Exhaust System
The exhaust system is one of the most essential parts of a motor vehicle as it fulfills two functions of utmost importance for the proper functioning of the vehicle and the safety of the occupants:
1- To expel the toxic gases produced during combustion from the car.
2- To reduce the noise produced when these are expelled.
The main gas that helps to eliminate is carbon monoxide, which is quite toxic and whose accumulation in the cabin can cause headaches, nausea, fainting, and in the worst case, death.
It may be that at first sight we think that this system starts and ends in the evacuation device that we see outside the car. However, in reality, the system is not only made up of this element, but of a group of parts that we will detail below.
Exhaust system parts
The exhaust system can be divided into two parts: the first one corresponds to the engine and the second one corresponds to the exhaust pipe. In addition, the parts that make up the exhaust system are the following:
- Exhaust valves.
- Exhaust manifold.
- Oxygen sensors.
- Catalytic Converter.
- Muffler.
- Resonator.
- Tailpipe or outlet.
- Duct sections joining parts.
Some typical problems with the exhaust system
- Asphyxiant fumes that can enter the cabin.
- Clogging of the exhaust pipes or in the muffler, which causes misfiring and loss of engine power.
- Breakage of parts of the exhaust system, producing engine vibrations.
- Contaminated catalyst, or the monolith may melt if it comes into contact with unburned fuel.
- External corrosion due to humidity, which reduces the effectiveness of the system.