While the sound produced is scary, what’s more, alarming is the sudden loss of power that will follow. When a backfire occurs, your exhaust will produce blue/black smoke, and in some cases, shudder and come to a stop. This jerky behavior is your car’s way of telling you it is out of tune, hence the detonation.
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1. IThe Combustion Process
2. What Causes the Backfire?
3. Running Rich
4. AAMCO Engine Repair Service
5. More From Our Blog
The Combustion Process
The process starts with the intake, where your engine’s intake valve opens up, pulling a mixture of air and fuel into the engine. When the intake valve shuts, the piston compresses the air-fuel mixture. When the process is complete, the spark plugs fire current into the mix, forming a small explosion.
The gases produced from the explosion push the piston back up, further pushing the crankshaft activating the gears and finally powering the wheels. Finally, the exhaust valve opens, pushing out residue and smoke from the process to the exhaust pipe.
Related: How Do Exhaust Systems Work?
Related: Winterize Your Muffler & Exhaust
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What Causes the Backfire?
The backfire is ideally a process of the spark plug. It occurs when the explosion that happens inside your cylinder during combustion occurs out of the cylinder. Sometimes the backfire travels back up through the intake valve while, in other cases, it spills right out of the exhaust pipe, causing what is known as the after the fire. At times, the after fire will produce flames that will fly out of the exhaust pipe.
While having your daily driver spitfire might seem cool, it’s worth paying attention, if ignored, it could lead to significant engine damage, weak fuel economy, and loss of power. There are several reasons why your vehicle could backfire; the following are the most common.
Seeing Smoke?
If you’re seeing smoke coming from your car’s tailpipe or hearing loud sounds, it is time to come in. Count on us to help you tune your ride.
Bad Engine Timing
It usually indicates that the engine cycle of combustion from fuel-compression, ignition to exhaust in the cylinder head, is out of sync with the lower part of the cylinder. It disrupts the ignition cycle forcing it to begin late. This forces burnt fuel to get out with force when the exhaust valve is open.
Running Rich
In case your engine is being supplied with more fuel than it needs, it’s known as a rich fuel mixture. It will cause several problems. When your engine is running rich, there is too much fuel to create a fast-burning flame. In the process, the fuel-burning process is incomplete when the exhaust valve opens, and the unburned fuels burn, causing the pop sound.
Carbon Tracking on the Spark Plugs
There are several scenarios where carbon tracks can come into play, and the first scenario happens when the wires on the distributor cap generate sparks. This spark will hop from one wire to the next, forming a carbon track. The other reason is when the ignition coils are directly mounted onto the spark plug, causing a split in electrical spark, leaving fuel behind in the cylinder. When the next park is formed, the left-over fuel will burn rapidly while the exhaust valve is open, you will experience another backfire.
Cracked Distributor Cap
Vehicles that do not come with an ignition coil on their spark plug have a distributor cap and a set of wires that distribute the electrical pulse produced by the spark plug. In case the cap is cracked, moisture will sift in, causing the spark to jump to the wrong cylinder and hence a backfire.
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AAMCO Engine Repair Service
AAMCO Colorado specializes in engine repair, exhaust system repair, as well as auto tune-up service. Our expert mechanics will diagnose and perform the necessary maintenance to solve your backfire problem. We specialized in transmission repair, maintenance, and service as well as other auto care services such as suspension systems service and repair, regular car maintenance, and many others.
Did you hear a loud pop from your exhaust driving down the road? Contact us immediately for a full engine diagnosis. Remember, the more you wait, the more costly it could get.
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