P38A For readers with Secondary Air Injection - look for water

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Gord Wedman

Well-Known Member
Posts
612
Location
Chilliwack, British Columbia
I know the UK cars do not have the Secondary Air Injection system but thought I would post this for us NA readers who are plagued by this system.

Yesterday I decided to try and get rid of that "check engine soon" message which my Hawkeye Total said was due to my SAI not working on either bank. First check was to see if the air injection pump ran when the car was started up from cold. By holding the pump and listening I decided it was not running (since then I have decided a better method is to dissconnect the outlet pipe to see if air is blowing). Next check was to hot wire the pump to my battery. Nothing happening so I removed the pump and while I was carrying it into the garage I think a couple ounces of water poured out of the air outlet. I drilled out the rivets holding the front of the fan cover off and confirmed the fan/motor were seized. I was able to get the fan moving but not enough to run on 12volts so I took the whole unit apart. You can see it looks like there was 2 inches of water sitting in the fan housing. I don't think the pump has been running for a long time and water has just accumulated. I am thinking of drilling a 1/8 inch hole in the bottom of the fan housing to drain out any water. I would loose a bit of airflow but I don't think enough to make a difference. Hard to believe all this water came from condensation? Note that this fan has carbon brushes which are not replaceable so eventually the whole unit will need replacing.
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That pump is much larger, more like an Hevac blower. It draws 20 amps!
Luckily I have a good one from a parts car. The one on my other parts car was seized so it is a common problem.
I think your idea of a drain hole is a very good one. You may be onto something as to why it is indeed a common thing. My 1999 Vauxhall omega 2.0i 16v had a fresh injection setup as well. Or known as the holden. ;)
 
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