cAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS IS WORTH THE CASH IT MIGHT COST?
THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BROKE & A PIECE TRAVELED TO THE ENGINE.
NOW CYLINDERS 1 & 3 ARE NOT FIRING.
CAN THIS BE FIXED?
I OWN A 2002 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO FIX 2 NON-FIRING CYLINDERS?
A good mechanic can quickly find out if it is your injectors, spark plugs, coils, or wires. We cannot really diagnose this over the internet unless you tell us a lot more. How many miles on the vehicle and when were the spark plugs last changed?
If you can tell me how much money I have in my pocket I’ll tell you how much your repair will cost.
That statement really needs to be explained.
I think most junk explorers on CL have bad trans. Maybe 60%? The rest have bad motors. Adjacent cylinders? Head gasket?
Cylinders 1&3 are not adjacent on Ford V6 and V8 engines.
The direction of flow from the cat is only one way, out the tailpipe through the muffler. Away from the engine in other words. So it is hard to understand how a piece of the cat could break off and make it’s way to the engine. I presume maybe what actually happened is the cat internals fractured or disintegrated – which is possible – and plugged up the exhaust system, maybe at the muffler. That could definitely cause big symptoms, including a misfire. If so, the problem isn’t with the engine. Misfire codes for this are a red herring. It’s the exhaust system needs fixing. Replacing a cat on an Explorer? hmm … I’m guessing around $1000 parts and labor.
I don’t know what is wrong with your car but do NOT let the person who told you that a piece of your converter broke your engine anywhere near your car.
You need it towed to a reputable repair shop for diagnosis.
I think Rod_Knox can repair his car himself.
This is a know problem with Nissan. The catalytic converter is located close to the cylinder head and the VVT exhaust cam timing is set to emulate the EGR operation. When the catalytic converter begins to disintegrate, converter particles enter the cylinders and damage the cylinder walls.
This vehicle has conventional exhaust manifolds, it is doubtful converter material has damaged the cylinders. A better explanation is needed.
I don’t think an Explorer SportTrac is sophisticated enough to have VVT 
Is it possible the part is something else and you just made a mistake calling it the cat?
When a car owner is totally unfamiliar with the basics of the internal combustion engine it is not worthwhile for service providers to educate them and then explain the situation to their satisfaction. At this point the OP cannot post whether the “missfire” situation compression, fuel or spark related but they need help. What are the chances ms.b_blessed could post whether the problem is spark, fuel or compression?
The fall back answer remains, car owners must find an honest and reliable mechanic that they feel comfortable dealing with relative to their knowledge. At this point my best suggestion is to search out an independent shop that looks promising and take the SUV there for a second opinion. Good luck.