What does an intake manifold do?
The intake manifold is an engine component mounted on the cylinder head, specifically connected to the intake valve. This intake manifold is generally made of a mixture of aluminum alloy, but along with technological advances, many of these intake manifolds also use a mix of resin and plastic.
The shape and model of the intake manifold can vary, depending on the vehicle manufacturer's engine design and model. Even so, the intake manifold still has the same function for the engine.
So what does an intake manifold do? For more details, here are several functions of the intake manifold
1. As an air inlet for the engine
The first function of the intake manifold is an air inlet for the engine. Air coming from the outside will be sucked into the engine cylinder through the air filter, throttle body, intake manifold, and into the engine cylinder through the cylinder head.
The air filter functions to ensure that the air entering the engine is always clean, while the throttle body is used to adjust the amount of incoming air according to the amount of foot pressure on the gas pedal.
In this intake manifold, clean air is collected and then flowed into the engine cylinder according to the valve opening on the throttle body.
2. Creating air turbulence
The next intake manifold function is to create air turbulence that will enter the engine cylinder. The intake manifold has unique shapes and angles designed to optimize the combustion that occurs in the engine.
Yes, the intake manifold is designed to direct the incoming airflow and create turbulence (vortex), which flows before entering the combustion chamber cylinder.
This turbulence is made to maximize the better mixing of air and fuel in the engine cylinder. That way, complete combustion will be created so that the engine output power will also increase.
Also read:3. To make the air-fuel mixture more homogeneous
For cars that use a carburetor system, the intake manifold can make the air-fuel mixture more homogeneous. The fuel in the form of a sprayed spray from the carburetor will be mixed with the piston suction's compressed vacuum air.
This mixture of air and fuel will flow together in the intake manifold to create a more balanced and homogeneous mixture of air and fuel atoms. Creating a more homogeneous mixture of air and fuel will result in better engine power output.
4. Adjust the flow and volume of intake air according to engine needs
The last intake manifold function we know is to regulate the flow and volume of intake air according to engine needs. It functions only found on engines that use a variable intake manifold only.
Yes, there is an additional valve in this variable intake manifold, which is controlled directly by the engine ECU. Its function is to even out the volume of air at each engine speed, either low or high.
When the engine is at low speed, the valve will close the by-pass hole so that the flow and volume of intake air are longer to produce better power. Meanwhile, when the engine is at high speed, the valve will open the by-pass hole so that airflow can enter the engine more quickly.