The Emission Control System

The purpose of the emission control system is just that; it controls the emissions and exhaust from your vehicle. The idea is to turn the harmful gases your car manufactures into harmless ones that don't ruin the environment, or us. Some of the problem gases are: hydrocarbons (unburned) carbon monoxide carbon dioxide nitrogen oxides sulfur dioxide phosphorus lead and other metals To help control these substances, we (along with federal regulations) have made changes in our gasoline to eliminate them. Also, with a push from federal regulations, we have developed ways, varying from state to state, to test emissions, that have caused automotive manufacturers to develop better, safer emission systems. Although emissions control systems vary between manufacturers and vehicles, they all have the same goal and use many of the same methods. The addition of computers to ignition systems allows the engine to monitor and adjust itself continuously, so it just isn't true that emission controls lower the amount of mileage we get from fuel. The best news is that emission controls have reduced carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions by about ninety-six percent from pre-control vehicles. That's almost a hundred percent!