@Punky
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.
If you removed the smog pump and still have catalytic converters, they will ultimately clog and fail. There are some catalytic converters that claim that they don’t need the smog air pump, but these are designed to run with the newer OBDII computer systems that run much cleaner then the OBDI computer system that came on pre 1996 V8 Mustangs
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 books and then select search. Use the ISBN number (without dashes or spaces) to do a search
Use the ISBN number and your local library can get you a loaner copy for free. Only thing is you are limited to keeping the book for two weeks. It is very good, and I found it to be very helpful.
Remove any of the equipment and you will not pass a full smog check, cannot title the car in an area that does smog checks and have broken several federal laws. Granted that the Feds are short on people to check cars, but it is still Federal law.
"Why should I leave the smog equipment on if I live in an area that doesn't do smog inspections?"
What's good sauce for the goose is good sauce for the gander. I lived in Florida and had two smog pumps fail on two different 89 5.0 Mustangs. I replaced both of them, even though there was no emissions inspection. Why?
1.) It a federal law that requires emissions equipment to be in place and functional. I have no intention of breaking a law designed to protect my general health and wellbeing, even if I don't like it. I have respect for the rights and wellbeing of other people, and am not one of those whose nature is rebellion.
2.) Whatever imaginary "improvements" someone may strive for, there is very little evidence that the results of removing emissions results in a better car. I can achieve excellent results in performance with all the smog equipment in place and working properly. Maybe you can't, but that is no excuse for removing the emissions equipment. Look at the new 5.0 Mustangs – 281 cubic inches and 400+ flywheel HP with full emissions equipment with no aftermarket parts. That tells me that it is possible on a mass production car. It also shows that the guys that designed the engine knew what they were doing to achieve that goal.
3.) I like to breathe clean air, and working emissions equipment helps me do my part to make that possible. Los Angeles has breathable air even with millions of cars: Beijing, the capitol of China has some of the worst air in the world. Why – no emissions requirements for cars.
I don’t want to live where the air looks like this…
See
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2014/01/15/2003581312
