Air Pump Delete
04-26-2006, 06:23 PM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Air Pump Delete
If you want to delete that old, noisy air pump, lose some weight and reduce the parasitic drag, the only issue is finding the right belt to go directly from the crank pulley to the radiator fan pulley. (For the OB's)
I found it!
ACE Hardware. MBL Three Stars, General Utility V-Belt, 4L210. It is EXACTLY the right length. No adjustments/shimming necessary. Just remove the Power steering belt and the old air pump belt, remove the fan bracket and slip on the the new belt. Replace the PS belt and you're done.
The hardest part is removing the air pump itself, but you really don't have to do that if you don't want to.
I found it!
ACE Hardware. MBL Three Stars, General Utility V-Belt, 4L210. It is EXACTLY the right length. No adjustments/shimming necessary. Just remove the Power steering belt and the old air pump belt, remove the fan bracket and slip on the the new belt. Replace the PS belt and you're done.
The hardest part is removing the air pump itself, but you really don't have to do that if you don't want to.
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Shelden Finholm (07-21-2022)
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04-26-2006, 07:20 PM
#8
I just had my mechanic remove my air pump when he was doing the TB/WP & the 4L200 or 20" worked best. I bought both the 20" & 21" belts from NAPA($5.77 each), & told him to use which ever one fit best. There was the thought of the smaller belt if too tight putting strain on the fan pulley & causing eventual bearing failure or the larger one stretching at some point & slipping. I still have the 21" one to return to NAPA.
09-07-2009, 06:20 PM
#9
6th Gear
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OK, my first post here 
.. and keeping an old thread alive.
I recently bought a 79 Euro 928 "drive it across the country, car need nothing",.. yeah right
On the first real test trip the water pump almost disintegrated. Parked the car and it leaked out most of the cooling fluid.
Car came without any service records so I have started doing the timing belt while in there (of course).
The water pump had 2-3 mm sideways play so it must have been that close to havoc. Air pump rattles, the car has a borla SS system so I figured out that air pumps time has come to an end.
I understand people use the 20 or 21" belts and I am getting one belt in each dimension to try out.
Based on the threads about air pump delete I assume the new setup (no air pump) basically will be non adjustable, it is the only way I can figure out the setup. Right?
So basically the belt must be fit before the fan is tightened?
I did not see any clear answers on whether it is ok to remove the viscous fan so I suppose everyone is keeping them, anyone?
.. and keeping an old thread alive.I recently bought a 79 Euro 928 "drive it across the country, car need nothing",.. yeah right
On the first real test trip the water pump almost disintegrated. Parked the car and it leaked out most of the cooling fluid.
Car came without any service records so I have started doing the timing belt while in there (of course).
The water pump had 2-3 mm sideways play so it must have been that close to havoc. Air pump rattles, the car has a borla SS system so I figured out that air pumps time has come to an end.
I understand people use the 20 or 21" belts and I am getting one belt in each dimension to try out.
Based on the threads about air pump delete I assume the new setup (no air pump) basically will be non adjustable, it is the only way I can figure out the setup. Right?
So basically the belt must be fit before the fan is tightened?
I did not see any clear answers on whether it is ok to remove the viscous fan so I suppose everyone is keeping them, anyone?
09-07-2009, 06:54 PM
#11
Craic Head
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The pulley on the crank is dependent on whether or not you have rear air IIRC. If you have rear air the fan is supposed to spin faster at idle, so you would need the shorter belt (smaller diameter crank pulley section for the fan/air pump, for higher rpms).
You're right that there is no adjustment and I was nervous about this too, but I found that it's easy to put in and the belt will drive the fan just fine when you install it with the short belt and eliminate the air pump (I'm actually running without the aux electric fan I'm so confident).
The technique I used was to remove the upper fan console bolts, put the short belt on the pulley, then put the upper left one in finger tight. Then put the upper right bolt in and pull up on the console so the holes line up and put that one in finger tight. Torque them down and you should be good (I forget if there are any more bolts, but once the two top corners are in, it's not going anywhere so you can put them in after if there are any).
I can see my belt flex a bit when I rev it, but the fan has a clutch in it for when it's revved past a certain RPMs anyway, so it just has to do it's job at the lowest RPMs and mine appears to be doing so just fine.
Sorry for your other issues, good luck and if you need a hand, maybe start another thread on those issues.
Keep us posted.
You're right that there is no adjustment and I was nervous about this too, but I found that it's easy to put in and the belt will drive the fan just fine when you install it with the short belt and eliminate the air pump (I'm actually running without the aux electric fan I'm so confident).
The technique I used was to remove the upper fan console bolts, put the short belt on the pulley, then put the upper left one in finger tight. Then put the upper right bolt in and pull up on the console so the holes line up and put that one in finger tight. Torque them down and you should be good (I forget if there are any more bolts, but once the two top corners are in, it's not going anywhere so you can put them in after if there are any).
I can see my belt flex a bit when I rev it, but the fan has a clutch in it for when it's revved past a certain RPMs anyway, so it just has to do it's job at the lowest RPMs and mine appears to be doing so just fine.
Sorry for your other issues, good luck and if you need a hand, maybe start another thread on those issues.
Keep us posted.
09-07-2009, 10:58 PM
#14
Rennlist Member
My 78 has the 21" X 1/2" belt and it works great. Also, removing the air pump, and the little air filter in the front of the engine bay, and the corresponding hoses is very easy.
09-07-2009, 11:53 PM
#15
Inventor
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
The pulley on the crank is dependent on whether or not you have rear air IIRC. If you have rear air the fan is supposed to spin faster at idle, so you would need the shorter belt (smaller diameter crank pulley section for the fan/air pump, for higher rpms).
The technique I used was to remove the upper fan console bolts, put the short belt on the pulley, then put the upper left one in finger tight. Then put the upper right bolt in and pull up on the console so the holes line up and put that one in finger tight. Torque them down and you should be good (I forget if there are any more bolts, but once the two top corners are in, it's not going anywhere so you can put them in after if there are any).
The technique I used was to remove the upper fan console bolts, put the short belt on the pulley, then put the upper left one in finger tight. Then put the upper right bolt in and pull up on the console so the holes line up and put that one in finger tight. Torque them down and you should be good (I forget if there are any more bolts, but once the two top corners are in, it's not going anywhere so you can put them in after if there are any).
20" = 86mm pulley (M319)
21" = 106mm pulley
On the cars I've worked on with a small pulley, I've swapped to the larger pulley for less noise, and drain on the engine, but it's cooler where I live.
Installation wise, I did the same as Mike, slipped on the belt, then installed the upper, driver's side bolt, but since the belt was new, I used a prybar to align the other two bolt holes.
