All cars are required by law to have a secondary air injection system, helping to make the fuel in your car run smoothly and ensure that the emissions that are being produced from your car are cleaner and combust harmful gasses before they are pushed into the environment. In order to keep your car running safely, you will need to look into the secondary air injection system repair cost.
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If your secondary air injection system is failing or damaged, then the secondary air injection system repair cost will run between $270 and $390. The labor should usually cost under $100, while the parts cost on average run at around $250.
What is the secondary air injection system?
In your vehicle, the secondary air injection is commonly just known as air injection when referring to the entire mechanism. The function of this part is to control the vehicle emissions that are being produced from your car and control the gasoline or fuel vapors. This control strategy has fresh air directly injected into the exhaust stream in order to allow for a complete combustion of the exhaust gases being produced by the engine.
The methods of implementation of the secondary injection involve two different methods depending on what kind of car you have.
Pumped air injection – the pumped air injection system when referring to the secondary air injection system repair cost deal with the vane pump, which is a positive displacement pump that uses a rotor that rotates inside of a cavity. This pump, also called the air pump or AIR pump, is controlled by the engine via a mechanical belt or electronic motor. The pump’s air take is then directly filtered by a screen to get rid of dirt, debris, and sludge particles that could potentially damage the fuel system and the pipes.
The air is then delivered under pressure to the injection point in the system. The check valve, which is a valve that usually allows fluid to flow in just one direction, prevents any exhaust from coming back through the air injection system which could damage the air pump and lead to a much higher secondary air injection system repair cost.
The raw fuel exhaust produced from carbureted engines can generally increase when the driver releases the throttle, which is the mechanism by which the fluid flow is constricted or obstructed. In order to keep this from occurring in your car, and potentially damaging the raw fuel and the fuel system, a diverter valve is used in this system. If the valve is damaged, this can increase the secondary air injection system repair cost.
The purpose of this valve is to detect the decrease in the intake manifold vacuum, which then results from the quick close of the throttle, and diverts the air to the atmosphere instead of back into the fuel system.
Aspirated air injection – the other type of fuel pump that can influence the secondary air injection system repair cost is the aspirated air injection. This is a method by which iar injection can utilize the negative pressure in the exhaust system while you are sitting in your car and idling. A reed valve, which is a type of check valve that restricts the flow of fluids in a single direction, is called the aspirator valve, and is placed in the air injection pumping. The function of this mechanism is to gain the air directly from the clean side of the air filter.
While your engine is idling, negative pressure in the exhaust system draws air through the aspirator valve and into the exhaust system. The negative of this system is that there is less air with a narrower range of engine speeds when compared to a pump, meaning that if this aspirator breaks, it can lead to a high secondary air injection system repair cost.
Symptoms of a bad or failing air pump
When determining how much you might have to pay for the secondary air injection system repair cost, you need to keep in mind the signs of a bad or damaged air pump in your car. An air pump is an emissions component that is a key part of the secondary air injection system. If the air pump is damaged, air can lead to a much higher secondary air injection system repair cost.
The function of the air pump is to produce clean air and provide it into the vehicle’s exhaust stream, leading to a cleaner and a more complete burn before the fumes exit and enter the atmosphere, leaving the car completely. By keeping the air clean and injecting the clean air into the exhaust, the hydrocarbon pollutants are reduced and the emissions are controlled.
If the air pump fails, the engine performance will suffer and the secondary air injection system repair cost will rise substantially. If you do not fix this, you will not be able to pass the vehicle emissions test, which often you need to pass in order to drive in most states. Usually, a failed air pump will produce noticeable symptoms that you should keep an eye out for in your car while you are driving to prevent a high secondary air injection system repair cost.
Engine is running rough
One of the main symptoms of a bad air pump that can cause a higher secondary air injection system repair cost is the engine running rough or rough idling. When the smog fails, this means that the air to fuel ratio can be distributed, causing the engine to respond negatively and the performance of the car to suffer. The engine might be vibration and shaking while idling, and can even completely stall while driving.
Reduced Horsepower
Another main sign of the failing air pump is a reduction of power being produced from the engine and an overall decline in engine performance, especially when trying to go at high speeds or put the engine under stress. A failed air pup can upset the ratio in the car, which can negatively impact the overall performance. This can cause the engine to hesitate when accelerating, vibrating while accelerating, or even cause a complete shutdown of your car.
Check Engine Light
Lastly, the final sign of a failing air pump that can cause a higher secondary air injection system repair cost is the check engine light appearing on your dashboard. Although this light can appear for various reasons, some sever and some minor, this is usually a key sign you need to determine the issue in your car this generally occurs after the computer, the engine control unit, has detected that the air pump has completely broken down or failed, or an electrical issue within the air pump has occurred.
How to replace a secondary air injection pump
To cut down on the overall secondary air injection system repair cost that you will have to pack you can attempt to do the secondary air injection pump replacement yourself. As we know, the air injection system is in charge of introducing oxygen into the engine to reduce emissions and harmful gases. The typical components in the air injection system include the powertrain control module, the air injection relay, the air injection hose, the valves, in the air pump.
The air injection pump is a key component of this air injection system. Air will enter the pump and is then transferred to the intended spot by the powertrain control module valves. During the time that the engine is warming up, the air is directed to the exhaust manifold. In this case, the air is then directed to the catalytic converter once the engine is at the operating temperature for the engine to run properly.
If there is a problem with the air injection system, this can result in high emissions levels, engine performance issues, and a higher secondary air injection system repair cost. In order to fix this, you can replace the secondary air injection pump on your own.
The materials you will need for this fix are protective gloves, a ratchet, repair manuals for information and safety glasses.
Remove the air injection pump
The first step is to locate the air injection pump. If you are having trouble finding this, the air pump is generally located at the front of the engine with the serpentine belt wrapped around it. Next, remove the serpentine belt by inserting the ratchet and into the square slot and push the tensioner away from the belt.
Once this step has been completed, you need to remove the hose by undoing any clamps and sliding the hose off of the connection. Remove the vacuum lines and the electrical connections, the air pump mounting bolts, and the air pump itself. Once this step has been completed you are now ready to install the new air pump to help you save costs on the secondary air injection system repair cost.
Install the new air pump
The first step of installing the new air pump is to install the new smog pump by lowering it into the car and sliding it into position.
Secondary air injection system repair cost
To determine how much you might spend for your vehicle for the secondary air injection system repair, we have included secondary air injection system repair cost comparison between various shops that you could bring your car to for this service. At your local mechanic, you can expect to pay between $98 and $650 for the parts and labor.
If you go to a chain shop, like Midas, you can expect to fork over between $79 and $718 for the total secondary air injection system repair. At Mr. Tire, the total cost ranges between $88 and $726 for the secondary air injection system repair cost. If you go to NAPA, the total price will range between $91 and $599, which is a smaller range, and can end up in you spending less money for the secondary air injection system repair cost.
If you think that you can do the repair yourself and just need the parts, you can visit Walmart or Amazon to get the parts necessary for a fix. At Walmart, you will pay between $28 and $299 for parts and a limited warranty. At Amazon, the prices are similar, with the range of prices between $22 and $321 for the secondary air injection system repair parts.
Sample secondary air injection system repair cost
In addition to the shops you could visit to have this service done for you, or the locations that will sell you parts for the secondary air injection system repair, we have included sample secondary air injection system repair costs to give you an idea of how much you might spend for your specific vehicle based on the popular cars on the market today.
The low end of the spectrum includes the Honda cars – the Honda Civic and the Honda Accord. Both of these cars have a total secondary air injection system repair cost of between $78 and $143, with the labor costing between $45 and $57, and the parts between $33 and $86. The next least expensive choice is much higher on the price scale, with the Chevrolet Silverado coming in at the second least expensive. This car ranges between $224 and $296, with the total labor coming to $108 and $138, and the parts between $116 and $158.
In the middle of the road options, there is a tie for various cars – the Ford F-Series, Ford Focus, Nissan Altima, and Ford Fusion all have the same total price, coming out to between $268 and $346 for the total secondary air injection system repair cost. The labor is between $61 and $82 for these cars, while the parts range between $207 and $264.
At the higher end of the price spectrum, the most expensive cars are the Toyota cars – the Toyota Camry and the Toyota Corolla. The Toyota Camry is the most expensive, with the total price ranging between $461 and $631, with the labor between $270 and $344, and the parts between $191 and $287.