Smog Pump Question - 82 Mustang 200 I6

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Hey guys, looking for someone with experience in deleting the smog equipment from these older engines. It's probably not much of a power draw on the engine, but it sure would be handy to have out of the way.

Is it as simple as removing the pump & hoses, and capping the joints in this picture?


 
I used to have that exact engine! I remember disconnecting the smog pump and the EGR got plugged up, notice that the hole you're referring to has the EGR next to it? The car carbon-ed up and it was a very long process to clean up the intake. Sure there was a power gain when all that was disconnected but over time it clogged up.

Sorry to say. But hey at least I could tell ya it was done before with my 200 I-6.. One other thing, you just can't kill that engine! The body of my 82 fox body rusted out before that engine ever gave up!

Maybe others have a better way, but I never found one back then.
 
Thanks for the input. Don't need an EGR issue (although I really don't know if it's functioning or not), so it stays.

What are the symptoms of a bad / clogged EGR?
 
If the pump hasn't frozen up, don't take it out. Find a vacuum diagram for the car on line. Push comes to shove plug stuff up with golf tees, but the car will never run right. I replaced every bit of vacuum hose and used the best stuff from 2 parts cars. Plus a new EGR valve on a '88 jeep 360 V8. With everything working it passed MA roller smog by good margin. It was a major PITA. You can do a little searching and prolly find all sorts of info on the interweb. Where's the carb?
 
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
Thanks for the input. Don't need an EGR issue (although I really don't know if it's functioning or not), so it stays.

What are the symptoms of a bad / clogged EGR?


let me remember.. car was running very rich, would have dieseling (run on) because of carbon build up in the chamber, lack of power, lower mpgs, hard to start when cold, had a burnt out catalytic (probably because it was running rich).. I think that's all I can remember, might've been one other thing but you get the idea.

I wasn't the one who disconnected the emissions stuff, it was some shop that did it. Claimed to a teenager that "oh you'll have more power". I didn't realize how dumb it was. I'm not one that always follows the rules, but how that spaghetti of vacuum lines, emission stuff is interwoven into that engine, either play by the rules or don't play at all. lol.

but as I learned about cars, I ended up learning how to fix things the RIGHT way and that's when I began to fix all that emissions stuff.

glad I could help ya! Never thought that years later I'd be giving advice about my ol' 200ci I-6! It's a reliable engine if a little slow. And that auto trans was bullet proof! I think it was a c-6 or c-3.

and as andyd said, inspect all the vacuum lines. If you have the original hood, the vacuum diagram is under there, I would definitely take a picture, never know how long that printing will be there before it fades!

I think its a 1 barrel carb. Oh that's what I wanted to tell you. Gas with ethanol in it will eat the rubber diaphram of the accelerator pump on the carb. Dries it out, then of course good luck trying to go! If you can try and use non-ethanol gas, if you can find it.. pure-gas.org is a good website to use.

Or just keep re-building the carb every couple years (on ethanol 10% gas) if ya have any other questions just ask! I know that engine very well.
 
Thanks, researcher. The good news is it fires off right away when stone cold, and will happily climb to around 2200 rpms on the choke as it 'wakes up'. Not sure how fast or slow it should feel, as I don't have anything to compare it to, but if any engine could benefit from more cogs in the transmission, it's this one. It really catches it stride on the highway and has no trouble keeping up at 75mph, but it is turning 3000 rpm. It doesn't seem too perky in town and refuses to kick down until you stab it hard. (Probably a kick-down rod adjustment needed here).

It certainly sucks the gas, but nothing unexpected considering the comments I've read about this engine, such as "puts out the power of the 2.3, sucks gas like the 5.0". It doesn't care for being prodded before it's totally warmed up. Try to get too much out of it before it's hot, and it dies out for a moment before catching its breath. But every carbureted car I've ever driven did that. Is this a symptom of a bad EGR? I put on a new cap, rotor, plugs, wires, and fuel & air filters, but that behavior remains.
 
That's a very tough engine. I had an ex girlfriend that drove one with a blown hose across the desert till it quit. A passer by taped up the hose,filled it with water and it ran for years after that.
 
Yeah, a couple of guys on the Mustang forums say they've tried to kill one, but it outlasted the rest of the car.

Didn't it originate as a truck engine, that Ford used as a stopgap in the Mustang when they ran short of the 2.8 V6?
 
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
Thanks, researcher. The good news is it fires off right away when stone cold, and will happily climb to around 2200 rpms on the choke as it 'wakes up'. Not sure how fast or slow it should feel, as I don't have anything to compare it to, but if any engine could benefit from more cogs in the transmission, it's this one. It really catches it stride on the highway and has no trouble keeping up at 75mph, but it is turning 3000 rpm. It doesn't seem too perky in town and refuses to kick down until you stab it hard. (Probably a kick-down rod adjustment needed here).

It certainly sucks the gas, but nothing unexpected considering the comments I've read about this engine, such as "puts out the power of the 2.3, sucks gas like the 5.0". It doesn't care for being prodded before it's totally warmed up. Try to get too much out of it before it's hot, and it dies out for a moment before catching its breath. But every carbureted car I've ever driven did that. Is this a symptom of a bad EGR? I put on a new cap, rotor, plugs, wires, and fuel & air filters, but that behavior remains.



you have described that engine perfectly! 2200rpms is about right for the cold idle. Yes you should probably adjust the kickdown linkage. I do remember entering the "kickdown" a lot on that engine, but it could take that and never complain. Yes at highway speed it cruises without a problem. I think that engine came with very tall gears in the axle hence the better highway driving. They did it for fuel economy! Also, the best mpg's that I ever achieved was 22.5mpg. I dont think I could ever hit 23 or 24. If you're around there, it's tuned up as good as it gets. I think it was 3.73 gears I had, and it was 3000rpms at 75mph+, these cars had speedometers that stopped at 85. Then the needle would just bounce.. lol..

Yup I had to find out. Cop stopped me and said "son.. do you know how fast you were going?" yup called me son, I knew I was in for a ticket! I said "no sir".. He said "you don't know how fast you were going??" I said again "no sir".. cop said "does your speedometer work, son?" I said "yes sir".. He said "so then how do you NOT know your speed?" I said "Well sir.. the speedometer only goes to 85 and the needle was just bouncing" He smiled at me.. trying not to laugh! I said "I have to know, how fast was I going?!" He said "clocked you at 89mph".. I thought "awesome".. yeah until I got that ticket, and that was the beginning of me buying a radar detector!

Oh it doesn't like to be asked to do anything when its cold. There is one thing that helps it warm up, there was a heat riser by the exhaust manifold that connected directly to the air cleaner housing. It helped things warm up quicker. My heat rise rusted off, so I just mounted some metal flex tubing down towards the manifold. It really did help. Once I got the accelerator pump diaphragm fixed, it didn't bog down too much at all when cold. Might want to check the carb make sure it's not eroded from ethanol-gas.

I believe it is similar to the truck series engine, but this one was from the Falcon and from what I remember it has its roots in the 60's. Lima, Ohio is the engine plant. It also, if you can believe it, shares some heritage with the 460, which shares a heritage with the 429 cobra. Crazy but true. One more piece of trivia. The lima plant needed something to make Ford keep them open and they chopped two cylinders off this 200ci engine, added a high-swirl combustion chamber, ohc.. it then became a 2.3L engine, put into use under the hood of the Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz!

You just can't kill this thing! It will outlast the rest of the car (if it rusts). It's probably why this car is still around and the others like the 3.8 V-6 are in a junkyard somewhere.

The power I believe was 88-90hp, but the real nice part is the torque! 160 ft/lb at like 1600rpms. That's its saving grace! The torque! If someone has the exact specs, please speak up. But this is what I remember.

hope that helps!
 
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
It certainly sucks the gas, but nothing unexpected considering the comments I've read about this engine, such as "puts out the power of the 2.3, sucks gas like the 5.0".


Wow - I had a 2.3L Mustang with a 4 speed stick. It got the mileage of the 5.0 and the power of a Briggs and Stratton. I didn't realize hoe bad it was until I bought a 97 Cobra with the DOHC 32V 4.6 and it got nearly the same mileage.

Seriously though - on my 2.3, the emissions stuff started dying off. Being the poor college student and no emissions it got removed. The pump went away and was capped although the cat was still there. Still ran as good as ever. The 2.3 was another gutless tough as nails engine!
 
Thanks, guys. My sister had an identical car to this one, but was a base, with the 2.3. It was using some oil by 65,000 miles, but my sister quite literally thought cars were just something you put gas in and drove. It wasn't smoking, but it definitely needed a top-up between oil changes before she sold it. She tried her best to destroy that sweet little car between 1979 and 1985.

It's good to hear that at least I likely won't be having any trouble out of this engine. It's in the shop right now getting a brand new A/C, and we're struggling to find the correct steering rack for it. Cardone apparently has a slew of mis-boxed 22203F racks, box labeled 22203T (the one I need). We're on the 3rd one, and it's wrong too.

Once I finally get it back (2 weeks now), she's getting all new weatherstripping, and shocks & struts. Brakes come after that. I'll probably take it somewhere and have the carb gone through.
I tried my hand at carb work with a few of my past motorcycles, and I just don't have a talent for it.

Wish me luck!

 
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IMO, take the belt off and and leave all your smog equipment in place.
Who knows, some day you might need it all in place if you get rid of the car.
 
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
... Didn't it originate as a truck engine, that Ford used as a stopgap in the Mustang when they ran short of the 2.8 V6?
Originated circa 1964 in the Falcon (and Mustang) as an upgrade from the older 144 and 170 cubic inch, 4-main-bearing Falcon engines. Later expanded to a 250 for Ford intermediates.
 
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Originally Posted By: andyd
If the pump hasn't frozen up, don't take it out. Find a vacuum diagram for the car on line. Push comes to shove plug stuff up with golf tees, but the car will never run right. I replaced every bit of vacuum hose and used the best stuff from 2 parts cars. Plus a new EGR valve on a '88 jeep 360 V8. With everything working it passed MA roller smog by good margin. It was a major PITA. You can do a little searching and prolly find all sorts of info on the interweb. Where's the carb?
That's not my actual engine, but the picture (from the net) was exactly what I needed for my original question. My car is sitting in a shop with no steering rack in it.
 
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
Thanks for the input. Don't need an EGR issue (although I really don't know if it's functioning or not), so it stays.

What are the symptoms of a bad / clogged EGR?

I had that same engine in an 82 t-bird. EGR cools combustion chamber, it may ping when the EGR is ailing.To check for flow with engine idling, apply vacuum to the valve. The engine should almost die out if not completely.
 
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My dad had a Fairmont with this motor. He removed the belt from the smog pump but made no other modifications. I figure there are check valves etc that can handle this absence. It passed the crude Massachusetts idle CO emissions test.

He got 24 MPG with the 4 speed stick shift. His EGR probably also froze up as that car was "the thing that pinged". 25 MPH was too fast for 2nd gear and too slow for 3rd.

He never had the valve cover off, but the transmission needed a few shift forks as the OE ones were plastic.
 
Originally Posted By: Lubener
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote
Thanks for the input. Don't need an EGR issue (although I really don't know if it's functioning or not), so it stays.

What are the symptoms of a bad / clogged EGR?

I had that same engine in an 82 t-bird. EGR cools combustion chamber, it may ping when the EGR is ailing.To check for flow with engine idling, apply vacuum to the valve. The engine should almost die out if not completely.


Thanks Lubener! That's the other part that I mentioned I was forgetting when the EGR went bad, was the spark knock/ping. And yup add vacuum to the EGR valve and it will cough and die at idle.

Oh and I did check, they do still make (aftermarket I checked) the EGR valve.. about $43 from standard motor products. Not that you need one, just in case.
 
One thing you have to keep an eye on is the mechanical fuel pump. It can slowly kill an engine by dumping gas into the crankcase when they fail.
 
Originally Posted By: WylieCoyote




This is the car in question? Pretty sweet! A true survivor.
 
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