Need A.I.R system removal tips... (sorry for askin guys)

[gadget73]

I used an air powered cuttoff wheel. Worked quite well, but if you're using hand tools it would definitely suck cutting them.

[91LTDProject]

Found the bolts, store where I buy alot of my tools had em. Didnt even think to look there. I dunno when i'm gonna get around to re-doing all the vacum stuff, busy week ahead of me. Cars now throwing check engine lights, scanned it, something to do with the A.I.R system. Funny that I took the belt off that runs it over 3 weeks ago and it just threw a code now.

[Archangel]

Well yeah, re-doing the vacuum system will only take one or two hours, once you get rid of the vacuum hoses and lines just plug the solenoids back in their harnesses and the CEL may disappear.

[gadget73]

Found the bolts, store where I buy alot of my tools had em. Didnt even think to look there. I dunno when i'm gonna get around to re-doing all the vacum stuff, busy week ahead of me. Cars now throwing check engine lights, scanned it, something to do with the A.I.R system. Funny that I took the belt off that runs it over 3 weeks ago and it just threw a code now.

You'll always have a code for that. Usually 44 and 45, thermactor air upstream and thermactor air not bypassed. Comes with changing things that the ECM expects to see. Doesn't really affect anything, it just whines about it. Yay for not having a CEL to annoy me about that.

[91LTDProject]

Ya, CEL is gonna be useless either way if that light stays on. You wont know if something else has happened cause it never goes out, and if its not there, it wont show anything at all. Meh, will probly pull it out, then just scan the car periodically. Started on everything I had planed a couple weeks ago today. I'm curious though, where did you guys re-mount your vacumn solenoids? another thing, the two smaller solenoids both had a red wire going to their wiring plugs. I was pulling on the wires to get them out of the black corregated stuff and the red ones came apart. Upon investigation, I found that the wires used to be stuck together with the red wire that goes to the larger solenoid, and that they were just taped together. Will get a pic tommorow if that helps, looked like it was a factory job too.

[Archangel]

yeah, take a pic man, I can't figure it out like that, lol

oh, and here's a pic of where I moved the solenoids, see that rusty bracket in the top left corner of the pic? That's right in front of the blower motor, in the very corner of the engine bay - out of the way and mostly hidden:

[91LTDProject]

Well, its for the most part done. Had to get it together and running tonight because I have to switch cars with my cousin tommorow cause the water pump let go in his Alero. Didnt have time to cut the new vacum lines to proper lenghts and shield them all, or re-mount all the solenoids cleanly and out of eyes reach. Will do later this week, probably saturday cause I might go to the track sunday. Car ran like balls when I first stared it up, found out I had the vacum lines crossed on the EVR. Runs great now. Warmed her up, and took her ou for a drive, had her going 170. Feels like it pulls a bit better when you mash the gas while driving with the H.O upper on, sure it will improve when the crap exhaust is gone. I had an absolutley horrible time with plugging up the holes in the back of the heads though. Bought some 5/8 x 1" bolts, cut them down to 1/2", and they were way too big for the holes. My dad found 1 bolt in his workshop that fit perfect, but we couldnt find another. I took anothe trip to the hardware store and got some more bolts to try. didnt work either.Then I took a look at the new set of E7's I just got, and they had the passages blocked off with bolts, so I took those bolts out and tried them. didnt fit. I was fuckin pissed by now. So I took the one bolt my dad found, cut it in half, cut a groove in the one half and screwed it into the head with a dime. FUCK i was mad. But besides the oil cap not fitting now, had to grind another one I had down for a temporary fit, and having to buy new bolts for the valve covers, i am happy so far, will be happier when I get the vacumn system and spark plug wires cleaned up. And a pic of the wires I was talking about. Just have them twisted together until I get them fixed properly. Just wonder why they were like this, and it looks like they came from the factory like that considering the tape that was around them and that they were cleanly tucked away.

[Archangel]

That's kinda weird about them wires, don't remember mine mine being like that but then again I messed with that shit over an year ago... Now everything is so tangled up and hidden away I can't see shit no more. Something else I was wondering tho, how about cutting the wires off the solenoids and splicing them together (individually of course)? I'm thinkin, solenoids only work when there's current through them, and ECM throws codes when there's no voltage on the return end of the wiring, so if the wires just get "shorted" the current will flow free and there will be voltage at the end so there will be no codes, and now we can get rid of them solenoids for good...

[91LTDProject]

sounds like a plan. if your sure that nothing electrical will melt then i'd be willing to try it. just tell me what to attach where. thought i was all good with the codes and such, took it out tonight, and the engine light came on after about 20min of driving.

[Archangel]

I don't think anything will melt, those are all supposed to be low-current doo-dats, judging by the size of the wires. Then again I ain't too sure about that, so you may wanna wait for someone else's opinion before you go cutting and splicing stuff

[91LTDProject]

Drove it for over an hour today, no CEL. Either its staying out or the bulb burnt out. Getting rid of the stock muffler and tailpipe tommorow hopefully and putting on my old 2.5" Flowmaster 40 with no tailpipe. I seem to remember my 91 waking up a bit when I got rid of the exhaust restriction. If works not busy I'm gonna clean p the vacumn lines too, then its back for test and tune sunday. Woo Hoo

[gadget73]

I would not short those together. The + side is a common electrical feed for literally every 12v efi related part under the hood, its a direct feed from the EEC power relay, and is common to the fuel pump, and egr as well. If you really want to remove the actual part, measure the resistance of the TAB solenoid, and install a resistor of the same value so the ECM thinks its there. Make sure its a reasonably high wattage resistor, when the ECM flips it to ground it will need to dissapate the same power as the coil in the solenoid did. The easiest thing to do would be to just leave the solenoid there and hide it somewhere.

[91LTDProject]

Ya, i'm just gonna hide them. Got alot of underhood wiring cleaned up today, and cut the vacumn lines the the proper length, put that plastic stuff around them, and routed them all nice. Still got alot more to do, ford leaves a messy engine compartment.

[Archangel]

Still got alot more to do, ford leaves a messy engine compartment.

Lol, if you think yer engine bay is messy try working on a late '80s Fifth Avenue's 318, you can't even see half the shit they stuffed in there.

[Archangel]

I would not short those together. The + side is a common electrical feed for literally every 12v efi related part under the hood, its a direct feed from the EEC power relay, and is common to the fuel pump, and egr as well.

So that means that I can get rid of the solenoids and use their red wires for powering different stuff that require switched power, such as electric fans for the radiator? Of course that is if I run separate grounds, and lose the stock grounds completely..