My '76 car has one of those Smog Pumps with the thin v-belt running it. Would it be OK if I just removed the belt and didn't run that thing, leaving everything else still hooked up? Would that cause the engine to run differently (bad) or not?
Your engine will still run fine but Hopefully you wont need it because the pumps freeze if you run the motor without the belt hooked up. And theres usually a vacuum diaphragm on the back of the carb that goes bad to when the smog system isnt working. Corrections?
The pump sends clean air into the cat converter so it has oxygen to function. If there is no clean air to 'start' the cat, it won't burn off contaminants, and will clog up. On the other side of the coin, if there is no cat, the air pump is pumping air for no reason. It serves no other purpose that I am aware of. Now, the diaphram behind the carb is the EGR system. On most modern cars, the two systems are related, but not tied together where the absense of one will damage the other. I won't say it isn't that way on a 76 Mav, I just don't know. But it isn't that way on any car that I am aware of. That's not saying alot! Dave
