Car stalls while driving

2012 NISSAN ALTIMA
100,000 MILES • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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JRAY19
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
The issue started with the radio and A/C cutting off and back on randomly. Now, when I’m driving the car will lose power. It will go about 2 or 3 mph. When pressing the gas, the car won’t accelerate. This may be unrelated, but I have noticed a rattling sound from under the hood when in idle. Currently am afraid to drive the car to an auto parts store to have the battery checked and see if any trouble codes appear. Any advice or suggestions appreciated. Thanks.
Dec 30, 2019 at 11:07 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 110,248 POSTS
Hi,

The idea you lose power and hear a noise under the hood leads me to believe it may be related to a bad catalytic converter. The insides of the converter can come loose and block the exhaust which will cause a big power loss.

Do me a favor. Take a rubber mallet and tap on the exhaust to see if you can reproduce the noise you hear. If you can, have a helper try to determine if it is coming from the converter.

Here are a couple links you may find of interest:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-stalls

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

Let me know what you find. Also, if you have access to a scanner, have the computer scanned to see if there are trouble codes stored in the system.

Take care,
Joe
Dec 31, 2019 at 4:16 PM
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