m103 air pump disable?

[JamesDean]

the air pump on my m103 is extremely noisy and is making my near 200,000mi m103 sound like crap a friend of mine said he disabled his air pump (it wasnt a MB it was a Chevy truck from '88)..Is this wise/possible on an m103? I am just wondering..anyone ever do something like this?

thanks,

kris

[gmercoleza]

You can easily do so by purchasing a shorter serpentine belt and installing it in such a way as to bypass the pulley for the pump. I did so on my M103 due to noisy clutch which made the car sound like a real beater. $400 for a new pump was not cost-effective for me, especially since I know the pump only runs for a few seconds after startup when the engine is cold. In my case, I removed the pump, but I'm not sure if I did that because I had to, or if I did it to save weight. In any event, I reinstall the pump once a year prior to getting inspected, then promptly remove it afterward. Make sure you cap the vacuum line(s) and the input to the exhaust. A plastic milk jug top screws right onto the rubber elbow, and I just wrap a plastic zip tie (cable tie) around it to make sure it doesn't warp from the exhaust heat and fall off. I haven't ever had a problem with this.

[softconsult]

I suppose it depends on the defect, but mine has been unplugged for years now, M103 engine. The clutch is electrically switched on and off. Follow the wire cable and unplug the connector. If that silences the pump, then you are fine. If still noisy, then either buy a re-built, find a way to repair your unit (there are posts on this), or take it out per prior post.

Steve

[JamesDean]

there are no emissions testing in my state..

i was just consirned that removing it would harm the m103...

ill try unplugging it..

thanks

[Mike Freeman]

The purpose of the air pump is to add more oxygen to the exhaust during cold enrichment to facilitate faster warmup of the catalyst thus the system goes into closed loop sooner. The air pump is also used by the computer to test the Oxygen sensor.
The most common failure is the double bearing in the pulley. Pulley kits are available on line #104 140 02 86 (they're not cheap) or take a chance with a used part.
Mike

[Johnhef]

if its making noise all the time, the clutch is probabaly toast and you'll want to go the route mentioned above in the 2nd post

[gmercoleza]

Do a search on my name - I believe I posted the belt size, maybe even the brand and place of purchase.

[gmercoleza]

Check out the last post here: Smog pump removal and correct size belt installation on 1993 300E2.8.

[JamesDean]

here are some videos i took of the car starting a few months ago...see if u can hear the same noise you guys did when u had trouble with your air pumps..

thanks


http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/MafiaNicky/?action=view&current=m103noise3.flv

now this noise may or maynot be present anymore im nor sure i kinda forgot about it

at one point in the clip the engine is revved up ..when it comes back down to idle a second or so after that this rattling sound appears..what is it? is it that air pump?

http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/MafiaNicky/?action=view&current=m103noise2.flv

[taaboo]

The a.i.r. pump seized on my 92 300TE and I replaced it with one from mbpumps.com - I had great service from them, ymmv. Thought about going the shorter belt route but decided not to mess with that.

Brian