How will a hole in the exhaust affect fuel consumption and power output?

Answer 1

It will have a negligible effect on anything except your health. Carbon monoxide will enter the passenger compartment and could possibly cause you to either have an accident or do serious physical harm. Driving a car with a hole in the exhaust is dumb. Carbon monoxide is orderless and tasteless and you will never know it is present. Get this fixed ASAP and only drive with all windows open. The above is not entirely true. A hole in your exhaust WILL affect your car's performance. 1) The loss of 'Back Pressure' in the system will affect the effective 'Scavenging' of the exhaust fumes, because motor manufacturers spend millions of pounds/dollars 'tuning' exhaust systems to make them efficient. 2) In those cars fitted with Fuel Injection, a hole could interfere with the readings of the system's Oxygen (Lambda) sensor, thus resulting in poor fuelling, poor power etc. 3) Air entering the hole and mixing with unburned fuel in the system could cause a 'Backfire', damaging the exhaust even more. 4) It can cause damage to your cataluytic converter (if fitted)...these are EXPENSIVE to replace. Extra Extra Again the above is still not strictly true 1) Back pressure is what racers andmodders want to minimise, manufacturers do spend a lot of money but often have to compromise, this leading to not so effective systems. 2) Only if the hole is before the sensor will it affect the readings 3) Very littel air could enter a hole, again depending on where it is, if your car is backfiring, theproblem could be elsewhere, unlikely to be hte ingress of air through a hole in the exhaust 4) Again it could only damage the cat if it before the cat in the system, after the cat will not affect it at all. Cheers