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2002 Chevy Air Pump Failure

I was hoping someone might have a suggestion I'm on my 6th emissions air pump on my 2002 Impala 3.8 V6. The first 5 were on Chevy and I thouht they finally solved the problem but 8,000 later the dreaded check engine light came on and it was the air pump one more time. I got the pump from the mechanic and after taking it apart I found that the failure was caused by water ,black exhaust smelling water, in the motor housing itself. I asked the mechanic if they checked the function of the check valve from the exhaust and they said it seem to be working correctly.

The chevy dealer who did the first 5 pumps said that water has gotten into the fan housing and rusted out the fian blades which seems interesting since the blades are plastic! They did replace the check valve the last time they replaced the pump and the intake upgrade has been installed.

I'm hoping someone might have a idea on how to get this pump to last a little longer I like the car and really don't want to sell it.

Thanks Tim

Reply to
Tim
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Saw something quite similar several years ago on a Volvo. The Volvo used an electric air pump, it only ran for a short time on a cold start. Could not figure out the source of the water. Turned out to be a bad one-way valve where the pressurized air was admitted to the exhaust manifold. The Swedish engineers explained that when the valve stays open, everything is fine until the engine is shut down. As the hot exhaust system cools, a small amount of water condenses throughout the hot exhaust system. That condensate is the source of the steam you see from the exhaust pipe for a shot time after starting a cold engine on a cool morning. If the one-way valve to the air pump operates correctly, the air pump is isolated from the condensation. If the valve stays open, a small amount of water condenses inside the air pump. Since there's no drain, it gradually builds up. When a sufficient amount collects, time to buy another pump. Believe GM used to call the valve an "acorn" valve. I was skeptical, but it did work. The valve's not real expensive, so it might be worth a shot.

Reply to
Rob

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