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The cost of repairing or replacing damaged or worn out exhaust components can vary quite a bit but, putting off an exhaust repair will, in some cases, increase the cost. It is important to understand that your exhaust system does much more than just keep your vehicle quiet - it also directs exhaust fumes away from the vehicle's cabin, helps your engine run properly and helps to maintain optimal fuel efficiency while also reducing emissions. At Viper Motorsports in Weatherford, Texas, We provide FREE exhaust system inspections but, if you think you may need exhaust repairs, here are some helpful items to be familiar with :

RUST. Yes, rust and corrosion are the absolute worst enemy of any exhaust system. Whenever water comes in contact with iron in steel, it creates a form of iron oxide called rust. Iron oxides are great things if you need a durable pigment for paint or you want to color your concrete but they are the number one enemy of exhaust systems. Water vapor is a by-product of combustion and your vehicle's catalytic converter and of course, it is also very prevalent in rain. When you take a quick trip to the corner store in your car and then come back home and shut off the car, whatever moisture is in your exhaust pipes turns to liquid form, sits inside your exhaust system and this creates a corrosive effect. Quick trips in your vehicle don't allow the moister in your exhaust system to get hot enough to vaporize therefore, if you typically make quick, short trips in your vehicle, your exhaust system will likely rust faster than normal. If you normally drive more than 20 miles at a time you shouldn't have an issue with premature corrosion. Salt speeds up the corrosion process so clearly it would be much more profitable to own an exhaust/muffler shop in the Panhandle than it is in Weatherford Texas. If you do travel on winter roads that have been salted, its a good idea to rinse of the underside of your vehicle afterward but be sure to run the vehicle long enough to allow the water on the pipes to dry up.

OXYGEN SENSOR - Is your gas mileage going South? There is a chance that your oxygen sensor is starting to fail. Most fuel injected vehicles are equipped with oxygen sensors. The main function of an oxygen sensor is to measure the amount of oxygen is present in a vehicle's exhaust, send this information to the vehicle's computer so adjustments can be made to the furl mixture to maximize fuel economy. Exhaust sensors are generally the exhaust manifold or in the exhaust pipe close to the exhaust manifold. When an exhaust sensor begins to fail it becomes less accurate and so will your vehicles fuel mixture. Normally, your  check engine light will come on to let you know that the oxygen sensor is giving up. It's usually a good idea to change your oxygen sensor every 60,000 miles or so even if your check engine light isn't coming on.

EXHAUST LEAK - if you've been hearing more engine noise than normal lately, you could have an exhaust leak caused by a bad exhaust flange and/ or exhaust manifold gasket. Over time, continuous expansion and contraction of the exhaust components due to constant heating and cooling may cause exhaust gaskets to leak. Sometimes a broken mounting bolt or stud can also cause a leak. These leaks can be harmful in several ways because they allow hot gases to escape which can damage other components in the engine compartment or underneath the vehicle. A leaky exhaust gasket can also negatively affect engine performance.

MUFFLER - Mufflers rust out and when they do that series of explosions created by your engine will become much more noticeable. There are quite a few options when it comes to replacing a muffler and typically, you get what you pay for. If you have a habit of keeping vehicle's for long periods of time, spending a few extra bucks on a higher quality, name brand muffler like Flowmaster or Magnaflow is usually a good choice. At Viper Motorsports in Weatherford, Texas, we offer several top brand mufflers for nearly every vehicle on the road.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER - This is a fairly durable exhaust component and are designed to convert harmful carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons into water vapor and carbon dioxide. Catalytic convertors can become clogged and when they do, they need to be replaced. When a catalytic convertor is not functioning properly, it can result in an obvious loss of power, an over heated catalytic converter which can heat up the floor board of your vehicle and/or a strong sulfur smell. You are also not likely to pass and emission test with a clogged catalytic converter.

EXHAUST PIPE - We've already covered the fact that rust damages (rusts out) exhaust components but we should also mention that on vehicles driven off-road or even just bottoming out your car on a speed bump can damage exhaust pipes. Damaged, bent or smashed exhastpipes will restrict flow creating other issues.

We've covered most all of the potential issues you might experience when it comes to your vehicle's exhaust system. Keep these items in mind and do a periodic check of your exhaust or just bring your vehicle to Viper Motorsports - 902 Fort Worth Highway, Weatherfor, Texas and we will perform a FREE Exhaust inspection.