Quote:
Originally Posted by Maj75
Why does it need to be fixed? As I understand it this system only works on start-up. If the car is running well otherwise, what harm is being done to the engine? IIRC it is possible to turn off this "feature" by reprogramming the ECU/DME to a Euro Mode as other countries do not monitor this.
I could see if there was some sort of vacuum leak leading to rough running or lean condition, but I feel that I am wasting too much time trying to trouble shoot this code. I want to turn off the monitoring of the Secondary Air Pump and cap the vacuum fitting in the system so there can't be a leak in the future.
My car runes perfect, but I have had the car in the shop 3 times to fix this issue and each time the CEL lights-up after driving the car for 3-4 days. They have checked the hoses and replaced the solenoid but the problem comes back. They have checked and the air pump turns on. Since the CEL does not come on right away, it is hard to trouble shoot and frustrating to have to take the car back after each attempt. Its a pain to drop the car off and arrange a ride back home.
I have asked that when I take the car in for its next oil change that the shop reset the ECU/DME to the EURO NORM 3 setting which is supposed to stop the monitoring of the function of the P0410 & P1411 codes...
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It needs to be fixed because eventually it will bring up a CEL and the codes will be stored until it is. Without the secondary air, on start up, you run the risk of running too rich and having raw fuel dumped into the cats which will cause them to fail and I don't want to tell you how much they are unless you are strapped in somewhere. The CEL and stored codes will not even allow an emissions station to test your car because the first thing their computers do is check for codes and if present the test is aborted.
I had the same issue about a year ago and spent a lot of money trying to fix it so here is my advice from what I learned for what it's worth. First off determine if you secondary air pump is working by listening for a vacuum cleaner sound on the passenger side of the motor on start up. It should run for a couple of minutes then stop. It is good news if it is working because that indicates the pump is not faulty. Next find someone who knows how to do a smoke test and have them smoke test the motor where the SAP hoses and diaphragms are. There is one hose and diaphragm under the driver's side intake manifold (that is where my problem was, a hose had become disconnected from the diaphragm) and another bellows shaped hose that connects to the vacuum tank that gets brittle and cracks. the vacuum tank can also become brittle and crack so check to see that it is holding a vacuum. The diaphragms can malfunction so if no vacuum leak is detected from the smoke test then they will have to be tested for activation. Let us know what you find.