Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Was wondering if anyone can help me find out or tell me what this part is. And why there would be a ticking noise coming from or underneath it somewhere.. I searched the part number but i couldnt find much e1se-9f491-f4a.. Would it be possible to delete this all together? Sorry if its a noob queston but id really like to fix it myself i dont want to take it to a shop. Its kinda like a ticking sound but more like a flapping like a bag flapping real fast from the wind lol... Couple guys said its a vacuum hose but so far i cant find anything wrong and it really sounds like its coming from this or even under it maybe. Any help would be awesome seriously.. Its a 5.0 by the way

It's part of the smog-pump setup, yes it can be eliminated if you live where there's no E-check.

I'm not familiar with your system, but is that a hose nipple that's lost its hose on the right side of the valve (lower picture, next to the hose clamp?

Do you still have the thermactor pump and the rest of the emissions system?  Are you required to keep your car emissions-compliant?

The E1SE- part number is listed as "Valve Assembly-EGR Vacuum Control", and the -9F491- comes up as "thermactor control", so this is part of your smog pump/emissions system.  A lot of early emissions systems have been sped long ago, and Ford has obsoleted these valves years ago, so replacements may be difficult to find.  If you need to keep the system, you may be able to remove the part and clean the valve mechanism with carb cleaner or similar.  That may help with the valve "flutter".  Otherwise...

Yea the smog pump and everything is still there minus the ac. Is it possible to just remove all this stuff and keep the pump on the belt? I read that taking the smog pump out will ruin my cats. And the hose has been off since i got the car. Im not worried about emissions

Just checked and theres no lines going to the cat so im not sure why its even on there still...

From what I remember when I deleted mine I just got a shorter belt but that's been over 20 years ago.

Darren

Shorter belt and remove the pump and diverters. Normally i do not do that because it does not harm anything and does reduce emissions drastically. Also i have a license to worry about. But it can be removed and it wont do a thing to the cats. have a great weekend guys

Agreed but you have to admit that the emissions are bullshiznit with this setup. I removed all the smog gear on my '93 and installed 3-way converters with no other emissions gear and passed smog in Houston. I would bet money that if the OP is pollution conscious that all the smog equipment on the car could be removed and 3-way converters installed it would be better than what is currently on the car. I may be wrong but I kind of doubt it.

Darren

The 3 way cat would add another chemical removal NOX. But an air pump can remove so much more HC&CO than a cat it is something i would leave alone. A properly working air injection system can remove 5-8% CO and app 400-500 PPM of HC.  We have seen this numerous times while performing state emission tests. This can be easily verified by blocking off the injected air and taking readings on a running car. Most modern OBD2 emission systems include supplemental air injected air to supplement the cat and speed up it's light off time. The newer cars incorporate supplemental exhaust air injection with an electric motor and compressor in stead of a belt driven unit. Hope this is helpful.  Have a great weekend guys.

Bellow is a setup i use to get some cars through an ASM 25 25 emission test required in CT for non OBD2 vehicles. This kit works real nice.

http://www.1aauto.com/2000-chevy-blazer-s10-air-pump/y-mo-c/2000-37-114

I have the em. readout of my cat when I first  got it,had to pass back then. Not long ago, I had it sniffed,just to see. This is with the car as is now. At idle it not even close to what it was,it would flunk. At 1200 and above rpm it's cleaner. Since this car doesn't idle much I feel I'm pretty green!!!

That is the diverter valve for the air pump system. It directs the air from the air pump to either the catalytic converter or the tube connected to the back of the cylinder heads. It can be removed without any consequence to the way the car runs but the air pump should be removed along with it. You will have to install a shorter belt if the vehicle is new enough to have a serpentine belt which runs all of the accessories. If it is an earlier model with the thin belt which just runs the smog pump then just remove it. Removing the air pump will definitely prevent the cats from doing their job properly and will prevent you from passing an emissions test. I would check and make sure the check valves at the opposite ends of the hoses from the diverter valves are good. If they are leaking and allowing exhaust gases to be pushed up to the diverter valve it may cause it to make some strange noises. These check valves should still be available and are pretty cheap. These check valves are there to allow air from the pump to go through them but keep the exhaust gases from going up to the diverter valve as the heat would damage the valve and pump.

It should pass fine without the smog pump. I've done it at least twice.

first time i had it lock up on me and ran a short belt. they tested it, passed me, then failed it because it was bypassed.

second time was my 87 bird on a dyno test in winter of 2012. Car always gave me codes 44 and 94, but flew through emissions so i never bothered looking into it. both the air injection tube was rotted away.before it connected to the y-pipe, and those stupid plastic peices in the hoses were all melted. guessing one.of the one way check.valves failed, letting exhaust back.through and melting the plastic peices.

I'm tempted to hollow out my cats completely and see if it passes.

Passing a tailpipe test is something you need to know in the state you live in. Some are visual as well as sampling. Some are just numbers and those numbers vary state to state. Some are ASM 25-25 some are idle 15 MPH and 25 mph. Depending on the state the AIR REACTIVE SYSTEM must work. This is a roll of the dice as to weather it will pass. I have seen many a car Fail without a pump. It depends on many factors for example as to how efficient ones CAT is working and the condition of the engine. Simply put it all comes down to this. Ford installed those pumps for a reason. That reason is to make the vehicle emission compliance. Nothing works better to clean up an exhaust reading like a pump. Once again remove it and the numbers skyrocket in some cases not all. Have a good Monday Guys!

Passing an emissions test would depend on whether it is just an idle test or if the car was run on a dyno and samples taken at various rpm points. I believe it would probably pass if it was just an idle test. All this does vary state to state and even within the state. Here in PA there are three different emission tests. It depends on where you live. If the tube down to the cat isn't hooked up, as he said, and it is open that may be causing the noise he is hearing.

We did a roller test at 15 and 25mph on my first bird and about two years ago it changed to an idle of 1500rpm and 2500rpm test.

My own honest opinion is that it doesn't matter as long as the car runs well and is semi maintained. i have pictures of both my rotted out smog pipe going to the cats and my plastic peices in the hoses being melted completely. it was all just there for show.

An idle test is the hardest. An idle  1500 and  2500 non dyne is the hardest of the stationary tests because the EGR does not work on some cars unless it is moving. So NOX might be an issue as we have dun many tests and they are different. Example 1995 and lower is required to pass an ASM25-25 . BUT the state dyne does not have twin rollers. So any full time 4 wheel drive vehicle not OBD2 1995 and older can not be spun on the state dyne. So a idle 1500 2500 is used. All obd2 cars are just scanned for set monitors codes and SES light operation. The ASM 25-25, test is easy as the vehicle is run on a dyne @ a steady 25 MPH and sampled. This test is the easiest. Some states have full blown IM240 and that is the test that will fail just about every car on this forum that is not completely stock down to every nut and bolt with absolutely no engine wear or issues. So when people say emission control devices have been removed and still pass a tail pipe that is subject to the test at hand. other than OBD2. Have a good evening guys

Also depends on the nox levels of the city/county/ state.

some places in california allow 450 nox before failing, where my county is limited to 220.

Our test they do an idle test for 30 seconds, 1500rpm for a minute and then another minute idle. if it ever exceeds 220 ppm on nox you fail. same procedure with the 2500rpm test.

I still beleive that test to be much easier then the roller test we used to have. once i figured out my cougar was so far advanced and dropped it down, i hit 76ppm on nox for 1500rpm's and 75 ppm for 2500rpm's i beleive.

cougar is the first car I've had where everything actually works the way it should. all emissions are in tact and functioning properly on it.

Stacks the emission numbers are set up by the FEDS then the states can make them easier when adopting emission regs. (Other than OBD2) And they can pick the way the vehicle is tested. Like i said . The feds use an IM 240. That is why people remove emission devices and pass local tests.  It is different for every car as to it"s transmission axle ratio engine option and weight of the vehicle ETC. Example a 3.8 Cougar  compared to lets say a 5.0. And a 2.73 compared to a 3.73 final drive. And every year is different. Example years back i had a Pontiac 9 passenger wagon when the kids were small. It had a GVW of 6800 LBS. That car had to pass phase 2 emissions which allowed my numbers to be higher than one that is under 6000 GVW., Like i said every car and year is different. Bottom line hear is the states can and do reduce the numbers  lower to an unreasonable number to meet as designed but normally do not use an  IM240 standard. It is a scam and there is nothing we can do about it because every car was designed to meet IM240 when built. But at least OBD2 cars do not have to go on the DYNE. That is in my state i do not know about other states. So if you are correct in your statement different areas even in the same state can make you life miserable depending on there emission numbers. But basically an ASM 25-25 is the easiest test to pass. Also you said they time the test at idle. That makes no sense as to why. Normally an idle tailpipe test does not change and does nothing to see if the car is clean. As far as i know no state does an idle only test. Not 100% on this but that test is useless. Have a great Tuesday guys

Best example i specialize in Cosworth Vegas and have a big following. That car from the factory idles @ 1600 RPM'S. It fails every Emission test for high idle specks. In CT we had to meet with the law makers to exempt the car for non compliance on excessive idle speed. This happened in transition when ct first started tasil piping and went to as you come tailpipe test. So in CT idle speed on certain cars were exempt for excessive as designed. So there fore an engine pollutes much less when it runs faster. Not all the time but most of the time under 1500 RPM'S hope this explains it.

Stacks if you are talking NOX a roller test is is much better because the EGR does not work at idle!!! And normally most cars block EGR when not rolling in gear. Another words when the ECM does not see VSS it blocks the EGR from opening and the NOX goes HIGH. If you know lets say Tuebo coupes you know the EGR solenoid is on the passenger side firewall under the right front fender along with the over-boost sensor. It blocks vacuum to the EGR unless the ECM sees a VSS signal. Just an example.