Wondering What Does An Exhaust System Do?

Do you want to improve the power and performance of your vehicle? If so, you may want to consider an inspection of your exhaust system and muffler. To do its intended job, the components of the exhaust system must work in harmony to funnel gases from the engine’s combustion chamber out the back end of the car. If anyone or more of those components aren’t working properly, the whole system will be affected and will run less efficiently.

So what does an exhaust system do? It serves two main purposes:

• Noise reduction.
• Funnel the exhaust out and away from the vehicle so it doesn’t enter the passenger compartment.

Here is a list of the most important components of the exhaust system:

• Exhaust pipe — The exhaust pipe runs the length of the vehicle and is connected to all of the exhaust system’s components.
• Exhaust manifold — The engine’s cylinders funnel the fuel-air mixture from the combustion chamber into the exhaust manifold. Its basic job is to collect the gas from the cylinder heads and distribute it to the exhaust pipe.
• Oxygen sensor — Located in the exhaust pipe or manifold, its job is to measure the ratio of oxygen to the exhaust gases and alert the car’s computer if the emission levels are too high.
• Catalytic converter — This is an emissions control system that’s responsible for converting toxic fuel emissions into less toxic pollutants.
• Resonator — The remaining exhaust gases travel to an internal pipe or a resonator, which operate like a mini-muffler, eliminating a lot of the noise by rejecting sound waves and canceling each other out.
• Muffler — The muffler also works to eliminate noise by redirecting the airflow through porous pipes, allowing the exhaust gases to expand into the sound deadening material.
• Tailpipe — This is where the exhaust gases exit the vehicle into the air and are often the only visible part of the exhaust system.

If you need help in understanding what does an exhaust system do, contact our ASE Certified technicians at theWrench, Ltd. Car Care Center today at (360) 692-1414 for more information about exhaust systems and mufflers and to schedule an appointment. Our auto shop proudly serves residents in Silverdale, WA, and the surrounding area.