Ok, I currently have a 90 AWD TSi, but im looking hard at this NICE 2nd gen RX7, im pretty sure it's a NA, but I know little about it at the moment, since I have not had the chance to talk with the owner.

Anyway I already hate the air pump, I live in an area where no one gives a damn about emissions so my question being. With aftermarket exhaust(no CATs), can I just remove this thing and toss it in the garbage?


Also how hard would it be to swap to an electric fan vs the belt or crank driven stock fan?

 

If it's an NA, 89 or newer, the air pump works the performance goodies - the Aux ports & VDI.
You would need a substitute electric pump to work them.

 

goodies... hmm is that all it works? Someone was telling me it was basicly a smog pump?

 

It depends on the year/model.
On the turbos, & S4 NA's, it's a smog pump.

The pump hardly draws any power & is needed if you keep the main cat.
Its belt helps drive the fan.
Its weak spot on NA's is the mounting bracket, which can fracture.

 

ah ok, well thanks. I guess i'll get back to you as soon as I find out the year model.

The guy that showed it to me said it was a 4 port? would that help ID the car? Also how much better is a 6 port? And is that refuring to the intake ports to the combustion chamber(s)?

 

Statements like this always make me wonder...What is so bad about the air pump? It's not costing you more then 1HP, and it weighs under 10 LBS. And removing it causes many more problems then just leaving it.

Easy, but not worth it. Stock fan works fine.

 

Stock fan works fine, as long as the fan clutch is working properly. If that goes out, it might be worth putting an electric fan on. This also would remove the huge radiator shroud, making working on the engine a bit easier.

4-port would generally indicate a turbo car. The NAs have a 6 port setup (with the rotating sleeves to open up the additional 2 ports at high RPM), but the turbos don't need the extra ports.

I removed my air pump because it was seized up and generally being dead weight (and getting in the way while I was freeing up the 6th ports).

If you remove the air pump, it's really a good idea to put another belt on the water pump. A lot of people use dual alternator pulleys and run 2 alternator belts. Other people use a "yoohoo belt" (??? on where the name came from) which is a short belt that goes from the main pulley to the water pump, with no tensioners or anything. Having a single belt driving the fan & water pump will work, but with how important the water pump is for keeping a rotary working, it's not the best idea. Plus, it can slip at high RPM.

-=Russ=-

 

if you buy that car lemme get the air pump :P

 

Another reason to get rid of the air pump is that it frees up space in the engine bay. Also, assuming you removed the emmissions, the only problem I know of that is cause by removing the air pump is with the belts, and that is easily fixed with a dual belt setup. Is there somthing else I don't know of that can happen if you remove it?

 

So to save that 1 cubic foot of space, you're willing to lose your 5th and 6th ports, and VDI (if you have a S5)? As well as have to deal with getting a dual belt alternator pully?

See above. You now have to figure out a creative solution to the ports and VDI.

 

I removed mine on my TII simply to make the engine bay cleaner, and to make room for my TID. I have no cats so it wasn't even needed. Why not get rid of it in that case? An N/A is a different story though.

-Joe