Info on the car: all stock 91 NA 73k original engine

Well I just came back from a 30 minute spirited drive. I drove the car easy the last mile home and pulled into my garage. After turning off the engine I heard popping sounds under the car that continued for a few minutes. I never noticed this after driving the car hard before. The sound appeared to be coming from under the seats and I assumed it was the catalytic converter. I remember hearing this popping sounds on my parents mazda mpv but I have never heard them on my car before. I sometimes hear them on other piston cars and was told that it was detonation or some other word similar to that of left over fuel. Is that true?

Are these signs of the cat starting to burn out?
By the way I did look under the car to see if the cat was glowing and it wasnt.

Sorry for the long post. Any help is greatly appreciated. This gives me a reason to look into an exhaust system... maybe the true duals of a catback system with a bonez high flo.

Sorry about the long post.

 

the poping / clicking sounds are just the exaust system cooling down and contracting.... i wouldnt think it would be anything to worry about

 

sounds logical but how do you explain that I have never heard it before? Maybe i was just paying extra attention today.

Can anybody confirm this or have any other ideas about what this may be?
Thanks for the quick reply vectorminds

 

If the popping sounds are sounding like metal "pings" (such as if you flicked your finger against the exhaust pipe), then yes it does just sound like it's the heated metal contracting as it cools down, as vectormind stated.

 

I agree, my header does the same only it's very loud, "ponnnggg" and that's just after a normal drive through town.

 

thanks all! just needed some reassurance

 

Is it glowing?

 

 

I've never drove a car that didn't make the popping noise of metal cooling down, after driving.

Symptoms of a bad cat, gain or loss of power.