were hit so hard that you tripped the kill switch that is engineered to shut off the fuel pump pressure in case of an accident. Read your manual to see if there is a way to turn disable the fuel kill switch.
good luck........
2006-10-15 12:25:19 · answer #7 · answered by mailbox1024 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did you check the gas?
2006-10-15 12:08:45 · answer #8 · answered by Jim H 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
ii
2006-10-19 11:47:53 · answer #9 · answered by iamright2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i agree with raypcdr.
2006-10-15 12:15:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋