What's the name of this thing?

[1980450sel]

As you can see this part needs replacing, but to make sure I order the right part I was wondering if anyone out there knows the proper name of it? It's on a 1980 450SEL 4.5L Canadian model. I think it must have something to do with pollution control.

Don't you love the red heater hose, the kinking really helps restrict airflow.

Scott

[s class]

That there is the early style egr (exhaust gas recirulation) valve, I believe. 

[1980450sel]

I don't believe it is the EGR valve. I think this part is exclusive to North American models. I think it's either called a check valve or an aspirator valve but my Haynes manual is so vague. It has diagrams just for US models 1977-80 but they just don't quite match up to what's in my car.

Scott

[TJ 450]

Does the hose connect to the air cleaner? It looks like it's part of the air injection system, one of the check valves, but in a configuration I've never seen before.

Tim

[1980450sel]

Hey I figured out how to embed a photo. I'm a little slow.
This picture nicely shows the location



Scott

[TJ 450]

It looks like a setup similar to the W126 air injection, getting clean air from the intake. That setup doesn't appear to be in the EPC.

It would be worthwhile taking a photo of the end of the pipe down the side of the engine, too. This would give a better idea of actual function.

I notice that you have a 1980s-style air cleaner, plus a battery heat shield. Most interesting.

Tim

[s class]

Is it this?



autohausAZ describes it as

"Air Pump/Smog Pump Check Valve
For Federal (non-California) models with engine serial number from 018013. For California models with engine serial number from 052294. 1 per car. "

It appears to be photographed from below, whereas your pictures are from above. 

[Papalangi]

That should be it.

Isolates the smog pump (air injection pump) from the air cleaner.  Mine seems to have a cap brazed onto the hose end.  Not sure how that happened.

Michael

[1980450sel]

Thanks to everyone that helped. That is the correct description. I guess it also is called the Air Injection Check Valve.
Here's a view from the opposite side sort of from underneath



And Michael, I would assume that yours has been repaired because it probably used to look like mine.

I know this is a lot to ask, but could someone explain what this does in relation to smog control? And since mine is obviously not preforming to spec how is this effecting the drive-ability?

Thanks,

Scott

[Papalangi]

Actually, it was on the 1976 280C that it was brazed closed and it may have been me that did it.

The valve isolates the air cleaner side from the smog pump.  It prevents backfires from damaging the pump and other bits.

If you don't have visual smog inspection where you live, you don't really need to replace it.  Your pump probably seized 10 or 15 years ago.  If you were in California, everything must be there and working.

http://handbook.w116.org/Engine/107/M117_45/1977/14-050.pdf
will tell you far more than I can even remember about the emission controls.

I don't have one on my car as I have catalyitic converters.

Michael

[1980450sel]

I wish I was in California! It's -32 Celsius or -26 Fahrenheit right now and it sucks. Thanks for the info Michael.

Scott

[1980450sel]

Well I removed the check valve.

My particular car does not have an air pump and is naturally aspirated. sort of a venturi effect to draw fresh air in to mix with the exhaust. So instead of having one molecule of carbon attached to one molecule of oxygen (carbon monoxide), the extra air supplies more oxygen so that you get carbon dioxide. I had this explained to me by an Automotive Service Technician Instructor at the college where I work (I'm also an Instructor, Electrical, if anyone cares). Anyway I was feeling sort of guilty removing emission control stuff but I'm really having difficulty understanding how injecting air to change CO to CO2 can reduce the actual amount of pollution. If I got better mileage I could understand. I guess it's just two different types of pollution. Carbon Monoxide tends to stay close to surface, people see it, smell it and that's bad, but if we attach two oxygen molecules to the one carbon molecule they will magically pull it up past the clouds and we will never have to worry about it again. I guess hindsight really is 20/20. That's my little rant for today.

Scott

P.S. BTW I'm plugging off the air injection if you hadn't guessed that by now.

[Big_Richard]

the idea behind the air pump at least, is that its an exhaust gas after burner, and that's even what its called.

The additional air injected at the exhaust ports ensures that any unburned hydrocarbons do end up burnt somewhere along there route out the tail pipe. Unburned hydrocarbons are very, very bad to human health and the environment.

On catalytic converter equipped cars, its essential for this pump to be working, along with lambda control or the cats will not operate correctly and or clog.

the system fitted to your car attempts to do the same sort of thing, but without a pump, the act of the exhaust gas passing over the air injection ports sucks in fresh air so that the afterburning effect can still take place.

as far as driveability is concerned, there will be no noticeable difference, even on air pump cars they require very little energy to operate when working correctly.