Q: How do you know if your secondary air injection system is bad?

asked by on February 15, 2017

I have a check engine light on that the code states that I have a vacuum leak to my secondary air injection system. I replaced the vacuum hoses and reset the codes and the car drove over 1500 miles before the engine light came back on with same code. I replaced the vacuum hoses with new ones and the connections seems to fit properly how to i tell that the secondary air injection pump is actual bad?

Thanks,

David A.
My car has a manual transmission.

Hi David, Generally when the secondary air pump goes bad, this will cause the motor to run rough due to the incorrect readings being generated by the oxygen sensors as well as overall lack of horsepower. This is all caused by the imbalance created by the air injection pump not inducing additional air onto the exhaust. By this not happening, this causes the oxygen sensors to read incorrect exhaust gases which then get translated to the computer as the engine needing more or less fuel. When this happens, this can cause the motor to be over or under fueled depending on the air needed in order to run properly. Ultimately, this will also cause the car to fail an emissions test as well depending on the requirements of your state. Should you need additional help in determining if your pump is bad, I would recommend having one of our certified mechanics come to your location to inspect your car.

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