Would a louder than normal sounding exhaust cause my car to lose some power ?

Question

I have a 1990 Acura Integra and it seems like the car doesn't go like it used to. The exhaust was replaced 3 years ago. The catalyic converter was not replaced at that time. Also had a tune-up not that long ago.

Answer 1

Could be the catalyic converter also you could possibly use a tune up and a fuel injector flush.

Answer 2

Hello,

check for leaks in the exhaust, when you have a hole or a fracture near the beginning of the exhaust section, the gases may bypass your whole exhaust system. Without the help of the tuned exhaust, you loose bottom-end power and the exhaust becomes loud and has unusual sound. Rev it up and look for exhaust smoke at places you don't expect it to be.

Regards.

Answer 3

The volume of the exhaust does not = horsepower. Changing the exhaust without changing the intake fuel / air mixture causes the engine to lean out. Along with losing power, you may be causing damage to your valves, pistons, and cylinders. Not to mention how much you are offending others, polluting the air, and violating laws.

Answer 4

It can, but you would have to really increase the size of the exhaust, i.e. 3inch exhaust. Motors must have a certain amount of back pressure for optimum performance. If you use the typical exhaust that everyone sells, you should be ok. Try looking in other places for HP loss.

Answer 5

maybe but it all depends on the back pressure. you have to hit a sweet spot with that. to much and you bog to little and you bog. so if it all of a sudden started sounding louder and then lost power then its the exhaust. you may have lost something out of the cat that is doing something wrong now. other than that try autozone.com's maintenace section they have diagrams and a troubleshooting guide with pictures for all styles of cars