I have a 2002 v6 mustang stock exhaust(for now) and everytime i turn off my car there is a popping coming from underneath my car. I looked under there and it sounds like its coming from the cats. Also there is a clear looking liquid that is dripping from what looks like just after the Exhaust Manifold. It usually drips out a nice little puddle but it doesnt stain it just evaporates. So I'm getting a new H-pipe with a gt take off and some flows soon. Is this a big deal or can i just wait until i get my new exhaust to have it checked out?

 

nah dude, it's normal. it's the a/c dripping down, landing on the exhauste pipes, making a psh sound then hittin' tha ground. perfectly normal. if you don't use ur a/c and drive around for a bit, come back and park it, it won't make that sound.

 

yeah just normal
it does that on every car that i have owned and drove

 

I didnt think so but i dont want to take a chance

 

no doubt, that's why we're here!

 

see now i have the same popping noise, sounds like its coming from my cold air intake's cone actually, or even the throttle body..ya know that general region. No fluid, almost sounds as if its pushing air the opposite direction through the cone filter

 

does it do it when ur a/c hasn't been run in a while? "in a while" meaning 20 min or more.

 

mine does it always, sometimes the car jumps a little bit when it happens too..

 

Ok, sounds like people are confused. The popping sound and the water from the a/c are two completely separate independent issues. The water drip has already been cleared up, so we can leave the a/c out of this, I strongly, strongly doubt it has anything to do with the popping sound.

 

Well since this thread is back... my popping noise stopped when they swapped out my exhaust. I dont know if they re-routed everything in a different position, but since i got my new exhaust my popping has stopped

 

hmm, ya got me...

 

I hear EVERY noise my car makes! So, the water is probably condensation off the A/C. My dad's an HVAC tech and my fabricator/mechanic confirmed that's what that noise/wetness is.

Secondly, the popping I heard once was a broken aftermarket cat (situations with bad MAC and PYPES cats). After turning off the car, getting out, and closing the door, the exhaust was already cooling down and settling out. The popping was the inner core of the cat falling back down to the bottom of the cat. It's light enough material that raises and gets blown backward (toward the midpipe) as the car's air/fuel ratio is exerted as exhaust flow. So, the hotter it got, the more malleable the core got, and the more the heat/air allowed the midpipe to cut into the core as it got blown backward toward it.

Never had experience with broken stock cats, but you could inquire at your local Ford dealership. The EPA has a federally mandated emissions warranty/guarantee on stock cats - 8 years/80,000 miles. Ask about it! If you're in the time/mileage frame, be sure they give you new cats for FREE!!!

Gosh I hope that makes sense! Email me if you don't get it. I can take a pic of the broken cat I have in the garage. Best of luck!