Looking under the hood of my GSL i noted the previous owner had beggun removing some of the emissions controls. all vaccum lines except the idle compensator had been plugged off.

i also noticed that th airpump had been removed too.

Is this gengerally a good hting? or would the car run better if i found one and put it back?

 

Check to see if there is a catalytic converter still on the car. If there is, then you need the airpump or else the cat will become clogged(or just replace the cat with a presilencer or straight pipe). If there's no cat on the car, then it's good that it was removed.

 

Iff thers a cat still on the car,

is this the same as the thermal reactor?


what would be affected by a clogged cat?

 

The air pump must be used with a thermal reactor. The guy with the yellow car in his avatar will tell you more.

 

Well you said you have a GSL, so you don't have a thermal reactor on your car. A cat performs the same duties of a TR, but in a different way. Both need fresh air to burn off the excess polutants in the exhaust and both will be damaged if the air pump is removed. In the case of a cat, it can become plugged, restricting exahust flow and reducing power.

If however your cat was removed along with the airpump then you'll be just fine without it.

 

Cody should chime in soon about the effects of a clogged cat.

 

I would assume a clogged cat would totally kill you preformance and gas milage, but I don't want to *** u me anything. So anybody else?

 

I love the effects of a clogged cat. A clogged car gave me a RX-7 in great condition for $500 because the owner thought the engine was blown


A semi-clogged cat will make the car preform terribly. If it's completely clogged like mine was, the car won't even run.

 

???
I dont know much about it


get a test pipe and remove the air pump
if you dont have emissions

 

Dam, 500 for a good RX7 and all it was, was a clogged cat. That is a great deal.

 

 

I like your yellow car better

 

Thanks. It's the box art from a Nichimo 1/25 scale plastic model kit of the Savannah GT (RX3 to us).

I actually have a '72 RX3, but it's red.

 

Hello? We need to see P I C T U R E S of that bad boy!

 

I concour

 

Oh come now, it's more fun this way, don't you think?
Have you no sense of mystery?

Here's a little teaser...

 

heeh this threads all about me? remember?

 

Sorry 'bout that Cap'n, we done highjacked your thread.

Anyway, back to the air pump. What's the verdict on the catalytic converter? Is it still on your car?

 

I cut my airpump over a month ago on my 1980. I installed a 2nd gen alternator with a dual belt pulley. My car had been backfiring like a **** and then it stopped when I cut the airpump...well...except for that uncle buck backfire this morning. I figured my original cat was probably blown from the months of me driving it backfiring. Although, I would like to get a *cough testpipe cough*.

 

What is a test pipe?

 

it seems to have mystical powers.

although I have also heard a broom handle in the cat might do the same exact thing...

 

Eh just put on a RB header and exhaust and dump the air pump and enjoy the extra HP

 

And here is another n00b question: wahts the alternator do for power output? I thought it just ran the car's electrical when the engine was running?

and no RB exhaust at the moment i am a poor student and a fan of macGuyver

 

Aha.. so i thread a pipe or brroom stick up the exhaust and feel around for... what?

I had also heard that if things were running good you shouldn't be able to put your hand over the back of the tail pipe because of the air pressure...

i could quite easily, if not for the heat :P

 

well, what I have *heard* is that you disconnect the cat and then shove a broom handle or something similar in it and break up all the stuff in it and pour it out. It hollows out the cat. It's not like I know first hand or anything...*cough*