Hi,
i am planning on buying a 91 bird with the 3.1. The car is located about 50 miles from my house. it has low miles (100K) but has been sitting for about a year. The car starts right up but the air pump is frozen. It is relatively cold here and the car is pretty far away so i want to get this right. Can anyone tell me the exact procedure and what tools i will need to remove the air pump? It appears like there is 3 bolts on the front pulley and then 2 bolts that hold it in. Are there any "hidden" bolts or other issues removing it or does it come right out (any interference, etc?) Can it be removed and replaced from the top of the car without going under it? The car is on grass and jacking will be problematic. If i remove it, does anyone know the belt number i would need? How about a photo of the belt routing without the pump? I did see the writeup on removal but it was a v8 car. Any help appreciated, i dont want to go up there in the cold and not have the tools or run into some unforseen issue. thanks

 

You could put on the idler setup from a 2.8 and run the 2.8 belt, but your best bet is to just replace the pump. If you run a shorter belt without the pump the belt will flap around alot and you will have to block off the air injection tubes. But removal for the mst part it straight forward like you said. 3 on the pulley, one on alternator, one on the smog pump bracket. then tubing and electrical connections on the back.

 

I took mine off and replaced it with an idler pulley from a firebird. me and my friend are going to run it to his intake on his tbi s10 and use it like a really crappy supercharger. the camaro air pumps suck. they have a different design than the s10 and its not as friendly to being messed around with. I'd say look for an idler pulley in a junkyard.

 

I am not sure how different the 2.8 and 3.1 belt setups are but when I got my 89 2.8 it had cali emissions on it and had a smog pump. I was able to run the no a.c. belt for a 2.8 without cali emissions and was able to bypss the smog pump all together. Then again I also had to remove the a.c. pump to clear the belt. I guess it would be what evere you would like to do.

 

I ordered a rebuilt pump from autozone today, it was only 60 dollars so i figured why mess around. thanks for the advice.

 

Ya I just had to do the same with my 92 3.1, but I was able to find one in good condition out of a wrecking yard. I think I payed 25 for it with the pully. Plus replacing the pump will keep you smog legal, that is if you have emmision laws in your neck of the woods.

 

"really crappy supercharger"? With that being said, I ask... How much air does the AIR pump acually produce? This idea soungs bogus to me, but honestly I really don't know...

 

First time ive ever heard that. wouldnt think think it would compensate for the extra load on the accessory drive.

 

You would get more benefit hooking up a damn leaf blower. You'd need to add 5-6 at least to get little benefit for the amount of weight.

 

yea that truck finally died. we ran it like that but as expected, no difference at all. although you could still tell people you have a supercharged v6 in your s10. hahaha

 

Polish the pump, and list it on eBay as a honda supercharger.
* insert evil laugh here *
The money earned from the sale can be used for REAL car parts ( third gens) or beer.

 

I just removed the pully from the pump and put on a shorter belt. [air pump helps L-R weight balance ]

 

LOLOLOL.

As far as removing the AIR setup, I have posts on my thread on how to do it. If you have all stock pulleys, you will need an 81.5" belt. You will also have to remove the A/C compressor. You will need to plug the tube, going into your passenger side exhaust manifold. I don't remember any hidden bolts, but I do remember there is a vacuum line, to your fuel pressure regulator that will need plugged, AND an electrical plug to disconnect. You can't see them, until you get the pump loose. You will need to find a way to restrict your coolant return line, from the heater core. After I pulled my pump, I found the serpentine belt was rubbing the coolant line. I used vinyl electrical tape, and ran the tape over the metal inlet line. Just put a little tension on the tape, and it will pull the line, to give safe clearance.

As far as routing, I don't have a picture. I can tell you how to do it though.

First, you'll have to remove the A/C, then pull the PS pump bracket loose. The bracket has to be mounted, as the car was without A/C. So pull the bolt going into the driver's side head. Move the pump, so the RIGHT SIDE BOLT HOLE lines up, with the hole on your head. Run the bolt through this hole, and tighten down your PS pump bracket. The pump must be moved up, for clearance, when you reroute your serpentine belt.

Next, run your serpentine belt from the crankshaft, up over the alternator. Go under your tensioner pulley, across the top of your PS pump. Go around the PS pump, up over the top of the water pump. Go around the water pump, and down to the crankshaft. This will ensure that the water pump still turns counter clockwise, and that it is tight on the pulley.

As, soon as I learn how to upload pictures on here, I plan to take a picture of my belt routing, and post it for people to see.