Your car’s exhaust system is a critical piece of the entire combustion process. If it isn’t working properly, you’re going to have a variety of issues. Here’s what Viking Automotive wants you to know and to recognize about exhaust system problems.
You’re Hearing a Lot More Noise
The exhaust system serves a few different purposes, and one of them that isn’t insignificant is reducing the noise of your car’s engine. If your car seems a lot louder than usual, you’re probably not imagining this. It’s possible that the big problem is with your car’s muffler, but problems elsewhere in the exhaust system can cause increased engine noise, too.
You’ve Got Bad Gas Mileage
Are you noticing worse than usual gas mileage? If so, you might have an exhaust problem, among other issues. The reason this happens is that your car’s exhaust system works to remove fumes from combustion from the engine. If it isn’t doing that fast enough or well enough, those fumes are sitting in the engine, fouling the fuel to air mixture. Then your car’s engine is working harder for worse performance, hence the low gas mileage.
You Can Smell Gas or Exhaust Fumes in the Passenger Cabin
If you ever smell gas or exhaust fumes in the passenger cabin of your car, especially with the windows rolled up, you’ve got an exhaust system issue. This can be extremely dangerous, because carbon monoxide and other harmful gases are a byproduct of the combustion process. The exhaust system converts those fumes to less harmful versions and funnels them out of the engine and keeps them away from the passenger area. Unless the exhaust system has a problem, that is.
The Check Engine Light Is Lit Up
Your car’s check engine light can show up for a variety of different reasons, one of which being that your car’s exhaust system is not functioning properly. If you’re seeing this light, don’t ignore it. It can be a scary light to see, but if you respond to the warning quickly, you’re more than likely looking at a small repair. If you ignore it, whatever is wrong with the exhaust system is going to eventually affect engine performance.
Don’t let your car’s exhaust problems get worse. Contact Viking Automotive in Houston, TX today to set up an appointment. We’ll thoroughly diagnose the problem and let you know what needs to be done to fix the issue.
