Smog pump....

[90blzr]

My 1990 K5 never had a smog pump since I have had the truck. I dont think it came with one from the factory. Its always been a California truck.

I rescently installed an engine from an 1989 K5, Colorado donor truck, and it has all of the smog equipment on it, smog pump, tubes out of the exhaust manifolds etc.

Can I take all of that off and not effect anything? If my truck didnt come with it, I see no reason to keep it if I dont have too.

Also, did they use different belts? The guy at the parts house said it was the same belt.... I would think the one with a smog pump would be longer??

 

[skelly1]

I have the same rig. Get rid of the smog pump and it's plumbing. Can you reuse your old manifolds? Not necessary, but a smog tech might get curious if you have the AIS holes plugged where there used to be smog tubes. If the underhood sticker is still on the area between the grill and radiator, as long as it reads legibly that it's a 1990, and it doesn't have "AIS" listed you don't need air injection. Inside the "CATALYST" box on my truck reads EGR/TWC/O2S, in other words there is no AIS in that string of characters. The part number on my belt is not legible but I believe that the belt is shorter on the 90 vs. the 89 model year. My truck even has the bracket to mount the pump, and the guy who sold me the truck 5 or so years ago sold it cheap because he didn't think it was going to pass smog.

 

[90blzr]

yeah, my 90 has the bracketry too, just none of the stuff, and the other 90's I have seen didnt have the pump or anything either.

Old manifolds are gone, I sold them with the motor.
Guess I'll yank it...I dont worry about smog techs, I have friends

 

[dyeager535]

Can't you just swap the stuff over from the 1990 to the '89?

That would be my first idea. End up with having to plug AIR hole(s) in manifolds, whatever belt issues, etc.

Besides all of this, do you even have the wiring that "drives" AIR? Believe all that is, is the divert solenoid two wire plug, but as mentioned by the other poster, I'd expect any underhood inspection to notice unplugged/non-functioning components.

Technically what you have done is illegal, so you need to make the 1989 engine look and operate exactly like that 1990 so the inspectors have no reason to look too close.

Since you mentioned friends, forget that then. However, things change, (as do connections) so if you can swap it over now to "correct", it's going to be a lot cheaper than in the future.

I know here you have to pass inspection, (just sniffer test here) and if an interested buyer (say you ever want to sell) takes it to be inspected pre-purchase, that will quash a potential sale. Again, that probably varies by state, and certainly by how savvy the buyer is, but something to consider if you think you might *ever* sell it.

 

[90blzr]

Good point, but I dont have the stuff from the '90 anymore. I could always just say that the manifolds cracked and the only ones I could find to the replace them were from an '89 couldnt I?

You are correct, I forgot to mention the wiring. I dont have the wiring to plug into it. So it does appear as if it is disconnected.

As far as swapping 'everything' over....from what I can tell, the only thing that is different from the 89-90 is the smog pump set up...everything else plugged in the same, actually I had to swap one other thing, the big plug on the pass. side of the TBI. Both engines had it, but my plug was different. So the '90 one is now on the '89 motor.

 

[Eric M.]

Just a heads up on how the smog inspection works these days. The tech enters your VIN in the computer. The computer gives the tech a list of smog related equipment to check for (visual inspection). The computer data base will know wether your truck is a CA ride or out of state, the engine size, trans., etc., etc. based on the VIN. The tech really doesn't have much of a choice or say in any of this. If the computer says you don't need an air pump, I don't think it really matters if the holes are plugged and the bracketry is hanging off the motor. The only options for the tech is "yes" or "no". The computer will then tell you if you passed or not and what you need to correct.

Same with the sniffer part of the test. The computer makes the pass / fail decision, not the tech. I've heard folks compare thier failed results to the results of others who have passed and come to the conclussion that they are burning cleaner and should've passed. Wrong, every vehicle has a certin set of perameters it must fall within that are specific to that vehicle. It isn't the same for all. Year, GVW, engine size, CA / nonCA are a few of the factors.

In CA, you can install a later year engine in a car, but all the smog has to be intact for your model car of THE YEAR of the enging you are installing. I have no idea how they inspect this .... I think you have to go to a referee. You can't install an earlier year motor and keep the smog from the year of the motor.

I would think as long as you reinstall all the equipment that was on you rig before you did the swap, you'd be fine.

Sorry for the long post ... it's the morning and all I have to look foward to is work

Eric M.