When I got my first car twenty years ago, I was clueless when it came to maintaining it and keeping it in a roadworthy condition. As a result, I had to pay for costly repairs that could have been avoided if the car had been looked after better. I learned my lesson and started reading everything I could about basic car maintenance. I started this blog to share what I've learned in the hopes it will save other new drivers making costly mistakes. I blog about a variety of topics, such as troubleshooting uneven tyre wear, the benefits of regular servicing and maintaining your car during the winter months. I hope you find my blog useful.
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Getting To Grips With Essential Car Maintenance
Signs of an Exhaust Leak in Your Vehicle
Reginald Fox
For your car to continue functioning optimally, you need to maintain every part of it. Part of maintenance is knowing some of the signals that a given part, such as the exhaust system, has developed a problem. The location of the exhaust at the underside of your vehicle increases its susceptibility to wear and tear. Problems with exhaust systems are often overlooked, which is a bad idea because a faulty exhaust system can lead to the accumulation of toxic chemicals in the fumes, leading to harmful emissions. Besides, since the exhaust system directs the exhaust fumes out of your engine, a faulty exhaust system can also affect your engine. For this reason, you need to know some of the car exhaust system problems as well as their signs so you can be sure to take the car in for exhaust repairs. One of the major exhaust problems is leakage. Read on to find out how you can detect a leakage in your exhaust system.
Unusual Sounds
This is one of the most common signs that you have a leaking exhaust system. You may hear sudden tapping or ticking sounds that are loudest when you start the engine but lessen as your vehicle warms up. Such sounds will be louder if the leak is near your engine and in most cases this sign will be prominent when accelerating. Sometimes you can hear hissing sounds if the leak is somewhere far from the catalytic converter.
Decreased Fuel Efficiency
Have you noticed an increase in fuel consumption of your vehicle lately? The culprit could be the leaking exhaust system. This is because if there is a leak somewhere in your exhaust system, it can throw off the sensors that read the incoming as well as the outgoing oxygen, and this is compensated by burning excess fuel.
Hard Acceleration
Another sign of a leaking exhaust system is hard acceleration. When you are accelerating and you realise that your accelerator vibrates each time you do that, you likely have a leak in your exhaust system. These vibrations occur as the exhaust fumes escape or leak out at high velocities. The vibrations will differ with the size of the leak with bigger leaks being able to cause vibrations that can be felt through the floorboard, the steering wheel or even throughout the entire car!
Smell
You are not supposed to have any unusual smell because the exhaust system is designed to expel out the exhaust gases. A smell is usually an indicator of a dangerous or big leak so if you can smell the exhaust from inside your car, then you have a serious leakage problem with your exhaust system.
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