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Tech Editor's DeskProjects, papers, writings, thoughts, musings of our technical editor Joe Padavano. To begin with, he will be making threads and can approve posts to it if he wishes. This can be changed in the future if it does not work out well.
Working on a '66 air pump. It's a pretty interesting and straight forward design with vanes kinda like a PS pump. It has a hub inside a housing that spins around an off center shaft retaining three vanes on needle bearings.
According to the CSM the front bearing is integral with the inside hub and housing, and is not serviceable.
This pump is easy to service. It says about the only maintenance is blow out the housing, clean and repack the bearings, inspect surfaces for extreme wear and install a new "carbon seal".
These are the vanes; mine cleaned up very well.
This is the rotor ring, held on by six Allen head screws; the bearing has been cleaned but not repacked yet:
It may not look it, bit it is in excellent condition for having 90K miles.
The problem is that the carbon seal is toast and made of unobtaineum. My parts books do not go back to 1966.
Joe P can you please help me find one or a part number? I did find the whole pump on the interwebs for around $140, but all I need is a new carbon seal or gasket.
Yeah these parts have long fallen out of view. I usually find nothing when I go looking for PN's. I'd say you're better off just getting a replacement pump an using yours as a backup, while you source the part. I'd be surprised if these are still available.
I did find the whole pump on the interwebs for around $140, but all I need is a new carbon seal or gasket.
I'd say that's a pretty good deal, considering your situation.
The biggest problem with these " smog pumps " was when someone would disconnect the belt, and run around with it that way.
The exhaust gas ( and accompanying moisture) would backfeed into the pump.
This caused corrosion and carbon deposits.
Finding one in good condition is worth $140.
Last edited by Charlie Jones; May 2nd, 2023 at 07:32 AM.
Considering how these are fairly useless and would only be included for correctness as they don't give much love to the continued health of the exhaust manifolds, I would think getting the pump "reasonably functional" would satisfy your needs. Since it's an atmospheric air pump, there's not much heat there; I would think a good carb gasket material of the right thickness and cut correctly would get you there.
I've got 3 or 4 of these pumps although they all came off parts cars so I can't say for sure if any are better than what you've got. I'm located in Medford Oregon so I've come across a lot of California built cars. Since you only need the gasket I like the idea of making one out of a similar gasket material. But if you decide to go with a complete pump send me a PM and I'll get some pictures for you of what I've got.
Just to chime in, I have a CA-delivered ‘66 which had the AIR system from factory. I was one of those who disconnected mine in the 80’s. I blocked the exhaust ports with pipe plugs, removed the unit, and stored it. Removing it allowed me to relocate the alternator to the passenger side since my car doesn’t have A/C.
When operating as designed, the AIR system made my engine run badly - occasional backfires, vacuum leaks, deceleration misfires, leaky gulp valve, leaking exhaust back up through the injection pipes, and on & on. I was new at Olds 425’s then & didn’t know enough to make it work correctly. But I can report that removing it made the engine run as designed. I still have all the parts under my house just in case CA requires me to reinstall it. I’m not even sure I could find a working gulp valve these days.
If I have it right, GM patched it on to CA cars to meet changed rules. Those early days of emissions reduction were well intentioned (remember LA smog in those days?), but the cost was worse mileage, worse running cars that met the regs. Over the past 40 years, I concluded that the AIR system more or less diluted the exhaust stream & maybe caused some post-combustion burning to clean exhaust up a bit.
I wouldn’t recommend reinstalling it, but if you’re into it for show or historical purposes, carry on. If I were into that, I’d reinstall the pump on bearings with no vanes - spinning just for show. Then I’d block the pipes to the exhaust ports with a steel disc where they come together to keep the exhaust from feeding back into the injection ports. Maybe stick on the big fat vacuum hoses & ports on the intake manifold to finish the look of the job, but those big hoses are just asking to leak…
Please feel free to ignore me. If you can get it working as designed, you just might actually reduce emissions. Then I’d say more power to ya!
Whether or not I like it day to day, the AIR system represents US automotive history and at some level is worth preserving to remind us of what was.
Just to chime in, I have a CA-delivered ‘66 which had the AIR system from factory. I was one of those who disconnected mine in the 80’s. I blocked the exhaust ports with pipe plugs, removed the unit, and stored it. Removing it allowed me to relocate the alternator to the passenger side since my car doesn’t have A/C.
When operating as designed, the AIR system made my engine run badly - occasional backfires, vacuum leaks, deceleration misfires, leaky gulp valve, leaking exhaust back up through the injection pipes, and on & on. I was new at Olds 425’s then & didn’t know enough to make it work correctly. But I can report that removing it made the engine run as designed. I still have all the parts under my house just in case CA requires me to reinstall it. I’m not even sure I could find a working gulp valve these days.
If I have it right, GM patched it on to CA cars to meet changed rules. Those early days of emissions reduction were well intentioned (remember LA smog in those days?), but the cost was worse mileage, worse running cars that met the regs. Over the past 40 years, I concluded that the AIR system more or less diluted the exhaust stream & maybe caused some post-combustion burning to clean exhaust up a bit.
I wouldn’t recommend reinstalling it, but if you’re into it for show or historical purposes, carry on. If I were into that, I’d reinstall the pump on bearings with no vanes - spinning just for show. Then I’d block the pipes to the exhaust ports with a steel disc where they come together to keep the exhaust from feeding back into the injection ports. Maybe stick on the big fat vacuum hoses & ports on the intake manifold to finish the look of the job, but those big hoses are just asking to leak…
Please feel free to ignore me. If you can get it working as designed, you just might actually reduce emissions. Then I’d say more power to ya!
Whether or not I like it day to day, the AIR system represents US automotive history and at some level is worth preserving to remind us of what was.
Cheers
Chris
Just wondering how you got the car to run right when you removed the system? Like on my Toronado, which still has the full K19 installed, there's a bunch of components that prevent backfires, mainly the intake bleed valve, on deceleration due to the rich mixtures present when you let off on the gas. This isn't an issue on the 49 state Toronado as it has the throttle dashpot that helps prevent all that but if you removed all the K19 system components how do you prevent all the issues when you let off on the throttle? You'd have nothing to prevent backfires on deceleration.
I don't doubt that you have your car running better after removing it but there's definitely a reason for reducing rich mixtures upon deceleration.
Last edited by ourkid2000; May 2nd, 2023 at 05:10 AM.
I took my AIR System off in around 1984, so the following is from memory. You'd be amazed how simple a '66 Olds looks once that stuff is removed. It all makes so much more sense - like it was designed that way...
Loosen the pump and remove the belt & pump assembly. Remove the brackets which secure the pump to the block. Block off all of the AIR injection ports on the exhaust side of the heads with pipe plugs. Cap off all the related vacuum ports on the intake manifold. Brass pipe plugs or vacuum caps will take care of the intake manifold connections and for extra safety use some hose clamps around any vacuum caps for longevity. Eventually I replaced factory AIR intake manifold with an Edelbrock Performer which didn't even have the holes necessary to reinstall the AIR system.
And you're quite right eventually I leaned out the carb to prevent an overrich mixture. At the time I was running a Holley but years later went back to qjets. My favorite carb since the 90's or so is the 800 CFM later (75 & Up) qjet with the center fuel inlet. Correctly tuned they just feel right for a big block olds. Plus GM made 'em by the bazillions.
I usually have mine done by SMI in SoCal, but have spent a lot of hours (and with an 02 sensor!) getting the mixture just right at all RPM and demand ranges. Aka carb tuning... I generally wound up at 74 jets with 48 rods, a K hanger and DS secondary rods. Then you have play around with the power piston spring and swap 'em in & out to get the part throttle AFR/Lamba just right at stochoimetric value of 1.00 Lambda, or as close as you can with the analog carb...
April 30th, 2023, 12:47 PM
