I relocated the secondary air injector (smog pump some call it) right behind the fan. I never heard it until recently. Tonight i heard something making a very load high pitch whine. I could hear it over very loud exhaust and everything else from inside the car with the hood down. Right as i popped the hood and raised it the thing turned off. I assume the car went into closed loop. Could this cause performance issues making it worth fixing or replacing?

 

The pump rusts and the bearings start to sieze. It only runs for a couple minutes at startup, then shuts off. Does not affect performance in any way, only emissions. Next thing that will happen is that it will pull excessive power, blow the fuse, and turn on the SES light and the fans. At that point, you can unplug the harness connector, replace the fuse, and have no more problems. Or you could replace the pump.

You should inspect the check valves at the manifolds. Perhaps they are leaking and allowing excessive exhaust back into the pump. That will accelerate the rusting, as the water in the exhaust condenses in the pump.

 

I am guessing you don't have to have it for emissions testing so i will just unplug it. One of the check valves was broken so i assume this helped in the rusting.