Components of Your Exhaust System

What are the components of your exhaust system?

The exhaust system in your vehicle is composed of several components. Those components work together to move gasses from the combustion chamber to the rear of your vehicle, releasing them into the atmosphere.

What are the Major Components of an Exhaust System?

Your exhaust system begins with the exhaust manifold. This component receives the gasses from the cylinders. It moves them to the next system component.

The catalytic pipe converter then receives the toxic gasses–like carbon monoxide– from the engine and converts them to water and carbon dioxide. These are considered breathable gases and can be released into the environment. Your yearly smog check is meant to ensure your catalytic converter is working properly and the gasses released to the environment by your vehicle meet the standards set by the state.

Oxygen sensors gauge the level of oxygen in the system and send that information to the powertrain control module, where the information is used to adjust the efficiency of the catalytic converter(s).

The converted carbon dioxide and water then move to the tailpipe which is where the byproducts of the catalytic converter are released into the atmosphere.

The muffler is the part of the exhaust system that reduces the sound of the process to make your vehicle quieter as it moves down the road.

The resonator reduces engine noise and assists with airflow in your engine.

The exhaust system is a complex system that moves the byproducts of combustion through a process of conversion to less toxic components and then expels those converted gasses into the environment. You can see how important it is for all these components to be in good working order, especially when you need to have the smog check performed on your vehicle to keep it street legal in your state.

When your vehicle is due for its smog check, why not call West Automotive Group and make an appointment with their qualified technicians? They’ll be happy to inspect your exhaust system and recommend maintenance and repairs to keep it in top shape.