After finally getting the car to run, the a.i.r. pump is making the crazy noises that signal it's demise. I'm looking for an inexpensive replacement, and freeing up a few extra horses doesn't hurt either.
Who makes a decent a.i.r. pump elim kit and where is the best place to order it from?

Chris

 

Try Breathlessperformance.com. I think it runs about $160. I think Zip sells the same one. In fact I think everyone sells the same one. Skip

 

i just removed mine & bought a shorter belt...not sure if you could do this on a 86? :confused:

 

I removed my Air pump and bought the Air Pump eliminator kit from Breathless Perfomance Products. It is kind of expensive but it really cleans up the engine bay, not sure of any gains.

 

Give Breathless Performance a call, talk to Lucy and tell her you found out about them on this forum and she will give you a 10% discount ( she did for me anyway ). :cheers:


Rich :flag

 

What year is your car? What belt did you use?

 

Eric your motor is unique. Just changing the belt will leave some play in the belt even with a smaller one.


This is a BPP kit I bought throught ZIP.


[Modified by chucks88, 12:09 PM 10/12/2002]

 

i have a 84...not sure which belt? :confused:

 

yeah i know its unique but i have seen other 84's with no pump & a smaller belt working just fine. im not sure if it will work on a 86? :confused:

 

It just doesn't seem right to spend 150 bucks on a couple pieces of aluminum and a few spacers and bolts. Maybe I'll try to find a used a.i.r. pump.
Thanks.

Chris

 

if a 84 pump will fit i have 2...1 gutted 1 not gutted....ide take $30.00 including shipping for both.lmk. :cheers:

 

I thought the same thing, kinda pricey. After consideration, I figured it was worth it after all. Lucy is a sweetheart, she does give 10% to Forum members.

After the effort to try to gut one, or fabricate a brace, I figured it wasnt worth my time and frustration. The BPP part looks really nice, is really easy to install, and really cleans up the engine bay, and Im sure their is a performance increase, theres about 20 lbs of pump and hoses, not tomention less drag in the crank. It willhelp SOTP, and probably rev up a bit quicker.

Besides, you never have to worry about that pesky air pump again!

Any chance to save weight, you should jump on it.
20lbs is a lot.

 

I too am thinking fo the Air pump Elim kit, but I want to stay emissions legal when it coems back to CT. I mean to me it is nto worth it to remove then have to reinstall after 1 or 2 years just to pass emissions. Unless someone has actually passed emissions with one installed? :seeya

 

Gabe

I'll let you know. :yesnod:

 

Does the BPP kit come with plugs/blockoff plates for the air tubes etc? I don't have emissions testing or cats :), so why keep it :lol:

Also, is that black box with all the tubes on the opposite side of the pump part of the air system? It seems to always be in my way and I'd like to remove it so I can take a sledgehammer to it and thank it :p:

 

GM sells a pulley that is used to take the place of an air cond. pump. It sells for about $35 and can be made to work. I used one to get rid of my air pump and one for my air cond. I also had to buy another belt that was a little shorter. :cheers:

 

Save your money. If you have $160 you honestly don't know what to do with, then sure, pay for the aluminum arm with a few welds & holes drilled in it and a pulley.

You want cheap? Then gut it yourself.

1. Remove the pump.
2. Remove the back cover of the pump (it may take some persuasion).
3. Take a big @ss screwdriver and hammer to break the plastic that's between the phenolic wiper and metal bearing piece that rotates around the shaft that's on the back cover.
4. Remove all the metal/plastic/phenolic pieces from the inner "drum".
5. Use brake cleaner to clean all the bearing surfaces off.
6. Repack the bearing on the cap side of the drum, put grease wherever it looks like the drum will make contact. You can't easily get to the front bearing, but I dropped a little engine oil on the snout.
7. Put everything back together.

You just saved yourself $160 dollars. If you want to make it look nicer, then either polish it, or use it as an excuse to finally go crazy powder-coating stuff under the hood.

It may sound a little confusing (especially part 3), but if you're the least bit mechanical there's really nothing to it. The only guidance I had was from a buddy who said to "pull the back cover off and knock the fins out". It took me less than 45 minutes from start to finish.

If you're concerned about emissions and you plan to bring it back to The States, either get a used one like I did for $15, or have someone pick you one up new (remanufactured) from over here. After my military discount, it would have been $35 before tax from either Advance or Auto Zone (I forget which).


[Modified by Ron78Z&85Vette, 10:01 PM 10/12/2002]

 

I was toying with the idea of gutting it, so you just confirmed my suspicion that I wasn't the only one that came up with that idea. At least there's someone else who did it successfully.
If it's the bearings that's gone bad, will it still make the noise, or is it probably the actual pump that's gone off to the big vette salvage yard in the sky?
I can gut it, and yank all the hoses and lines that went along with it and just leave the shell of the pump there to take up slack in the belt.
Thank you.
I might as well give it a shot, it's busted anyway.
Chris