Project FD RX7 Restomod: Part 9 – Air Pump Removal and FFE Idler Pulley

To make a simpler and more reliable off-road (track-only) engine setup, we removed the factory Air Pump and Air Control Valve, then installed the Full Function Engineering Idler Pulley

Full Function Engineering’s Idler Pulley Kit increases the contact between the alternator belt and the water pump when removing the factory Air Pump.

The factory Air Pump forces fresh air from the intake manifold into the exhaust ports below 3,500rpm to increase catalytic converter temperatures to reduce emissions. The air pump pulley causes the serpentine belt to wrap around the water pump pulley with almost 180-degrees of contact (in red).  For a dedicated track-only car, removing these complex and unreliable systems makes for more reliable and easier car to work on.

Simply removing the pulley and using a smaller serpentine belt results in very little belt to pulley contact, roughly 30-degrees of contact.  This limited contact causes the belt to slip on the pulley and prevents the water pump from spinning fast enough to keep the engine cool.  This is why the Full Function Engineering’s Idler Pulley Kit is so crucial.

Full Function Engineering’s offers Block-off Plates for the removal of various systems on the car.  Made from 3/16” thick 6061 T6 Anodized Aluminum with 18-8 Stainless Steel Button Head Bolts, we ordered block-off plates for the Oil Metering Pump, Air Control Valve (ACV) Tube, Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), Split Air Pipe, and the Air Control Valve (ACV) on lower Intake Manifold