How Does a Car's Exhaust System Work?

Engine Manifold

A car's exhaust system, which is responsible for transporting the burned exhaust gases exiting a car's engine and dumping them into the outside air, attaches directly to the engine exhaust manifold, which is bolted directly to the side of a car's engine. The exhaust manifold is nothing more than a hollow, steel catch basin for burned engine exhaust. The exhaust manifold is the very beginning of a car's exhaust system.

Exhaust Gases

The main jobs of a car's exhaust system is to funnel burned exhaust gases exiting a car's engine and transport it, via a long metal or aluminum pipe that runs the underside length of a car (the main exhaust system), to the far end of the exhaust system, which is the tail pipe. The tail pipe is a small piece of exhaust pipe that normally juts out from the rear or side of a car and is positioned in such a way as to dump the exhaust gases away from the main vehicle body. The tail pipe is the end point of a car's exhaust system.

Muffler

A car's exhaust system houses a very important vehicle component: the muffler. The muffler is responsible for containing and mitigating the sounds of traveling exhaust gases as they are reignited and burned further by the super-heated muffler. The main exhaust pipe runs directly inside the muffler. A faulty muffler results in a very noisy-sounding car.

Catalytic Converter

In addition to a car's muffler, a vehicle exhaust system also houses the catalytic converter, which is a very important emissions device designed to burn, or reignite, any leftover unburned exhaust gases that leave a car's engine. A catalytic converter looks almost identical to a muffler, and it's located within a few feet of the muffler. The main exhaust pipe of a car's exhaust system runs directly inside the catalytic converter. A faulty catalytic converter can result in a poor vehicle performance, increased emissions and a failing grade on a vehicle emissions test.