Q: Car exhaust shake

The exhaust shaking may be related to many things such as loose mounting bolts or potentially a clogged catalytic converter. The popping and cutting out suggests potentially a lean fuel condition which means the car is starving for fuel which can affect the timing of the combustion process and many other things.

The catalytic converter is your car’s recycling system for exhaust gases. This takes the unburnt fuel and converts it into a less harmful toxin prior to being expelled into the atmosphere. When this is clogged (think of a backed up sink that wont drain), this can cause the car to not release the exhaust gases as it is designed which can cause those exhaust gases to back up into the motor which causes the car to run very poorly or in some cases not at all. I recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose the exhaust system to pinpoint the proper repair.