Thursday, October 31, 2013
What Causes Water to Get Into the Exhaust System
The Combustion Engine
A natural byproduct of a combustion engine is water. It is expelled with the exhaust gases. Fuel is mixed with air and then forced into the cylinders. Once the mix is inside the cylinder, a small explosion occurs before the exhaust camshaft opens and the exhaust is released into the manifold. Because of the intense heat of the combustion engine, the water is vaporized.
The Catalytic Converter
All vehicles since 1980 have catalytic converters. The catalysts convert the unspent fuel into spent fuel before being expelled past the component downstream. Older converters were called two-way converters because they turned carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons into water vapor. Not only is water vapor present in the exhaust system coming directly from the engine, but the converter also produces more by chemically altering the hydrocarbons. Nowadays, vehicles employ a three-way catalyst which also reduces harmful nitrogen oxides.
Preventative Maintenance
Depending on your geographical region and driving habits, its not unlikely for the exhaust system to rust and corrode from the inside out. If you live in a place that has severe winter weather and uses sand and salt on the winter roadways, your exhaust may deteriorate on the outside as well as the inside.
Short commutes are a major cause of internal water corrosion of the exhaust system. The water vapors do not have the chance to expel from the system and turn back into water once the vehicle is shut off. When there is no back pressure forcing the water vapors out of the system, the vapors coat the interior of the exhaust components and then form puddles on the bottom. Many mufflers employ a manufactured seep hole in order to allow the water to drain from the muffler. But the pipes and converter do not drain.
If you take short trips, try to run your vehicle for at least 15 minutes to allow the water vapors to purge from the exhaust system.
Car owners in regions with severe weather should wash the undercarriage of their vehicles once a week during these seasons to clean off the sand and salt. Even stainless steel exhaust systems will be compromised in these areas, although they will last significantly longer than aluminized steel systems.
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