I recently redid/replaced a few things on my car last week. Replaced manifold, downpipe, catalytic convertor, o2 sensors, catback exhaust, spark plugs, horn, think that's it. While driving this week I hit a bump and heard a metallic clang, that sounded too loud to be a screw or bolt (but possibly if it had enough momentum it could have been?) when I hit a bump yesterday.

I immediately guessed that something had fallen from underneath my car from not being tightened/secured on properly by the shop.

Noticed no difference in driving my car whether sound, feel, or any other tangible way. It surely sounded like it came from behind me (sitting in the driver's seat). If something metallic hit the road, unless it was some kind of component that it itself was complex enough to have other moving metallic parts that could have clanged into eachother it should not have made an noise hitting pavement.

am guessing something that was an actual component of some kind had fallen, or more likely some kind of securing object like a screw or bolt or clamp had fallen and banged into the exhaust pipe on the way down.




Any ideas or suggestions of what it may be, what to look for if/when I bring it back to the shop and ask them to put it up on a lift and to take a look and make sure nothing is obviously missing some kind of bolt/screw/piece?



Thank you. It happened in the total dark and of course my flashlight was dead and cell phone died as I walked up and down the length of the road where it happened. I took an ultra conservative start and end position for my walk up and down the road where it happened, looked in the lanes and somewhat in the shoulders. I assume going only 50mph tops, probably less and from the angle it would have fallen and the velocity it would have developed it could not have gone far especially after a material like metal hit something like concrete.

 

I guess have a look at your exhaust system to see if anything is out of place.

The only time that ever happened to me, though, it was a 12 mm combination wrench that fell out of my engine bay.

 

Thanks.

A better question I maybe should be asking is, can anyone think of anything that possibly could have fallen off the bottom of my car that could be seriously important?

I can't imagine anything not being secured by a multitude of screws and lock-in locations on different pieces, or whatever manners of joining one piece to the rest of the car is used. Just wondering what can I seriously do to figure it out, a car is a pretty box complex thing to track down something to see that it's not there.

There is honestly probably nothing really anyone can tell me other than take a damn look, and if you can't see anything, what choice do you have but to drive the car. Just one of those things I'm more or less reaching for answers that cannot be given by anyone and it's kinda something I'll have to take a good look underneath for and cross my fingers over...

Thanks if anyone has any additional input as well. Most likely this thread can be buried.

 

As far as I can think, it could have been a bolt that wasn't tightened all the way or maybe a clip of some sort. Wouldn't hurt if you can jack up the car and slid under and check. I tend to lose a button clip (don't know official name) for fender lining once in a while haha. Just jack up the car, inspect everything, following from bottom of motor down to end of exhaust

 

why didnt u just stop to find out?

 

Are you sure your exhuast didn't just bottom out? How big was the pot hole?

 

Return to shop you had the work done at and ask them to look, there are more then a few things that can fall off the bottom of a car, all are important, some more so then others. 94

 

why didn't you see that i did just that as said in my original post? heheh. don't worry about it. we all have brain farts.

thanks guys. i guess like i and others have said best to jack it up and just look and see but really don't know what to do other than that and i can't believe if it was something significant that i could see that i wouldn't have seen it when walking up and down the road where it happened and not see it in one of the lanes or shoulders.

take care all!

 

$5 says it was a piece from the exhaust like a hanger broke off! happened to me before.
$10 says it was a tool left in the bay.

 

Sounds to me like a mechanic from that shop lost a 10mm or 12mm wrench haha