Hi, on my 86 f250 302, the air pump is seized up and the belt isnt hooked up to it. If i took the pump out would it effect anything? right now its not rotating. I dont have working cat's either. it would be nice to free up some space, as eventualy i want to add onboard air.

 

With the AIR Pump not working, its only a matter of time before the Cat. will get stopped up. Those tubes you see on the exhaust manifolds pump air to the exhaust to keep the engine running smoothly. Although the cat may not get stopped up...I have run mine without the pump AND the Tubes connected to the Exhaust, there is a big tube in the back of the heads that can be plugged with a large bolt, and the exhaust manifolds can be swap out for some that doesn't have the tube connections. So far I been running this engine everyday, all day, (But never left sittting and idleing for more than a couble of min.) since the engine been rebuilt...and I will get the code 31 forever till its fixed (replaced with a new pump and everything back as it was from the factory) Your choice as to whats next, but if I had it my way, I rather have the air pump and everything back as it was.....

 

The cats are hollowed out, so i dont have to worry about them plugging up. So i would just take the pump out, and plug up the lines?

 

Yep, thats all you need to do, except for the exhaust manifolds, unless you know if a good heat proof part that won't crack over time or leak (causing possible valve damage...cool air will warp hot valves or too lean of fuel mixture) Best way is to just exchange them for some that don't have the holes in them. The Big hole in the back of the heads can be plugged with a LARGE bolt. Thats the way mine is, and I don't have any problems except for the code 31 (EGR) which I can't get rid of, so expect that....to happen, if it hasn't already.

 

Do you pass emissions in N.Y. without the cats?

 

I have to say, any emissions engine designed to run with cats and an air-pump will run like crap in comparison to having all of them in working order, unless you change cams and carb, and possibly intake as well. These engines were designed as a package, with all things intact, and working. Each part relies on the other to work right to make the whole engine perform. I've seen way to many butcher job attempts at removing the smog controls, and it usually ends up in poor fuel mileage, poor over-all engine performance, and eventually a trip to the wrecker to sell the machine, or start all over and hook it all back up and get it running right....just my 2 cents.

 

I agree 44RE, but atlas, sometmes you have to make do with whats available at the moment.....some think that it will make the engine run like crap with all that smog equiptment on it...The engineers and designers made the engine for what it is, WITH the smog included...I would love to get the rest of the stuff my engine is missing when I recieved it...and unlike some people, those got the wreaking yards close by to get the parts for whatever the needed parts would be......I don't have that luxury in this area so will have to make do with whats available.

 

I see your point, but with everything in life, there's an acception. I have an 86 F-250HD non-catalyst truck with a 460. With the Holley 4180 and all smog equipment, the truck ran like a sprinter breathing through a straw. No matter what I did to try to tune the thing, I could not get it to run smooth unless it idled at 1500 rpm's. Also, the exhaust sounded like it had a constant miss. It never sounded smooth and steady. I tried to rebuild the carb and it did run better for a day and then the carb started spraying fuel out of everywhere.
I finally switched to an Edelbrock 1406, took all of the smog equipment off of it, and now it runs like a champ. Smooth steady idle at 750 rpm's. I agree that if you take the smog equipment off of an engine, it can give you a headache. But, if done right, it can actually help.....sometimes.
That said, I knew my truck would NOT pass smog checks with the Holley carb running the way it was and if I would have left the equipment on when I put the Edelbrock on, it wouldn't have hurt performance. But I'm happier with the way this thing runs now and I wouldn't go back and put any of it back on. Just remember, you said that engineers design these systems to work with an engine, but only because the EPA tells them to. There was no smog equipment before the 70's and I know of a few pre-smog cars and trucks that pass easily because of the way they are tuned rather than what kind of anti smog devices they have on them. Just my $.02

 

OK, nickle an dime me.....I agree that if it wasn't for the EPA, The green planet association.....the clean air act, and the other too numerous enviroment orgs. that the air we now breathe is perhaps (mebie a little) bit better, who knows with the war going on, with hollywood's firely explosions, the auto industry just got the plug it didn't need because of it. Generally speaking, with the smog equipment that we now have, with todays engines, if we all took off the smog devices...the engines might run alittle better till we all get to fly in a spaceship around this planet...then we'll be running into each other.....oops! time to go to work.

 

What year did they start putting smog pumps on trucks. It seems like the early 80"s but not sure.

 

I think they started putting smog pumps on trucks in the mid 70's, but I'm not positive.
locknkey, I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers here. I see your point about headaches with removing air pumps, I might be facing one when it comes time to smog my truck without smog equipment. It's ironic that all but one of my vehicles in 14 years of driving failed smog tests except for my 78 GMC that had no smog equipment. The car lot that sold me the truck told me it wouldn't pass emmisions test in my county, but it passed with flying colors.

 

One other thing, when you remove smog equipment, no matter how good your vehicle runs, you usually fail the visual aspect before they even touch the engine.

 

Poorly functioning smog equipment can also cause you to fail a smog check. I find it kinda funny that my truck, with all of its smog stuff, doesn't run as clean as my buddy's 73 Chevy 3/4 ton truck (with a 350) with no smog stuff. The limits his must pass are only marginally looser than the ones I must pass.

BTW, mine isn't passing smog right now thanks to poorly functioning smog stuff and a crappy carb. I'd be willing to bet that a good carb and removal of the smog stuff would give me the passing grades I need. An interesting solution I saw once was to leave the smog parts intact, but modify so they don't work. One guy I know took his air pump apart and cut the shaft out. The pump would still appear to function, but in reality, was just a pulley spinning in a bearing. The EGR lines had all been blocked as well as the cat being hollowed out.

BTW, this car passes smog every year.

 

To answer your question as asked. No, it will not hurt anything to just remove the pump and block the plumbing from the pump. If it was running okay without the belt, it will run just the same without the pump.

Is it legal to do this? NO!
Can I get fined? YES!

Even if your state, county, or municipality has no emissions requirements for your vehicle you can still get into trouble.

Let's just say you are stopped by a constable (no less) and he/she for some innane reason looks over your vehicle for safety violations, stop lights, head lights, tires, then has you open the hood. OOPS! no AIR pump in that gaping hole on the bracket above the alternator. If your vehicle says "unleaded fuel only" anywhere, gas gauge, fuel door, engine compartment, you can receive a citation. It has happened before to others, so beware! You can always claim the belt must have come off down the road, but it is much more difficult to convince anyone that the AIR pump fell off just down the road.

I admit that scenario is unlikely, but so was the last time you were pinched for a moving violation. The odds are against it, but every once in a while your luck runs out.

 

Pinched? - If you live in a place where the police look under the hood for missing parts, you need to get some new legislators.