Is it OK for cats to not be connected to the pump?

[garystocker]

Shop installed BBK X-Pipe w/cats into my car. They left the smog hose open and unconnected in the engine compartment, and they put a 6" length of plugged hose on the smog fitting on the pipes.

Do I need to be connected? Will it throw codes? Does it hurt the cats at all not to be connected to that smog pump? Or is it only an emmisions deal. Will I need it to pass emmissions testing at inspection?

 

[sweet88gt]

Ive removed the smog pump and capped off the pipe that connects to the x pipe. Its not going to throw any codes with the x pipe part but my store some soft codes about the thermatic pump not functioning. As far as emissions you may want to contact your shop and see if they think you will pass. I dont think it will hurt the cats as the pump just forces air into the exhaust to help clean it up.

 

[HISSIN50]

I would want the line connected. Without the oxygen the pump introduces, catalyzation will be hurt seriously.

If the leads from the pump are capped, I wonder where the pressure/volume from the air pump will go? That is also not good.

Good luck.

 

[jrichker]

If Ford could have made the cats work without the smog pump they would have done it. Without a functional pump, the catalytic core will coat and clog over time.

Lets face it - the pump costs money. Every dollar saved per car amounts to big bucks when you make 200,000 cars a year.

 

[Metalcop]

If you are still using the cats, definitely hook the air pump back up to them. One does not work (properly) without the other. The best scenario is to do away with both the smog pump and the catalytic converters. The weight of the smog pump and bracketry, plus the parastic hp it takes, makes it a big loser, imo. Keep the 'legal' parts on hand and put them back in, if absolutely necessary, come inspection time. Sounds like a pain in the a$$, but you could be looking at a 20+ hp gain.

 

[18mustangs]

If Ford could have made the cats work without the smog pump they would have done it. Without a functional pump, the catalytic core will coat and clog over time.

Lets face it - the pump costs money. Every dollar saved per car amounts to big bucks when you make 200,000 cars a year.

There are cats that work without air, MAC sells them but they were only available in 3" diameter, all of the 2.5" required air. Withre regards to your're comment on the catalytic core clogging, I'm right with you!

 

[89MustangGX]

I disagree with needing a pump with these new cats, but that's been done in many other threads.

At the very least, take off the pump completely or connect it up just so you don't have that pressure building up against that cap there.

 

[xarnyz]

If Ford could have made the cats work without the smog pump they would have done it. Without a functional pump, the catalytic core will coat and clog over time.

Lets face it - the pump costs money. Every dollar saved per car amounts to big bucks when you make 200,000 cars a year.

I'm guessing older cars with cats were just screwed without respective SMOG pumps. I dunno, maybe all catted cars came with smog pumps.

Some soul around here said that this pump is to pump air to the cats to help reduce smog when the cats are cold. Does anyone know if this pump is a simple pump that can't be stopped or started and is just always pumping? or is it actually able to cycle on and off during the drive cycle?

 

[vristang]

I'm guessing older cars with cats were just screwed without respective SMOG pumps. I dunno, maybe all catted cars came with smog pumps.

Some soul around here said that this pump is to pump air to the cats to help reduce smog when the cats are cold. Does anyone know if this pump is a simple pump that can't be stopped or started and is just always pumping? or is it actually able to cycle on and off during the drive cycle?

There is no clutch on the air pump. The only acc. with a clutch is the ac (and fan if you count that).

Older cars that did not use an air pump had durability issues with the cats. The cats would burn up and plug. The air pump improves the life of the cat as well as improving emissions, by allowing further oxidation.

I have heard that there are some cats out there that work efficiently and have reasonable lifespans without using an airpump. But, the above reference to MAC is the only time anyone has supplied a brand name (that I have seen anyway).
If the BBK cats do not require air, then there probably would not be an air fitting on their exhaust.
I would go back to the shop with a little bit of an attitude. "Professionals" should know better. Thats why I quite going to shops.

my thoughts
good luck
jason

 

[HISSIN50]

I'm guessing older cars with cats were just screwed without respective SMOG pumps. I dunno, maybe all catted cars came with smog pumps.

Some soul around here said that this pump is to pump air to the cats to help reduce smog when the cats are cold. Does anyone know if this pump is a simple pump that can't be stopped or started and is just always pumping? or is it actually able to cycle on and off during the drive cycle?

Cats in older cars were often single or two-ways, and the cars ran on the rich side most of the time, so they still helped even if there was no additional air being injected.

The smog pump's solenoid pathways (there are two - the TAB and TAD) allow air to be sent upstream of the cats during warm-up. This helps the cats to light off.
Then once warmed up a bit, the diverter valve sends the AIR's air to the cats to allow catalyzation to occur (it is hard to have catalyzation without extra oxygen - it doesnt happen magically).

The pump is always spinning; it is the said diverter valves which control where it goes. The pump becomes a bit more innocuous during WOT.

Good luck.

 

[xarnyz]

Thank you guys for all the good info. I remember the richness thing helping now, my mazda6 is running rich to save the cats they say...

One question, why is the smog pump line on the midpipe only upstream to one pair of cats? (stock midpipe) Are my front cats going to die?

 

[Philstang]

nah, cats have nine lives

 

[MattZ281LE]

Overly rich will plug cats. Too lean will melt them. Problem with early cat cars was the lack of electronics and fuel injection. Impossible to keep agood A/F ratio which is very important to their life. Most pre electronic/EFI cras where run hot, lean and retarded to reduce emissions, this was a good part of why the cars of the 70's-80's power output was severly hurt.

Smog pumps have been around long before the cat converter. They started appearing in the mid/late 60's primarily to reduce startup and cruise emissions levels. Then came EGR in the early 70's and cats on Most cars in 1975. PCV was actually the first emission device on most cars in the early/mid 60's.

On most modern cars emissions do not hamper the performance much. other that the drag and weight loss of the equipment and the minor exhaust restriction the electronics do all the things mechanical things where never able to do.

 

[RacEoHolic330]

When I bought my car it had a bassani catted x-pipe and the tube for the smog was capped on the end. I ran the car like that for almost 2 years with no problems at all. It passed NJ inspection like that as well. Was waaaaaaaay under the limit.

 

[blackcloud50]

You don't need the smog pump connected-

http://www.randomtechnology.com/technical.html

 

[xarnyz]

Interesting article, especially the part where it explains a smog pump connected between two different types of catalyst blocks. So now Im wondering, does the stock midpipe really only have 2 cats? just seperated into 2 pieces each? front ones being one brick type material and back ones being another type, and of course the smog pump pumping into the middle of these two types. The bbk catted midpipe I saw actually has the smog pump connected to the middle of the single section of cats which makes perfect sense now! Notice the little section of heaterpipe they give you. Im gonna use that

 

[jaymac]

I read an article in MM&FF or 5.0 on Bassani cats that were bolt-on that didn't appear to need any kind of air tube. Anybody heard of these??
Maybe they're assuming that you're just replacing stock cats and already have an air tube?