A really bizarre failure.... (1 Viewer)

[dorcom]

So I drove into a parking garage coming off the freeway.
About two hours later I returned.
I started her but she cranked very hard labored.
Wauo wauo wauo... (Pretty good, eh?)

Finally she started but the belt screeched the hell and she stalled.
I tried to restart, same thing but then a "zzting" and she ran fine.
But I noticed the fan typically not running. also, she warmed up rather fast and going into the red.

Opened the hood and to my surprise the pulley of the air pump (AP) had sheared off! (Photo)

The pulley was nowhere and a search in the parking garage yielded nothing. Later I found it wedged into the right side of the frame!

The shaft of the air pump showed that it was forcefully sheared off. Ahh! That's it! The AP seized thus the labored crank and belt screeching.

I wondered how could this happen so suddenly and during a start.
So I tried to spin the AP shaft.

SURPRISE! It spins smooth and freely!

So I gave it another spin with my thumb and index finger but noticed that all of a sudden the shaft ran reverse from what I spinned it!
Hmm?

Giving it a few more tries I noticed that the AP would spin but suddenly, at random, would stop and "bounce" in opposite direction spin.
WTF?

Has anyone experienced this failure phenomenon?

 

[FARMAN33]

You smog pump should not spin freely. There is a resistance point in the mechanism that takes some force to get past. Mine will spin freely for about 4 5ths of the way before it comes into resistance. Not much but certainly enough to bounce back after a finger spin.

That is all I can tell you about that. Never have seen a failure like the one you showed. Usually just fries the belt as that is the weakest link.

 

[MrMoMo]

Get back behind the wheel and drive to Dakar again.

 

[dorcom]

Get back behind the wheel and drive to Dakar again.

Yawn.. I thought you wrote in another post you won't reply anymore??
I wrote you my opinion about your remarks addressed to me in this other post.
So please lets leave it at that!

PS I probably will next year in a team.

 

[dorcom]

You smog pump should not spin freely. There is a resistance point in the mechanism that takes some force to get past. Mine will spin freely for about 4 5ths of the way before it comes into resistance. Not much but certainly enough to bounce back after a finger spin.

That is all I can tell you about that. Never have seen a failure like the one you showed. Usually just fries the belt as that is the weakest link.

The screeching belt upon start-up was the likely indicator.
As for the spin it does that you described but at random hits a spot where, when you try to go past total resistance occurs.

I ordered a replacement pump and will take the old one apart hoping to see what happened inside.

 

[Spike Strip]

Is that a reman pump that's on there ?

 

[dorcom]

Is that a reman pump that's on there ?

Not sure as of yet. Have to take it out.
Currently running on a emergency belt to run water pump & alternator.
(no power steering) arrgh!

 

[Trapper50cal]

The vanes inside have failed...they can wedge temporarily then release...hence the seize and the free spinning.

If the pulley is re-installable then you can just gut the vanes out of the smog pump, reassemble it and re-install in order to use it as a tensioner for the water pump. If not, then you'll have to replace it with another working smog pump (if you are dealing with emissions), another complete but gutted smog pump (if you aren't dealing with emissions), or an idler pulley (If you want to completely desmog and aren't and won't be dealing with emissions)

 

[dorcom]

The vanes inside have failed...they can wedge temporarily then release...hence the seize and the free spinning.

If the pulley is re-installable then you can just gut the vanes out of the smog pump, reassemble it and re-install in order to use it as a tensioner for the water pump. If not, then you'll have to replace it with another working smog pump (if you are dealing with emissions), another complete but gutted smog pump (if you aren't dealing with emissions), or an idler pulley (If you want to completely desmog and aren't and won't be dealing with emissions)

That makes sense! I tried to find an image of the inerts but to seemingly on avail.
I'm in CA and actually had planned to go later on that day to the smog station.
Guess a good thing it happened before!

I'll post more when I take it out and apart.

PS Why in the world did they use carbon flaps that eventually fail?

 

[Trapper50cal]

That makes sense! I tried to find an image of the inerts but to seemingly on avail.
I'm in CA and actually had planned to go later on that day to the smog station.
Guess a good thing it happened before!

I'll post more when I take it out and apart.

PS Why in the world did they use carbon flaps that eventually fail?

The whole system was cobbled together for the American market and our suddenly (at that time) stricter emissions standards (Especially California) The whole system is generally there to inject more air into the system thereby diluting the bad emissions and rendering them a smaller percentage of the overall output. (Although I have heard it described as adding more air so the catalytic converter can more completely scrub the output as well)

 

[FJ60Seth]

It's not very complicated. Just take it apart.