Secondary Air Pump / taking it apart / $1400 / If you own a Tacoma you should read this..

Ok so now another question?
So if you where to go snorkel would you have to remove this and bypassing it to avoid water being suck down or in it?



Edit: @Manwithoutaplan
Any insight maybe?

 

So, if I understand your post correctly, as well as all the information in the thread linked by 14 Tacoma, the entire cause of this issue is the deterioration of the foam filter in the pump. Correct?

If that is true, can't we just yank the foam filter out and call it good?

 

I would take it out and replace it with something else that would deteriorate quickly non-oiled of course

 

It seems the alternative is an entire bypass. Which leads me to believe it isn't that important a function anyway. How bad could removing the filter altogether be?

 

I went ahead and decided to just man handle it open. One of the plastic lips cracked. I found that the impeller has blades on both sides, and the back side (which I cannot get to because the shaft is pressed in through it into the motor housing, which I do not think can be removed). Luckily the top side only has the damage. Clearly the foam filter deteriorated and got sucked down into it, entirely (there was no foam left in the pump), no evidence of a retaining device for the foam filter in the design.

I think I may attempt to cut off an equal (ish) amount of fins, by dividing the impeller into sections. The reason I say equal-ish is because the impeller has 47 blades on each side... Inconvenient, but I think that be able to even out the weight distribution enough so the impeller wont be significantly unbalanced. Hopefully with a little more even weight distribution it will not cause it to tilt and hit the casing. The way it is I would be very skeptical about the impeller tilting and hitting the casing (causing a lot of the blades to break or possibly it to all break into pieces).

Opinions on attempting to do ^^?

 

The foam filter must be there for a reason right? Maybe to keep exhaust carbon from clogging up the actual pump? It would be nice of these were serviceable. Would it be possible to insert some type of retainer/ screen to keep it in place or turning the pump sideways/ upside down to avert the effects of gravity?

Removing it would be great if there would be no negative effects.... who wants to be the test subject?

 

An entire bypass is not the perfect end all solution, or really anything I see my self entertaining. People are having issues with those bypass things, and no small ones at that... Limp mode and codes thrown, tows to shop. All to find out they have to pay for the new pump anyway, now they are out $ for pump + tow + labor + the bypass. That is not even getting into state laws on emissions and without it I would bet money you would not pass an emissions test... That is why toyota put them there to begin with. If you even think you may move, not the right way to go. Then selling it with that done, probably a legal thing that could come back to haunt you... 'man sues seller for illegally modifying vehicle emissions system', lets be honest, people sue for much less significant things and get a lot of money. Suing over this would actually make since.

@Scrubber3 I would suggest doing something, if you leave it be you are very likely to end up in the same situation. I wish someone had taken the time to put up what I have, would have saved me a lot of BS. I would role the dice with no filter, but that is just me. Maybe mount something on the outside. The intake opening attachment (the round thing on the intake tube) can be taken off, maybe clamp some sort of filter on that.

 

Personally if it were my truck and it had 170k on it, I would roll the dice on a junk yard part.

 

Where I am in NC, unless it causes the CEL to come on, I'm good to go for emissions. There is no exhaust probe that is inserted into the tailpipe. As long as I can keep the CEL off, I'm good.

 

I am going to try to find one first. I want to look at it before buying. You can easily tell it has broken blades by looking down in it, quick unhook too. Buying one online does not offer that option and they are going for around $250. I am trying to find one at a flat $ rate yard.

I wouldn't if you may ever move and like I said, it hasn't been working as well for some people as intended.

Entertain this, say it does not work as well as intended, then your system detects it and throws codes. If they dont emissions test during inspections, they will see check engine light on and they will run the code and see it is your emissions system. Then they look at it and can see the bypass unit, you fail inspection.

 

Lets get one thing straight @TXpro4X4 this pump in no way shape or form benefits YOU as an end user nor will it give you 5 or 10 extra ponies for having one in place. The function of this pump is to inject additional air into the exhaust mixture downstream of the exhaust into the catalytic converter in order to allow the truck to have cleaner emissions at the tailpipe. Up to 50% cleaner emissions actually. This tells me that without these, this 1GR 4.0 motor runs very dirty from the factory. Rather than finding alternative solutions which can be integrated by making small revisions to the way the VVT-I works, etc. etc. Toyota chooses to be lazy and half ass "revise" these engines into having this otherwise shitty built part and than charge boatloads of money so they can make more money from you off a part which they already know is built like shit later on down the road. The sort of tactics GM implements into their vehicles actually.

Now, as a solution, pull the foam filter out entirely. Exhaust fumes are exactly that. Just fumes. There are no additional contaminants that could otherwise damage that fan. Thinking about this thread I should probably go out and do this myself. I'll have to check it soon.

 

@12TRDTacoma, $1400 of foam is only a few centimeters and a single pot hole away from your impeller. lol

 

Utter BS of a design if you ask me.

 

Just FYI I have the new version of the bypass and have no codes thrown.

Been driving it free and clear for about 4 months. Don't waste all that money replacing parts that will go out again.

 

The 4.0 did not get the pump until 2012 and up. If you are 05-11 v6 you do not have the pump

 

On the topic of taking the filter out and fumes or what ever:

This pump sucks air in, and pushes it into your exhaust system. I do not see how any sort of fume lingering in your engine bay could matter when it is just getting put into your exhaust system. It does this through a pump designed to move air and a check valve. The only possible concern I could see is particulate debris.

But I am not a Toyota expert with the expertise and knowledge to design such a wonderful part sooooo ....

 

Which engine?

 

The foam is not the sole issue. The valves get fucked up too. And when they get stuck open because of deterioration, that's when the truck throws a code and goes into limp mode. Supposedly 2013+ v6s run the pump cycle at shutdown to remedy the issue due to moisture but some 2013+ owners have still had the issue, but maybe they are just the outliers and just got a lemon pump? Who knows at this point. It's much more documented on Tundras, but it's affecting 4Runners as well.

 

Removing the filter would probably be just fine as long as the check valve is cleaned from time to time.