My van needs it's muffler replaced. You can hear me coming a few blocks away. However, I live in a state where there is no inspection. Since I have been spending a lot our money on preps I really don't have the money to get it fixed. My question is: Does the faulty muffler cause increased gas usage? If I don't get it fixed, I may be sorry because the parts may not be available and the price of gas may be even higher than what we pay now ($1.79 per gal).

Penda Zone

-- Penda Zone (PendaZ@excite.com), October 18, 1999

Answers

Penda,

If you really can't afford the "luxury" of a quiet vehicle, and since your so concerned, put a carbon monoxide detector in your van so at least you'll have an early warning system to announce your impending BRAIN damage !!! How much can a muffler job cost??? Also, if you won't replace what you can "hear" is wrong, what the he** kind of shape are your brakes, engine, trans, carburetor, tires in???

OTOH, it might be that the brain damage has already set in!!

-- the tappet bros (click@clack.com), October 18, 1999.

Well, Click and Clack, While that was not the answer I was looking for, I will ignore your comments and not start a flaming rant!

-- Penda Zone (PendaZ@excite.com), October 18, 1999.

Got me in re. gas mileage, however, my guess is it is bad for your gas mileage. How old is your van? Do you know anyone else with the same type of van/engine/vehicle age? What kind of gas mileage do they get? Do you remember what you got in the past? If it is better than what you get now, it probably affects the gas mileage.

Gas mileage is something I have always kept an eye on with my car (I range from 27 to 30 mpg). Asides from giving me an idea of when I would need to fill up, I know the range of my car on a full tank. Also, if it is way off, I know something is wrong.

On a different note, if people can hear you several blocks away, well, they can hear you several blocks away... :) Think on how that affects your security if you need to take off quickly. Can you say, "Target acquired"? :)

Finally, in my experience, if something is wrong with your car, it never gets better, it always gets worse. And personally, I think gas will skyrocket in Y2K.

-- James Collins (jacollins@thegrid.net), October 18, 1999.

Nope, shouldn't effect your mpg at all. Unless you're a 50 year old kid like me an stilll like the memories a loud muffler brings back. I'd probably use more gas just makin' it howl!!!

In theory, an open exhaust system will reduce the engine's back pressure, and should tend to increase its performance slightly. I'm talkin' fractional percentages.

The CO tip is valid. If the exhaust isn't ported to the rear of the vehicle, exhaust fumes can find their way into the vehicle. That is because air rushing by as you go down the road tends to cause the interior of the vehicle to have a lower pressure than atmospheric.

Good luck...I'll be listenin' for ya.

-- Ninh Hoa (tech@univ.now), October 18, 1999.

the performance of your vehicle could - most certainly - be negatively effected. a leaking muffler causees a reduction in backpressure. most v hicles require a certain amount of backpressure or they dont run as well, and use more fuel. try a muffler patch if thats appropriate and you're low on bucks.

-- lou (lanny1@ix.netcom.com), October 18, 1999.

Don't assume you have to buy the correct muffler for yor vehicle. On a van especially, you may be able to use a cheaper generic muffler.

-- biker (y2kbiker@hotmail.com), October 18, 1999.

Mechanic A says: Mechanic B says:

The answer is exhaust leak will not hurt your fuel milage.

The adivice to repair the leak is correct. Should you get stuck in traffic or have to sleep in the car or whatever, an exhaust leak will work its way into a car that is at rest with the heater on and the windows closed because the warm air in the car is less dense,lower pressure than the colder, denser extrerior ambient air.

The warm exhaust from the leak will rise to the floorboard, flow laterally across it until it can (and will) find a crevice to rise into the passanger compartment.

Exhaust exiting the exhaust pipe will have enough inertia to clear the car by twenty inches and rise harmlessly in the air away from the car.

When the car is moving at highway speeds the cabin pressure can be lower than ambient and the leak can still find its way into the cabin when all the windows are closed.

Regards,

-- Tom Beckner (tbeckner@xout.erols.com), October 19, 1999.