Redraif's 2.8 came without a smog pump, and to me the belt has always whipped too much...even with a belt thats tighter than stock (the one that everybody lists for a 2.8 is longer than what she has...you can slip it on without moving the tensioner!). There is no idler pulley or anything, and I have seen several others just like hers, but recently at a car show we noticed that a freind's 2.8 88 Camaro had an idler pulley that attached where the smog pump is on some models...anyone seen this before? We'd put one on Redraif's car if we could find one.

 

Yeah, I've got one in my basement, if I ever swap to a serpentine belt setup. 'Course, it's not for sale! But certain v6 thirdgen's didn't get the smog pump, you just have to crawl in some junkyards to find 'em. I think you can also buy it new. But I'm definately sure this old message will help you, found through a 5 second search of the v6 forum: https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=62501

 

Thats something I've always wondered my 85 2.8 SC didnt have a smog and my 85TPI 5.0 did? Anyone with vbelt setups run into any problems removing the smog, like losing bite from the crank to the water pump?

 

Hey thanks Tom!

We have been looking at 2.8s for anout a year now at Pull-a-part and have never seen this option. We had to have seen 50 or so cars. Most have the smog pump or are v-belt cars. What did you search under? I did not know the proper name of the part personally.

 

Well, you clicked on the link I gave, right? I think I searched for smog pump, or air pump, something like that. It helped that I remembered the message, too. But that message I linked to gives all the years of v6's with/without air pumps, give it a look.

 

I have serpentine belts and I removed my smog pump pully and got the shorter belt. I have had no problems.

86 auto had no pump, 86 stick had a pump.

not sure how your routes but mine goes around the crank, up to the alt. around the water pump, and down back to the crank. I have no tensioner or idler pully, the alt. is what I tighten to take up any slack.

 

The belt hasn't come off or anything, but it does seem to move around more than it should. If we happen to find one of the idler pullies, we'll grab it.