There are many things the common person doesn’t understand about the mechanics of an automobile. Most people aren’t interested, but it can’t hurt to learn since investing in a car is something most of us will do at some point. In this guide I’ll discuss how an exhaust system functions and things you should know about an exhaust system.

When it comes to keeping your car safe, keeping your exhaust system sealed up is extremely important. To help maintain a safe exhaust system, I always recommend searching for holes in the exhaust. If there are holes, this means that dangerous fumes are entering your car, which you and your family are breathing in. If you do notice any holes, this problem should be handled immediately.

An exhaust system is made up of five different parts which all have different duties. In this article I’ll cover these five parts; the exhaust manifold, the exhaust pipe, an oxygen sensor, a catalytic converter and the muffler.

First let’s start with the exhaust manifold. This part is the part that releases the gas through one pipe, which is attached to the cylinder head. This is also known to be the place where emissions take place. The manifold is usually made from cast iron.

The oxygen sensor is responsible for dealing with oxygen levels. Through a computer system, the sensor evaluates the air/fuel ratio, specifically looking for the oxygen levels in this ratio. Once this system evaluates the oxygen levels, it can now determine how to keep the fuel economy levels as efficient as possible. You’ll find the sensor either by the pipe or in the exhaust manifold.

The catalytic converter takes carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons and converts them to other chemicals. Those chemicals are converted to carbon dioxide and water all taking place in between the muffler and the manifold. It’s common to see a catalytic converter made with a honey comb filtration system.

The muffler handles noise pollution. Without a muffler cars would be extremely loud and would probably violate variances throughout the states. The muffler handles the noise coming from the exhaust and softens the noise by dissipating the energy from the noise.

The last part of the exhaust system is the exhaust pipe. It’s often made from steel products, like stainless steel or even aluminum steel tubing. The exhaust pipe runs from the tail pipe through all the parts mentioned above.

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