I have a 1998 S70 T5, and often after I start the car, or when I'm idling at a light, I can hear some sort of motor or fan start up. It spins for less than a minute and then stops. It's almost like the sound when a vacuum cleaner starts and stops.
My Check Engine light has been on for a while, and the code says that my SAS valve needs replacing.
Are any of these related, and if not can someone tell me what's that spinning whine I hear?
Thanks Mike
That's your air pump. It works to pump air through the SAS (Secondary Air System) valve into the exhaust when the engine is cold (to reduce emissions) and occasionally at idle after the car is warmed up (to check the system, and turn on the check engine light if not working). Follow the hose coming off the front of the air filter box lid down below the battery to find the pump.
I think you are hearing the electric blower of the secondary air injection system.
Replace that SAS valve right now if it has failed. If you are lucky, the SAS blower has not been destroyed yet.
John
Hmm, the weather has definitely gotten much colder down here in Texas, and if I think about it, the sound is a recent one. It's not an obtrusive sound, but I don't remember hearing that sound last fall/winter.
I'll have it checked out soon with my 90K maintenance. From your short description, does this sound like a normal thing, other than the fact that my Check Engine light is reporting a problem with my SAS valve? The rubber L on the vacuum line entering the SAS valve was cracked, and I had it replaced, but the car still reports the same code.
Another reply mentions the "electric blower of the secondary air injection system." In case that has been "destroyed", can you point me to the part on the FCP Groton web site
Thanks, Mike
The reason it sounds like a vacuum cleaner is because it's made by Electrolux.
Bob
The noise means a bearing is starting to go, that's why you're hearing it now.
This is a short description of what happens: The SAS valve stops exhaust from flowing into the air pump when it's off. The valve eventually stops closing tightly, and exhaust flows into the air pump. Because of the pump's location low and far forward, the moisture in the exhaust condenses in the pump, eventually flowing into the motor and bearings with predictable results. You can drill a small hole in the bottom of the pump to let the water out, which should stop this from happening.
In any case, your pump is probably just about dead. Make sure you change both pump and valve when it becomes necessary.
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