I own a 1987 IROC LB-9 (RED)
I had a question regarding the AIR Pump. I suspect that my AIR pump is going south due to bearing noise coming from the unit... WILL a malfunctioning AIR pump have any ILL effects on the drivability of the car besides not passing emissions??? I have heard that the car's system will build up with carbon if you run without an AIR pump-- NOX will increase exponencially. Reason I am asking is that I am doing some spring cleaning on the car and am contemplating replacing this. It takes 3 cranks to start my car and was wondering if this AIR pump could be affecting the startup time of the vehicle...

 

If the bearings in the air pump are going out it can cause excessive drag on the engine that can hurt your drivability, power, and MPG. The bearings may just be dry. It's not too hard to take the pump off, crack it open on the work bench and check out the insides. There's not much to it and you can easily put some grease on the bearings to smooth it out. Mine turned 10x easier after I did this.

I'm not sure about running without AIR. I was told it was fine but I've been running without AIR for awhile and I think I smoked my year old cat because it's not getting the air it needs when cold. If you eliminate the AIR system you might want to get an "off-road" test pipe made that can bolt in place of the cat to keep from killing it.