NFB: How to Test an A.I.R. Pump once removed from vehicle?

[Eric 97LT4SS]

I really do not want to shell out $500 for a new AIR Pump for my commuter car ('96 Passat GLX Wagon) so how can I test the Pump after removing it from the engine. It has a very simple two prong electrical connection so I hooked up wires to each, spliced them together and connected the single wire to the Positive cable of my battery charger. I grounded the negative cable and then plugged it in but no sounds from the Pump, appears to be dead. Will this method work or do I have to actually use a Battery? Or should I run a separate wire from the Pump to ground and the other to power instead of both to power? Thanks guys, just trying to save some $$.

Eric 1997 Camaro SS LT4 #093 of 106

[TruckMuddr]

[Eric 97LT4SS]

Thanks for the reply, but pump fired to life once I grounded it properly. Some advice to any future VW owners, don't do it. To gain access to the AIR Pump I had a choice of either removing the Upper & Lower Intake manifolds, fuel rail, spark plugs, and working in antifreeze or physically removing the entire front bumper cover, radiator support, headlights, grille, and alternator just to get the car to pass CT Emissions so I elected the later. Hope everything still works when completed, I'll have to take a pic before I'm done.

Later,
Eric

[Trash man]

typical vw. we had to pull the front off of a passat(bout a 2000) to do a timing belt. and my auto body friend works at danbury vw. and he says thats how they work on vws. everything is over complicated

[94 formula]

Thanks for the reply, but pump fired to life once I grounded it properly. Some advice to any future VW owners, don't do it. To gain access to the AIR Pump I had a choice of either removing the Upper & Lower Intake manifolds, fuel rail, spark plugs, and working in antifreeze or physically removing the entire front bumper cover, radiator support, headlights, grille, and alternator just to get the car to pass CT Emissions so I elected the later. Hope everything still works when completed, I'll have to take a pic before I'm done.

Later,
Eric

Before putting it all back together I'd check the wires that run to it to make sure they're getting juice to it. Also if your talking about a sniffer test you could probably get by it without a working air pump as long as you got the cats nice and hot the whole point of an air pump is to run for the first few minutes when you start your vehicle to push oxgyen into the cats which helps them heat up quicker but if you'd run your vehicle and get them nice and hot you should be fine.

[Red20170]

physically removing the entire front bumper cover

I did my passat 1.8T timing belt and thats what I had to do. The glx v6 looks like a bigger pain in the a$$.