Your car's exhaust manifold is responsible for directing exhaust gases from your engine toward the rest of the exhaust system, so it's one of the vehicle's most important parts. Most exhaust manifolds will last for as long as the car itself, but the high thermal stress these parts are placed under can cause damage that allows exhaust gases to leak out.
While you can technically keep driving with a leaky exhaust manifold, you should really take your vehicle to a service centre as soon as possible to get the problem fixed. Here are just four important reasons why.
1. Exposure to Fumes
The most serious danger associated with a leaky exhaust manifold is that exhaust gases won't be directed through the vehicle and then safely out the back. Exhaust gases will usually stay in the engine bay if they are allowed to leak from the manifold, but it's possible that they will leak into the car's cabin itself. This can expose you to carbon monoxide and other harmful toxins, which could have lethal results.
2. Reduced Efficiency
You might be tempted to put off fixing or replacing a leaky exhaust manifold simply because you want to spare yourself the expense. However, you could still end up losing money in the long run since a leaky manifold will often result in a sharp drop in fuel efficiency. This occurs because your engine's oxygen sensors will no longer be able to take accurate readings, so more fuel than is needed will often be sent to the engine. As such, your vehicle will be burning more fuel than is actually required.
3. Engine Damage
Exhaust gases are extremely hot when they first leave your engine. When the exhaust manifold isn't drawing all that heat away, it can eventually damage the engine itself. Damage to valves and gaskets can end up causing serious internal issues, and the cost of fixing any internal engine damage will almost always be much higher than the cost of repairing a leaky exhaust manifold.
4. Catalytic Converter Damage
As mentioned above, oxygen sensors often send extra fuel into your engine when exhaust gases are allowed to leak from the exhaust manifold. That can create problems beyond a drop in efficiency — it can also seriously damage your vehicle's catalytic converter. Unburnt fuel will combust as it encounters the high temperatures in a catalytic converter, which causes damage over time and eventually leads to clogs. Since the catalytic converter is another expensive part of your vehicle, you really don't want to damage it.
For more info about auto repair, contact a local company.
