When we use our trucks every day for work or basic transportation, we can easily forget how intricate these vehicles are. Hundreds of small parts are all working together just to get us from point A to point B, and we don’t always consider what goes on under the hood of our trucks until something goes catastrophically wrong. In this article, we’ll examine the overlooked importance of an exhaust manifold. This part of our vehicles may seem just like any other. However, it’s absolutely crucial for allowing our trucks to function while protecting the world around us as well.

What Is the Exhaust Manifold?

You can think of the exhaust manifold as the very beginning of your truck’s exhaust system. As your engine does its job, it produces toxic fumes that it needs to deal with before ejecting them from the vehicle. This is where the exhaust manifold comes into play. The manifold collects these toxic fumes and funnels them to your catalytic converter (or your turbocharger if you have one). Because your exhaust manifold takes in fumes from all around it, its actual design and shape matter quite a bit as they affect how well it functions.

Why Is It Important to My Truck?

One of the most important things the exhaust manifold does is convey toxic fumes to your catalytic converter so that it can clean them and eventually release less harmful gases into the environment. However, you realize the overlooked importance of an exhaust manifold when you consider how it affects a truck.

A properly working exhaust manifold supports a truck in a few different ways:

• It helps burn off unused gases before they can seep back into the cabin.
• It senses the amount of oxygen in your entire system and uses that information to inform your fuel injection system about its oxygen needs.
• It keeps the temperature under the hood from getting too hot because of excess gas, preventing premature damage to sensitive parts of your engine.

What Are the Signs That My Manifold Is Damaged?

A damaged exhaust manifold can spell serious trouble for your truck. Here are some things you can look out for that could indicate a manifold failure is imminent:

• Unpleasant or strange smells from under your hood
• Reduction in accelerating power
• Loud engine noise from leaking, unmuffled gas
• Unprompted reductions in fuel economy

When you need to make repairs or replacements on your truck’s exhaust system, Norcal Diesel Performance is the place to go. We have a wide range of Dodge Ram exhaust parts and parts for other diesel trucks that can get your vehicle back to working order in no time at all.