Car Exhaust Systems

Each time your car starts up, thousands of microscopic explosions take place inside its engine. These push against pistons to generate power.

But they also create waste gas that contains potentially hazardous chemicals.

Gases from your engine compartment must be routed away and out of your car to prevent poisoning yourself or those nearby. That is what an exhaust system does – it removes those gases from inside your car and sends them outside, where they cannot harm anyone in close proximity.

The Basics

Car exhaust systems are essential in cutting emissions and making your car more fuel-efficient. Not only that, but they can also help to reduce noise – which may be an irritating annoyance to some people – from your vehicle.

The core components of a car’s exhaust system are the muffler, pipes and tailpipe. Each element serves an important purpose and must work in harmony for your vehicle to run optimally.

A muffler is located at the end of an exhaust pipe and works by absorbing noise from the engine by absorbtion. Furthermore, it helps remove harmful chemicals from exhaust fumes.

Exhaust pipes can be constructed from carbon steel, stainless steel or titanium and range in cost, weight and corrosion resistance.

The Materials

Exhaust systems rely on a variety of materials to ensure their long-term durability. All these components must be capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and be easily bent or weldable for installation.

The exhaust system is constructed using cast iron, stainless steel and galvanized steel. While these materials are excellent at preventing corrosion, they will eventually need to be replaced due to wear.

Some high-end exhausts utilize titanium alloy, which offers increased corrosion resistance, strength, and temperature resistance compared to standard stainless steel.

The exhaust system also includes a muffler and resonator, which alter the sound vibrations coming from the engine to create a more rich, satisfying tone. Furthermore, these parts make the system more efficient at scavenging exhaust gases from cylinders which helps improve performance.

The Sound

Your exhaust system is an integral component of your car’s internal workings, responsible for more than just dampening engine noise. It also ensures that gases produced from burning petrol are vented away from inside your passenger cabin and out into the open air.

The exhaust system is composed of intricate parts to withstand extreme temperatures and pressures. This includes keeping the fuel-air mixture inside cylinders heated up to supersonic speeds before being expelled from the engine.

During this process, hot exhaust gasses are forced through the poppet valve at an extreme high pressure and create a loud noise – similar to that made when something breaks.

Engine backfire is a familiar and loud noise typically associated with carbureted engines. It sounds similar to fireworks bursting from the exhaust pipe and can be heard whenever your engine is running.

The Look

Your engine produces thousands of small explosions every minute to generate the energy it needs to drive. But each one also creates gases that must be vented away from the engine compartment.

These gases consist of a variety of potentially hazardous chemicals, such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Exhaust systems work to reduce these hazardous byproducts of combustion by transporting them away from the cabin into the tailpipe where they can be safely contained.

If your exhaust smells like gasoline, it could be due to an issue with either your fuel injectors or air filter. Or it could be related to an O2 sensor malfunction, which tells your car when to adjust fuel amounts put into combustion chambers.

If you can’t identify the source of your vehicle’s issue, it’s time to take it in for service. Exhaust leaks may release carbon monoxide – a hazardous gas which poses severe risks to health – into the atmosphere, making it highly recommended that you get this fixed as soon as possible.