Auto Repair Encyclopedia
Exhaust Manifold
The exhaust manifold is the first down stream emission control device. The purpose of the exhaust manifold is to gather the extremely hot exhaust gases from the individual cylinders and channel them into a single header pipe while keeping these gases as hot as possible. Some exhaust manifolds are heavy cast iron devices that are designed to store the extreme heat caused by the still burning exhaust gases leaving the individual cylinders. This helps sustain the burning process of combustion into the next downstream emission device, the catalytic converter.
