Smog pump & Cats, Newbee!

Removing the pollution control equipment from a 5.0 Mustang is a bad idea. All you have accomplished is to make the computer mad and spit codes. The pollution control equipment all shuts off at wide open throttle, so the HP losses from it on the car are 2-5 HP. The catalytic converters may soak a few more HP than that. None of the pollution control equipment reduces the HP enough to cost you a race in anything but professional drag strip competition. I seriously doubt that you will be in the final runoff on “Pinks”, so leave the smog equipment in place and make sure it is working correctly.

Know what does what before removing it. Remove or disable the wrong thing and the computer sets the check engine light and runs in "limp mode". Limp mode means reduced power and fuel economy.

Here's a book that will get you started with how the Ford electronic engine control or "computer" works.

Ford Fuel Injection & Electronic Engine Control 1988-1993 by James Probst :ISBN 0-8376-0301-3.

It's about $20-$45 from Borders.com see http://www.amazon.com/ . Select boo...e to check cars, but it is still Federal law.

I bought my car with no smog pump or cats. I put a catted magnaflow h pipe on and smog pump and the exhaust drone i had with no cats went away from my mac catback. The engine feels just as powerfull with the cats and pump and sounds better without the interior resonance popping your ear drums. I would keep the pollution control equipment like jrichker says.

I have an 89 GT with no cats, air pump, EGR, or A/C and the P/S is next to go. If you have no cats then there is really no need for the air pump however, dont delete the pump and keep your cats or they will fail. My car is a TRACK ONLY car so I took off everything that was unneeded, mostly for weight reduction but I also wanted to reduce any parasitic drag. If this car were a daily driver the in-cab drone from the exhaust would eventually drive me insane (even more than I already am). I wouldn't recommend removing the emmisions equiptment on a DD but to each his own I guess. If you do remove the pump and cats you will need to turn off the o2 sensors (MIL) and plug the back of the heads.