Question: smog/air pump eliminator

[Raul_C4]

I recently purchased my 1986 vette and the vacuum lines and EGR system is a total mess !
i have hanging hoses and missing lines everywhere. I found this air pump eliminator on corvette central but i just don't know what the pros and cons are
If i were to install aluminum manifold and new aluminum heads and exhaust heads would it be wise to go ahead and eliminate the air pump? i DO not live in cali so emission tests arent my enemy

 

[BlueCorvette]

I just removed and dissasembled my 1985 engine. One of the smog hoses was disconnected and the metal connection pipe had holes rusted it, and broke in half when I removed it. Talk about non-functional. The EGR seemed to work, as the manifold interior was coated with black crud.

In my 1985 there is nothing that I am aware of that will trigger ECU issues when you remove the smog parts. I am replacing the headers with non-smog ones, so I don't have to worry about blocking the smog header tubes.

You can bolt on a pump eliminator bracket, or you can gut the smog pump and reinstall for no $$$ if the bearings seem ok.

My 1985 has primitive emissions controls, so I think there will be no ECU EGR codes set from blocking off the EGR. You need to check if the 1986 has the same or you will get a ECU EGR error code. You can program this out of the computer. People say it can cause a lean fuel condition at cruise, but others say no. Also I need to research what tubing becomes non-functional with a EGR blockoff and remove it.

 

[Scottsredvette]

I would assume that a 30 year old car would be exempt from emissions testing but there are a few counties that still test. Is Waco in an exempt county?

 

[RedHot85Vette]

What's that Thing on my engine?!?!

You can bolt on a pump eliminator bracket, or you can gut the smog pump and reinstall for no $$$ if the bearings seem ok. My 1985 has primitive emissions controls, so I think there will be no ECU EGR codes set from blocking off the EGR.

Hi Blue 85 Corvette, this is Red 85 Corvette. I got my first Lovely Red Corvette, Feb 20th, 2016... drove it home from the previous owners home, then days later, went for a ride in an ambulance for having broken hardware on my spine. And so she sat for quite a time while all sorts of other healing and chaos ensued in our life here in beautiful upstate NY. Due to the healing/fusing of my 13 fusions, I haven't been able to do anything with my Vette til now. I was able to troubleshoot why my headlight didn't work (bad connector) and install the license plates. You would be surprised how even the littlest of things in your life become big painful chores that take forever to do.

I'm in pretty bad shape but I'm starting to move around more and I'm stupid anxious to work on my car. She doesn't need much. She was very well taken care of by a couple of nice senior citizens. Freshly repainted, new tires, new this & that, all GM, the car is probably rare in that it has no purchased options except for cruise control and the defogger stuff. It is Base and Bone stock as it could be. Which I like!

While fusing, i bought all sorts of cool upgrades and accessories and other stuff, shopping online for it. In short, I got this gorgeous Corvette, a car I thought I'd never have, but now bought, for very specific reasons, most of which are related to my poor spine... which has had at least 8 major operations on it (lost count!). 5 just recently within a 9 month period... I Deserve a Vette!!!

My spine is now like a 4x4, and so the Vette, suits me better than any other car I can think of. Kinda odd how a wrecked spine, enabled me, or drove me, so to speak, to get a Vette. I deserve whatever I want, for the rest of my life. So I got my Beautiful RED Corvette, and I feel like I have it All... and I don't really give a damn about anything else... anything... the rest is, whatever!

So I"m looking around at my engine, inspecting it once again... I got a nice Gatorback Serpentine Belt for it and I'm looking to see how the old belt runs and looking to see how I'll do the job... and then I see this Thing! ...next to my alternator. I've never had a car in my life, and had a bunch of them, with such a Thing on it. I do some quick research and discover it's a Smog Pump! I don't have any emission rules to follow, nor do I need the extra resistance of that Thing on my engine. I don't see a sensor on it so I don't believe it should throw a code.

So I like your idea about gutting it and making it a bigazz pulley, for zero $, with a large... uhhh... mounting assembly. Slap a coat of engine paint on it as well. I didn't see a Pump Eliminator anywhere. I imagine if you did use such a device, you'd also have to go about blocking off tubes and such.

I also found a neat EGR replacementl: Sky-Guard Performance EGR Valve. Catalog Pg. 29, 2015 Eckler's Catalog, 25-172303, $50.

Might want to try that instead of doing the block off. Get their paper catalog. Lots of great stuff for your '85 that you won't find on their online site unless you do a "Search" on their site, punching in the part number, ie. 25-172303. Even if you punch in the exact name of the part it may tell you it didn't find anything... but it's there! ...you just have to have the part numbers from the paper catalog. Pages 28 & 29 alone I found 3 great performance items for My '85. I have a large shopping list and have already begun to fill my Shopping Cart.

Enjoy!

John

 

[RedHot85Vette]

Black Pepper

I recently purchased my 1986 vette and the vacuum lines and EGR system is a total mess !
i have hanging hoses and missing lines everywhere. I found this air pump eliminator on corvette central but i just don't know what the pros and cons are
If i were to install aluminum manifold and new aluminum heads and exhaust heads would it be wise to go ahead and eliminate the air pump? i DO not live in cali so emission tests arent my enemy

I have an '85 Corvette, just got it inspected today, has a radiator leak, but still passed inspection because it was only for safety, $10 bucks.

PS. My wife says to me, "I'll be right back", after the manager of the Monro shop we were at gave us a quote over $600 dollars to replace the radiator. I know from reading the repair manual that it looks easier to replace the radiator than a headlight. No exaggeration. So my wife went to the plaza next door, and comes back with 2 gallons of 50/50 coolant, and one of them small boxes of black pepper, with the white shaker/pourer lid on top. She says she saw her father do this when she was a little kid. She pours the black pepper into the radiator, then tops it off with coolant. We run the engine with the cap off to get the air out. Then when it starts to overflow we put the cap on. Well donchaknow! That leak stopped right up. Drove it home about 13 miles, left it running at the house to check it out... no leak. I'm going to replace the radiator anyway, and my next post will be asking for advice about the project.

I will always have a small box of black pepper in my car.

Okay! Now I'm going to check out that smog pump eliminator at Corvette Central.

John ​