About Me

Understanding the Importance of Auto Service: A Guide for Everyone

Auto service is critical, and without it, you can lose your car or put yourself in danger. Hi, my name is Pete, and after ignoring my brakes for too long, I was in an accident. I made it my goal to learn everything I could about the importance of car service. Regardless of how much or how little you know about cars, I hope that these blogs can help you. I plan to focus on a range of topics related to auto service and possibly some other ideas as well. This is my first blog, and I hope that you enjoy it. When I'm not writing, I work in a coffee shop during the day and part-time for a telemarketing company in the evenings. I enjoy cooking and spending time with my family.

Understanding the Importance of Auto Service: A Guide for Everyone

3 Exhaust Components That Require Optimal Maintenance Attention

by Alexandra Obrien

Many people don't often pay attention to their car's exhaust system until they start experiencing problems. Maybe the car does not have enough horsepower, leaves behind a dark cloud of smoke while on the road, produces rattling sounds from the engine or guzzles fuel a bit more than usual. It is important to understand the basics on how the various exhaust components work so that you can troubleshoot exhaust problems with ease.

Here is a primer on 3 vital exhaust components that require continual maintenance attention, and how they work.

Muffler

A muffler is a canister that has internal cylindrical passages, which are designed to keep your car's engine running as silently as it possibly can. Some custom mufflers, however, are tuned to achieve aggressive tones, producing louder sounds as one drives through the city. Hence, the beauty with mufflers is that you can get what meets your needs: You can opt for a whisper-quiet muffler or choose one that makes a little roar.

A louder than usual sound coming from the exhaust pipes is a sure telltale sign of muffler failure. To keep your mufflers working in good shape, periodically inspect it for breakage or wear out.

Catalytic converter

The catalytic converter helps reduce the amount of toxic pollutants that exit  from a car's exhaust. Inside the catalytic converter is a series of plates coated in catalytic metals, which chemically convert exhaust gas into less harmful polluting emissions.

Catalytic converters get worn over time and call for replacement. Since new replacements don't come by cheap, you had better help them last for as long as possible by changing your car's air filters frequently and making sure the fuel system stays clean.

Exhaust manifold

This exhaust system component is bolted to the engine and it initiates the flow of exhaust to other parts of the system. When exhaust gases are leaving your car engine's combustion chambers, they flow out of the engine block through the exhaust manifold. The exhaust manifold also allows exhaust gases to travel from multiple cylinders and directs them to the catalytic converter. With each cylinder burning their own mixture of air and fuel, the exhaust manifold amasses the fuel combusted from each cylinder.

Exhaust manifolds should be checked every now and then to make sure connections are secure and there are no leaks. The presence of a leak in the exhaust manifold will cause exhaust gases to escape, and this is a major health risk to the occupants of a car. If there are large holes in the exhaust manifold, be sure to hear a loud exhaust noise.

For assistance, talk to a car service.

Share