Car Exhaust Guide

The exhaust system serves three basic purposes: Reducing the level of noise pollution put out by the engine, control the temperature of the exhaust gases caused by combustion and to give these harmful gases somewhere to go. These tasks are accomplished through a fairly simple and straightforward system of interconnected sectional parts: At the head of the system is the exhaust manifold or header. Generally a simple cast iron unit, this part consists of individual primary tubes for each cylinder, which then usually converge into one tube called a collector. The header conducts the collected exhaust emissions from the engine’s combustion chambers to the exhaust pipe. But the fumes go through another couple of parts before reaching the exhaust pipe. Next in line after the header is the catalytic converter, sometimes shorthanded as a “cat” or “catcon”, which serves the purpose of reducing the toxicity of the combustion emissions. The converter achieves this by providing an environment conductive to chemical reactions wherein the exhaust emissions are converted to less toxic substances. Its inside is made up of such metals as aluminum oxide, palladium and platinum; the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions react to these metals by producing water vapor and carbon dioxide. We next come to the resonator, which has a hand in quieting the sounds of the engine rather than in cleaning its exhaust. Most commonly a straight pipe, the resonator is filled with materials that reduce noise by causing sound waves to cancel each other out by bouncing off the sides and colliding. ( Note: In some exhaust systems, the resonator is found after the muffler.) And here we come upon that exhaust pipe mentioned, oh, so long ago. A curving length of pipe, this part serves the simple purpose of guiding the exhaust emissions through to the nest part of the system. This will most commonly be made up of several sections. From the exhaust pipe we come to the muffler, or silencer in British English. Much larger than the resonator, the muffler serves the purpose of eliminating the better part of excessive engine noise. It accomplishes this with a resonating chamber, which is specifically tuned to cause the waves of sound to collide with and eliminate one another on a higher scale than seen with the resonator. If the resonator is placed after the muffler in the exhaust system, the two chambers work together to bounce the sound waves in such a way that they cancel each other out. Some mufflers are filled with such things as metals or fiberglass to absorb the sound. Out of the muffler comes the tailpipe, the most readily visible section of the system when observing from the outside. As the last part in the line, the tailpipe serves to direct the exhaust emissions away from the vehicle. It may also, on newer vehicles, serve a decorative function. Category:Home › Autos • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 2 • You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car • Should a new car be rust-proofed? • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 1 • Five safest cars in North America • How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license • Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car • DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil