Engine rattles then stalls

NISHIAN3695

MEMBER
2012 FORD FUSION
2.5L
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
149,000 MILES

Sometimes if I turn my car on and immediately pull out, about a minute or two later the engine makes a horrible rattling noise before power is cut to the car completely. Recently this has started to happen mid-drive as well. Today I cleaned the throttle body and did the relearn procedure, but after about 11 miles of driving the rattling occurred and power was lost. Usually turning off the car and restarting it "solves" the problem, but the car immediately broke down again this time.

Thursday, June 24th, 2021 AT 8:24 AM

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
110,176 POSTS

Hi,

Can you tell where the rattle is coming from? If you hear a rattling sound, I'm questioning if the catalytic converter has come loose internally. If it moves to the right position, it can block airflow and cause this.

First, take a look through this link. It explains the common symptoms of a faulty catalytic converter.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/bad-catalytic-converter-symptoms

Here is what I would like you to do. Take a rubber mallet and tap on the exhaust around the catalytic converter to see if you can reproduce the noise.

I attached a pic of the exhaust system below. I highlighted the catalytic converter.

Let me know what you find and if the check engine light stays on while the engine is running.

Take care,

Joe

Image (Click to make bigger)