Catalytic converter

I'll take it! Anytime. Inexpensive, permanent, self-help repair.

Good on YOU!

Just returned from my adventure under the MH. Thankfully, I was wrong about the catalytic converter, and you guys were right about the heat shield (kind of).

Turns out it was a heat shield, but NOT on the converter. Actually I found two loose items. The first was a heat shield around the tailpipe where it goes up and over the rear axle. As you all stated, the heat shield had broken welds and was barely hanging on. I started to just remove it, but the tailpipe is very close to the bottom of the storage compartment, so I bought a couple of clamps as suggested and tightened it down. It was hard to get to, but I got it done.

The other loose item was where a tailpipe bracket had come loose (another weld) and it was just hanging there flopping around and making noise. I was also able to secure it with a clamp and now all is well.

Thanks so much for the information, guys. I am usually able to help other people by listing all the problems I have and sharing other people's expertise when fixing it.

My life is hard, but it ain't dull!!!

Crawl under on a Harbor Fright Tarp. Cheap Blue one. Then she can slide you on it, or it on the ground. I slithered under ours to check something and found I don't crawl (on my back..) anywhere near as well feet first as I do head first. Although both are kinda comical. My cousin grabbed me by both ankles and pulled me back out. On gravel. I should have planned ahead with a tarp.

At home, I really like cardboard. I keep a couple large boxes that I've flattened. Home I have a concrete RV pad, and it's amazing how much more comfortable (less uncomfortable actually) the cardboard is than just being on the concrete. I have a mechanic's creeper, but that takes up too much of the limited height under there. And, I find it lets me move when I'm trying to tighten or loosen something, when I need to stay put.

Crawl under with a phone and key "91" into it. Then you'll only have one more "1" to punch.

That's great. If you are ever having a bad day, just think about this picture and realize how much fun your church kids are having "riding the whale".

Thanks for the info about the converter. I am "going under" today to check it out and will let you all know what I discover. If you never hear from me again, it's because I got stuck under there and my wife could not retrieve me.

Dennis, I wanted to be sure you read my whole reply...



Our church's play yard... Broken "spout" made it "unplayable" and it turned out that sourcing a whale, ordering a whale, shipping a whale, finding it's installed with "security" fasteners turned this simple project into one that's run all summer.

I looked under our 2002 and it seems the cat looks like this one


but there were other styles on RockAuto.com where I got this pic. Clamped on the front/inlet end, welded on the rear/outlet end. Other styles have a flange on the inlet. You'd have to match it up, make one, maybe two cuts, and clamp one or both ends.

But I think what you'll find is a loose heat shield.

j-d wrote:
The Ford label in the driver's door frame will have a manufactured date. Yes, the VIN can be decoded with this chart:
Use the 10th character of the 14-place VIN.

I want this info to be able to look a cat up in an online catalog.

7.5 MPG towing in mountains isn't bad.

By Wheezing, I meant the sound at the exit of the tailpipe, not under the coach at the cat.

Beginning to be convinced the noise is a loose heat shield.

I'll take a look under our 2002 E450, but right now it's time for a nap. Just fought and won a battle with a blue whale and I'm bushed.

Wow. Thanks for the information. The 10th digit is 4, which shows a 2004 chassis. I sure hope you are right about the shield being loose. I plan to check it closely this week. So, what's the deal with the blue whale? Sounds interesting.

The Ford label in the driver's door frame will have a manufactured date. Yes, the VIN can be decoded with this chart:
Use the 10th character of the 14-place VIN.

I want this info to be able to look a cat up in an online catalog.

7.5 MPG towing in mountains isn't bad.

By Wheezing, I meant the sound at the exit of the tailpipe, not under the coach at the cat.

Beginning to be convinced the noise is a loose heat shield.

I'll take a look under our 2002 E450, but right now it's time for a nap. Just fought and won a battle with a blue whale and I'm bushed.

j-d wrote:
Go under when it's COLD and see if those heat shields are loose. Good chance they are. If the monolith inside has broken up, it likely would have clogged the outlet and you'd experience a severe loss of power. You might hear more of a wheeze sound in the exhaust instead of a pulse.

What year is your Ford Chassis? A 2004 RV might be on a 2003 chassis. E450, right?

Yes it is the E450. Is there a date code or something I could use to check the chassis year or does the VIN give you that information? Also, the sound is more of a clanging or metallic sound, not a wheezing or pulse sound.

Thanks for the responses. I had not thought about the shield possibly being loose. I will go under there sometime this week when the engine is cold and check everything out. So far I have not seen any loss of power or check engine light coming on, so hopefully it is something simple. I do have terrible gas mileage (about 7.5) but I tow my Honda CRV and travel some in the NE Georgia mountains. Does a bad cat converter cause a loss of gas mileage or would that only show up when it is plugged up pretty badly?

Go under when it's COLD and see if those heat shields are loose. Good chance they are. If the monolith inside has broken up, it likely would have clogged the outlet and you'd experience a severe loss of power. You might hear more of a wheeze sound in the exhaust instead of a pulse.

What year is your Ford Chassis? A 2004 RV might be on a 2003 chassis. E450, right?