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Technical => Engine Tech => Topic started by: sansabar on June 07, 2006, 06:38:05 AM

Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: sansabar on June 07, 2006, 06:38:05 AM
I am a new owner of an '88 Cougar LS 5.0 with 47K original miles.  The first thing that I did was put a "true" dual exhaust on the car.  I now have the air pump tube that once pumped air into the exhaust hanging free.  For those of you that have made a similar mod, what have you done with this tube?
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: jkirchman on June 07, 2006, 11:27:00 AM
The H-pipe I used had a place to connect the air pump tube.  I shortened the air pump tube with a saw and then used a rubber heater hose to connect it to the tube sticking out of the H-pipe.  It's been working fine for a couple years now.
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: Sick88Tbird on June 07, 2006, 12:53:48 PM
Free the car of the smog pump and related hoses, then you don't have to worry about it.
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: 5.0willgo on June 07, 2006, 01:05:24 PM
I pulled mine out.

You can connect it like Jim did or you could fully remove the smog stuff. It depends primarily on your local emissions standards.
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: thunderjet302 on June 07, 2006, 01:10:13 PM
Since I had custom dual exhaust installed and I had to have cats I just had the exhaust shop weld a "Y" between the two cats and connect the air pump tube to it. It's worked fine now for 2 years and I've passed emissions no problem.
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: sansabar on June 07, 2006, 01:31:46 PM
Thanks for the tips.  Since I need to go back and have the ordered tailpipes installed I'll have them connect to air tube to the H-pipe.
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: EricCoolCats on June 07, 2006, 01:32:06 PM
If you want to keep the air pump working for the swirl ports on the heads, but not working for the catalytic converters, just cut the lower hose from the diverter on the passenger side of the engine bay so only a few inches are coming out, find a nice bolt that fits inside, put a radiator clamp around the hose where the bolt is, and you're done. You would still have to remove the metal tube that used to go to the Y-pipe, if you haven't already done that.
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: JeremyB on June 07, 2006, 01:51:43 PM
Quote from: EricCoolCats
If you want to keep the air pump working for the swirl ports on the heads, but not working for the catalytic converters, just cut the lower hose from the diverter on the passenger side of the engine bay so only a few inches are coming out, find a nice bolt that fits inside, put a radiator clamp around the hose where the bolt is, and you're done.


Wouldn't that cause the pump to push against a dead head and increase pump power?
Title: Air Pump Tube - What To Do With It?
Post by: EricCoolCats on June 07, 2006, 02:45:18 PM
That's the beauty of it...since there's a hex head on the bolt, some air gets past it to relieve the pressure. If it was a totally round head then no air could escape and there'd be backpressure. Everything therefore continues to work normally. I've had that setup on several cars for many, many years with no air pump or diverter failures.