Air Pump Delete

[ws6drbob]

Hey I am ordering a tune from Madz28.com and having the Air pump and EGR system deleted to go along with some offroad headers and was wondering if anyone had a guide on everything that is involved. Thanks.

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

Kev's guide to AIR & EGR Delete:

Remove offending contrivances. Plug all holes. Drink Beer.

[Disifer]

AIR pump is real easy. The hardest part is getting the AIR lines out. I had to cut mine in 2 different places before I just got mad and yanked them out. You'll need something like some heavy-duty tin snips to cut the lines. Can't be too big because it's really tight quarters in the engine bay. The actual pump itself is real easy to remove. Just 3 bolts and it falls out.
The best way to reach the EGR on the back of the intake is to lay on top of the engine. There are two 1/2" nuts holding the EGR pipe back there. There's only one 1/2" bolt holding it in the back of the exhaust manifold.

I know this isn't exactly a guide but I just took my old manifolds and the AIR off today so I figured I'd tell you what worked for me.

[Injuneer]

For EGR, if your headers do not have an EGR riser tube on #8 primary, you delete the existing riser tube, and but a blanking plate over the hole for the tube on the back of the intake. You are done. If you want to physically remove the complete EGR system, you need to take the two nuts off the studs, remove the EGR valve, and cover the hole with another blanking plate.

You can get the blanking plates from:

http://www.sjmmanufacturing.com

Then you need to remove the thin vacuum lines that run from the intake manifold to the EGR vacuum solenoid on the back/driver's side corner of the intake, and from the solenoid to the EGR valve. Cap the nipple on the intake manifold with a vacuum cap, probably about 1/8".

Now your system is gone, and you have two codes and the SES light to worry about. One is for the lack of EGR flow into the manifold, and the other is for the missing EGR vacuum solenoid. There are ways to trick the PCM into thinking the flow and the solenoud are still there, or you need to have them "programmed out" of the PCM. Make sure the programmer knows how to remove the codes without having a "system not ready" message stored in the PCM, which will be visible if you have an emissions check that plugs into the ALDL connector.

Here's Shoebox's photo of the EGR system components:

http://shbox.com/1/egr1.jpg

AIR can be a bit more complex. Start at the back of your Ram Air airbox. There is a hose that runs from the airbox to the AIR pump. Remove that rubber hose and cap the connection on the back of tha airbox with a 5/8" vacuum cap.

Then remove the AIR pump.... I thought there were more than 3 bolts, and I thought one of them was a double purpose bolt that also went through the water pump or some other bracket. When you unplug the pump, tape the end of the harness connector and tuck it out of the way.

You will need to disconnect the outlet pipes from the AIR pump. The details vary by year, and also vary by whether you have had the AIR recall done on your car. If they did the recall, there are a lot of extra parts added that need to be removed, and a vacuum line that runs to the intake manifold, right where the EGR vacuum line connected, and that vacuum connection needs to be plugged too (I think they "tee'd" the AIR vacuum line into either the Opti vent line or the EGR line.).

Again, Shoebox has diagrams showing all the AIR components, including the AIR recall modifications:

http://shbox.com/1/air_pump_recall.jpg
http://shbox.com/ci/AIR.jpg

When you remove the hard lines, you should be able to remove all the lines except one of them without cutting. There is one that wraps under the timing cover, from the driver's side to the passenger side. I've heard rumors that someone was able to get it out without cutting it, but even the shop manual tells you it has to be cut at the center, right under the timing cover to remove it. The correct way to remove it is to use a cutting wheel on a Dremel. That way you don't destroy the tube as you would with "snips". Some time in the future, you might want to reinstall the system, or you might want to sell the parts.

After you have all the parts off, you are again stuck with at least three or four codes and an SES light for the missing AIR system. This one can only be handled by "programming out" the codes. Again, you will get another "system not ready" if it isn't programmed out correctly.

When you are all done, you will have saved about 10# of excess weight, and that is the only "performance" gain, since neither of these systems operate at WOT, and EGR can actually be helpful for preventing detonation under some operating conditions.