Intake manifolds are
often overlooked but they play a very crucial role in the ability of the engine
to produce power. Selecting right kind of intake manifold is the first step to
maximum performance of engine.
Intake manifold is also
known as car's Inlet manifold.
It is the part of an engine that supplies fuel-air mixture to the cylinders.
The simplest change can drastically alter engine’s performance.
Its main function is to
distribute the combustion mixture to each intake port in the cylinder head. Even
distribution is important for increasing performance and efficiency of the
engine. It may also serve as the mount for throttle body, car's carburetor
and other engine components.
This auto part takes
single air inlet and distributes it to each of the individual cylinders. As the
piston moves down the cylinder during the intake stroke, it is actually pulling
an air – fuel mixture through intake valve. The fuel, right before entering the
cylinder, is injected with a fuel injector into the intake manifold runner.
It is advised to not to
ignore intake manifold as it is fully responsible for car’s internal
combustion. Without it, your engine is just useless.
Engine is just like
human body. It needs to breathe more efficiently to get more power out of the
car. Intake manifolds distribute air to cylinders evenly. In old vehicles, each
cylinder has a runner that delivers the air to them through intake valves. If
your intake runner has a large diameter then you will probably experience high
horsepower. But for small diameters they will provide with less power. In the
old cars, carburetor sits on the top of intake manifold and sends both the air
and fuel to the cylinder head. For multi point injected engines it holds fuel
injector. Long runners are good for low end powers while short one are good
when you need power in upper registers of your power band.
For the engine to work
efficiently it is very important to check whether the engine is having right
amount of air- fuel mixture. To check correct air to fuel mixture ratio
some engines are already deployed with a number of systems that help in
converting the fuel into motion. Intake manifold plays the main role of
managing the air necessary for engine cylinders to operate.
In some engines with no
fuel injection, the intake manifold evenly distributes air- fuel mixture
through engine’s combustion chambers.
For smooth operation of
an engine intake manifold design is very important. The fuel charge distributed
should be of same quality and strength for better results. There are different
types of manifolds so not every manifold perform the task in same way. So it is
quite necessary to choose right kind of intake manifold that could further
enhance your engine and combustion system.
WHEN TO REPLACE YOUR
INTAKE MANIFOLD
Today’s cars generally
have intake manifolds made of plastic material. In old cars it was made of
aluminum or cast iron. Symptoms of a bad intake manifold are:
Plastic may crack, warp
or even have bad gasket overtime.
Hard starting,
stumbling during acceleration are some of the symptoms of bad intake manifold. Engine
light will start beaming if it detects the engine running too lean or getting
too much air. This situation can be caused by leak in intake manifold.
A premature detonation
in the cylinder will lead to major damage of the engine.
Thus it is necessary
for the drivers to check the condition of intake manifold timely. By detecting
these symptoms you can get your intake manifold checked or replaced before it
could further damage your engine. It will save your money and time.
MODIFICATION FOR FINE
TUNING OF INTAKE MANIFOLDS
Various adjustments can
be applied to intake manifolds to fine tune them for specific performance
requirements.
1. Re-jet the carburetor of car
and notice the timing reduction based on improvement to air- fuel mixture
quality.
2. Re texture the
runner and plenum surface areas if they are grounded or polished.
3. It is necessary for
the high speed power to match intake manifold to the cylinder head. Not doing
so will result in bad runner velocity.
4. You can also use
single plane intakes to improve fuel distribution in problem runners. They can
also use modified brotix turtles that can be shaped according to flow
requirements.
5. The proper alignment
of the runner must be ensured by all means possible.
6. Check gasket fit to
ensure that it does not overhang port openings. Water passages should also be
examined for any leakage.
7. As every manifold
provides different function so for throttle response improvement, a different
manifold may be needed. So make sure you do not opt for single plane manifold.
8. On engines that have
been run, examine the plenums and runners for the signs of reversion or fuel
suspension. Colored stain indicates separation and darker stain indicates
reversion.
For the good
performance of the engine, it is very important for the drivers to examine
their intake manifolds and get them replaced before things go out of your
hands.
To get aftermarket Intake manifolds of car under your budget
you can also visit Partsavatar.ca
