Mufflers and cold weather
Keeping your muffler working well
Wrapping up
Mufflers and cold weather
Your muffler is the part of your car’s exhaust system that will greatly reduce the would-be loud sound of harmful gasses being released from the car’s engine. Without the muffler, your car would be extremely noisy and illegal to drive. As it does with so many other things in terms of driving, winter weather will complicate things with your muffler.
When it is cold out over the winter, your car will take longer to warm-up to the point where it can function as normal. Because of this, shorter trips in the winter are not a good idea. When you make these shorter trips in the winter, water in the muffler will not have time to burn off and will lead to rust on the inside of the muffler.
Also, in the winter in Alaska, you will inevitably have snow. Sometimes, the snow can build up in the tailpipe which is the final portion of the exhaust system after the muffler. If this happens, the toxic fumes that get eliminated by your exhaust system can build up in your car and seriously injure or kill anyone inside of the car.
Keeping your muffler working well
Caring for your muffler will be easy. For the most part, it will just entail getting it replaced if it is not working or it is too rusted. However, you still can check it regularly for rust, make sure that the tailpipe is not getting clogged with dirt or snow and that you take your car in for service if you smell anything weird when your engine is running.
If you do need to get your muffler replaced, odds are that you will find out from your mechanic after you take your car in for some routine maintenance. This is one of the reasons why taking your car in for service at least once or twice a year is so important. Replacing your muffler will likely run you about three hundred to six hundred dollars depending on what type of vehicle you drive.
Wrapping up
The main purpose for your muffler is to reduce the very loud noise of your exhaust system at work so that you do not upset your neighbors or get a ticket. However, if it gets clogged it can be extremely dangerous for you and any passengers you have in your car. As long as you take occasional looks (always when there is snow) to make sure the tailpipe is not clogged with dirt or snow and you take your car in for regular service each year, you should not have to worry. If you need to get your muffler replaced, do so. It will not be too expensive and could prevent your exhaust system from failing.
