What'sit?

[smcmanusx]

There is a small nuclear reactor looking thing under on the passenger side of the hood near the near the firewall of my wife's '97 2.8 . What is it??

Thanks
Steve

[lpcapital]

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1998 Z3 1.9 - few modifications here and there
1999 Z3 2.8 - individual edition (British Traditional)
2003 Z4 2.5i

[KURTZZ3]

2002 Z3 3.0i;black/black;sports package;BMW windbreaker;spoiler guard;LeatherZ armrest;Pinnacle Souveran wax;Whalen Shift Machine;Strongstrut tower brace;Alpine CDA-9847 CD;Alpine KCA-420i iPod converter;Silverstar 9006 bulb;Axxis brake pads;Stewart water pump;Zionville autosport radiator

[z3bigdaddy]

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[Robert Platt Bell]

According to the recent IEEE Spectrum, some folks have made a hobby out of building home fusion systems.

They don't generate any power, of course.

But apparently it can be done.

See Link.

Here is a pix of one in action.

[Robert Platt Bell]

I presume you are referring to the Secondary Air pump. It looks like a miniature shop vac (really what it is) and is a known failure mode on many 2.8 liter motor cars of that era. I have replaced two myself on the E36's.

Upon COLD start, it will run for about a minute or two to provide additional air in the exhaust manifold to help with emissions. Sort of like the old "thermal reactor" pumps on the 1976 2002, except that it only runs on cold start, not all the time.

When the car is dead cold, you will hear it whirr for a few minutes on startup. If it does not run at all (and the car is dead cold) or it sounds like a bucket of bolts, then it may be bad. You will get a CE light and a secondary air pump error message when it goes south.

Replacement is not hard, but the mounts are rubber - apparently the same part as the air cleaner mount on a 1974 BMW 2002. BMW never throws away a good part, it seems. If you twist them, they will break and they are pricey. Make sure to put a wrench on the nut and on the flange so the rubber does not twist and shear.

The air valve on the exhaust manifold apparently fails, supposedly, letting exhaust gases back into the pump, causing failure. So if you replace the pump, the theory goes, replace the valve as well, and the gasket. Total parts cost is under $300. Time, about an hour.

I clean mine occasionally and armor-all it when detailing the engine.

Also, there is a thin rubber hose, about 6" long that attaches to the manifold valve to activate it. On some cars, this hose is made of very cheap rubber and disintegrates easily. Handle it carefully, and if it disintegrates, replace.

Google "secondary air pump" for more information.

Good Luck.

[Robert Platt Bell]

Sorry, I posted this as a link, not as a picture:

[smcmanusx]

Thanks guys for the info!! Next winter's project will be a home fusion reactor.

Steve