2003 XLT V6 "Popping" Noises

[03ExploKRV]

The sound you hear after driving your vehicle for a while and its hot, you shut it off and hear the ticking/popping from the exhaust underneath is what I'm hearing off and on all the time. I had the left side cat changed as it had a pinhole but the tick/pop persists. Could a baffle within the muffler be the culprit? Maybe a heat shield somewhere? I checked the under body but found nothing visibly loose.

 

[R Samuel]

The sound you hear after driving your vehicle for a while and its hot, you shut it off and hear the ticking/popping from the exhaust underneath is what I'm hearing off and on all the time. I had the left side cat changed as it had a pinhole but the tick/pop persists. Could a baffle within the muffler be the culprit? Maybe a heat shield somewhere? I checked the under body but found nothing visibly loose.

On mine it was a heat shield. Definitely annoying, but not problematic, so I left it alone.

 

[TechGuru]

That's normal for any car. Brand new ones do it.

 

[03Explo20]

I thought heat shield myself but can't find anything loose under the truck. My mechanic said something about the transfer case being the culprit but where would I even begin on that?