you guys are going to love this. i was driving to a dr appt yesterday, when all of the sudden the check engine light comes on, and about 2 seconds later the car dies. i pull it into some ladies driveway, try to start it and it just cranks. could smell gas, so im pretty sure it isnt a fuel problem. i tried to check the codes and all it gives me is 12. i tried starting it quite a bit, and for the most part it just cranks but 2 or 3 times it sounded like it wanted to start, sounded like it normally does starting for maybe a second, then died. well the 3rd time it did that, it backfired, and blew my flowmaster 80 series muffler apart! one just gaping rip in it and a smaller hole maybe an inch around. now i've never had any sort of trouble with the engine backfiring, or ignition trouble before. i checked most of the wires, and none of them showed any spark. i believe my motor runs about 9.8:1 compression based on what the previous owner told me, anyone heard of a motor just blowing the muffler while being cranked? how do i go about diagnosing the ignition and pinpointing the problem? thanks a lot,
Shaun

 

I'm gonna guess that you dont' have a catalytic converter... or if you do, it is stronger than the muffler was.

While you were cranking the injectors were pumping fuel into the motor. There was no spark, so it didn't burn and just passed through then collected in your exhaust. When it did finally spark, the fuel in your exhaust caught fire. The weakest point in the system gave.

 

My father had that happen, it turned out that the timing chain had worn and jumped a few teeth, He blew both mufflers completely off of a new system. Pretty funny stuff.
I am not saying that is your problem but this is one thing that will cause this problem. Just one mans experience, Larry.

 

It could be a number of things. My car every now and then stumbles when it runs hot and somtimes tries to die but when I do kill the motor and the motor and starter are already heat soaked it struggles to start at times.

Well about your exploding problem. You pretty much summed it up. After you cranked for a while your motor is spinning throwing unspent fuel through the exhaust system then finally when it gets close to turning over and getting spark on a few cylinders but not enough to start the fuel through out your exhaust system ignites and guess where in your exhaust system the most air is available and muffled at the same point and time.

Same thing happens when you have NOS and accidently for get to turn the switch off while flloring the motor and cranking except somtimes the explosion is the intake...Dont ask how I know that one...

 

your car is just telling you that it dosent want to be chocked by th e muffler anymore... its your cars nice way of saying get rid of it.

 

lol!!!

 

what is causing the motor to do this though, i am having problems right now that my motor wouls seem like it was missing when it got warmed up, then i put new wires and plugs on it and now it wont start and the muffler backfires, does anyone know the cause of this, maybe out of time or something like that. i need help with this because my car is all i have right now and i have to go back to school next week. any help would be appreciated

 

Hey Iroc 3030 you need to start your own thread If you have a problem.
Sounds like you crossed your spark plug wires....

 

i thought maybe these threads would help me so my bad and i have had them checked by a mechanic and they are not crossed so i dont really know whats wrong i guess