If you are driving your car, truck, or utility vehicle when the engine is overheating, you could crack the exhaust manifold. As an aside, you could also crack the head gasket and the engine block. In this blog post, we are going to talk about the cracked exhaust manifold and what you should look for in your automobile. In other words, if you are having one or more of the following problems, you may have a cracked exhaust manifold.
Poor Performance
One thing that generally happens when the manifold cracks is the engine’s performance starts to suffer. This is because rather than drawing the exhaust out of the combustion chamber, the leaking exhaust fills the engine and enters back into the combustion chamber. Consequently, the engine has a hard time producing combustion, i.e., power.
Poor Fuel Economy
You probably already know this but any time your engine performs poorly it uses more gasoline or diesel fuel. This seems strange because you think it would use less fuel, but it doesn’t. Consequently, the leaking exhaust manifold is going to have an effect on your fuel economy. You will notice that the miles that you get per each gallon are lower.
Popping or Tapping
Another sign that your exhaust manifold has a leak is a popping or tapping sound coming from the engine. It is easiest to hear this noise when you first start the engine. The reason why is that the manifold is cold, and, as such, it has not expanded and sealed any leaks. In some cases, you may also hear a squealing noise in the engine.
Strong Burning Odors
Your nose can also help you determine whether your automobile has an exhaust manifold leak. The engine will get too hot and you will smell strong burning odors coming from it because the exhaust eats up the engine. This includes all engine parts.
Strong Exhaust Odors
You may also have a serious problem of exhaust making its way into the passenger cabin. This can happen when the engine is full of exhaust and the exhaust is picked up by the ventilation system. Stop driving your automobile if you can smell exhaust.
Check Engine Warning
Finally, you may end up with an illuminated check engine light on the dashboard if the exhaust manifold is leaking. As you have learned, your vehicle will experience a lot of problems when the exhaust fills the engine. Consequently, the engine control module will turn on the check engine light.
We are here to help, so call us today to set up a service visit for your automobile.
