Secondary Air Injection System REMOVAL!!! DIY (SAIS)

WARNING : THIS TRUCK AND MODIFICATION IS FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU DRIVE YOUR TRUCK ON THE STREET.

This is just a quick little DIY for removing your SAIS and blocking it off. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR ISSUES WITH YOUR TRUCK! Now thats out of the way, lets get to why you may want to do this. One, if your SAIS pump goes bad and is throwing codes for the system which is the most usual cause. Two, because you just want to get ride of it before it becomes a problem...thats the boat I'm in.

Now...you can't just go ahead an take this stuff off without doing any other mods. YOU MUST HAVE A TUNE FOR THIS TO WORK PROPERLY!!! I'm not going to name the tune or tuner (don't want the feds coming after us like the diesel guys right now), but it just released for the 2nd gen Tacoma about 6 months ago and is fully customizable with a laptop, lots of LS guys use it ...hint hint.

LETS GET STARTED!!!!

It took me about 1.5-2hrs because of the pictures mostly. Make sure to soak the exhaust studs with the penetrating oil of your choice. I got these plates (PN 25617-20010) from an online Toyota parts retailer. They worked great but the bolt holes were a little too wide so I had to use a round file to open up the holes a little bit so it would fit over the studs on the manifolds. You'll see this further down.



This is just a general look of what we are going to be looking at today. It's dirty, that will change in a week or two once it stays nice out.



Remove these 2 bolts that hold the SAIS pump, there is a 3rd in the following picture.



Remove this bolt.



Remove the hose clamp and hose. Then you can remove the SAIS pump from the truck.





Next remove the air intake and tube. There are 2 tabs on the box and 2 bolts near the resonator. This is also a good time to remove the bolt that holds the plastic hose connector as well. I kept the bracket it's attached to on the truck because it's supporting the harness that is on it.



Disconnect the 2 connectors shown here on the Air Injection valves.



Remove the nuts from the studs on both pipes. It's a tight spot without much room so just be patient. I used a a ratchet with a socket and a ratcheting wrench to get to them.



This is the drivers side. Same thing, it's a tight spot! The lower nut on mine was seized and the stud actually came out, no big deal though.



Now you have to get the tube support bracket bolt. This is a 10mm bolt behind the intake manifold. You can't see it well so you have to kinda get back there and feel for it. This picture is taken from above and the bolt head faces the firewall to give you an idea of where it's at. The tube won't come out yet. You need to get the other tube out first.



The air injection valve removal next. There are 2 bolts on the tube that comes up from the right exhaust manifold, remove those. There are 3 fasteners. 2 nuts up top and one below.



This is the third bolt, once thats off you can remove the air injection valve and you can see where the run around pipe hooks up.



You can see the air injection system valves removed. Now you can remove the tubes. The short one is easy, the long one kind of has to be wiggled around to get it removed but it does come out. It will come out of the passenger side.



The plate has to be modified just a smidge. I used a round file to oblong the holes a little so it would fit on the studs. I re-used the gaskets as well, no leaks!



The drivers side plate installed!!!



And the passenger side one, kinda hard to see.



Finally I removed the SAIS Controller. It's the little module with 2 connectors and 2 bolts that are on the fender area hidden by my fender guard.



This is the pile of crap once you're done! WOO HOO!!!




Again, this mod is "not for street use" as it is removing a part for emissions. Like when you install headers without cats..... PERFORM THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!

I am happy to help with an questions you have!!!!

 

Awesome write up.
Thanks for thanking the time to do it.

 

No problem! I wished I was a little more poetic with my writing skills, but pictures are worth a thousand words!! haha I did it because there wasn't really a good write up on the removal of everything and I know it can be confusing as to all of the components and locations that are to be removed. Especially for people that are just learning how to do stuff on their trucks.

 

Anyone know if this passes an emissions scan after the reflash? I appreciate that there is a thousand page long thread. But it’s a thousand page long thread.

 

I’d been curious about block off plates to do this delete. Thanks for the write up!

 

I am not in an emissions test area, so I am not 100% sure on this. BUT I would assume it would pass the test because with the certain tuning software those codes are programmed NOT to throw a code when the components are disconnected/removed. In theory it shouldn't change the emissions output either if there is a sniffer test. The system was designed to heat up the catalytic converters faster on cold start-up.

 

@TacoFergie Im not in an area with emissions testing and I have the “certain tuning software”. I had planned on doing this delete if the SAIS system ever messed up since it’d be cheaper then replacing it. Is there any advantage to going ahead and deleting it before it fails?

 

When it fails, depending upon how, it can put your truck into limp mode only allowing 15* throttle opening. This may not allow enough power to get back to camp or out of an overlanding situation requiring climbing or crawling.

 

It all depends obviously. However, as an example, my current state has visual and OBD counties. I am in an OBD county which requires a check of the systems. In the ECU, there are "Ready" codes that signal certain systems are ready and functioning properly. There is drive cycle required to check these systems each time your start up your truck. They will store codes as Permanent failures for a Ready system should it not pass. This will stay until the vehicle successfully passes a drive cycle within the parameters to clear the permanent code. This is separate from your MIL (Malfunction Indicator Light) or CEL (Check Engine Light). The OBD II scan will provide data on which systems passed with a Ready Code status and which systems are N/A or Incomplete. If a system fails it will log as Not Ready. In my state and country a vehicle older than 2001 can have up 2 Not Ready codes and pass. 2001 and later can only have 1 Not Ready code and pass. Sorry if this doesn't answer directly, but research your state and county requirements first. And yes, this doesn't affect a sniffer for those poor VA residents.

 

No, not particularly. But it will get rid of the pump noise on start-up and shut-down as well as giving the engine bay a cleaner look/more room. Before I got the block-off plates I just had all the connectors disconnected to the SAIS controller, pump and valves without any issues. Although I don't think I would run it like that long term.

It shouldn't put it into limp mode since the ECU is tuned to not care whether or not the system is there.

 

I guess I’ll do this one weekend whenever I finally decide to unlock my ecm and start playing around. So far I’ve only messed with my c5 Corvette and I had to delete the egr, air pump, and rear o2 sensors on it when I done longtube headers. It made more since to buy the tuning software over paying someone to do it.

 

Checkout the thread below and there is a guy there that can send you a tune and if you send him a data-log he can optimize the tune for you modifications as well.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hp-tuners-for-2005-2015.600793/

 

https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/Toyota-Drive-Cycle-Readiness-Monitors-for-Emissions

This is what @zippsub9 is talking about. However, I'm not exactly sure of the wait 12 - 24 hrs to run the second check bit. Would need to be double checked on that one.

-J

 

I have done the programming on said system personally and it will put the engine into limp mode. There are a few that have had it occur during usage and also why I know it is 15* throttle limitation. You must adjust the program mapping or you will be in limp mode. You must program before removing the system or you will trip the permanent codes. You cannot erase the codes through any programming after the fact. Running a complete drive cycle is the only way to remove the codes so sequencing is key here. Shoot me PM of you are interested in learning more.

 

So just to clarify, you can’t just disable the codes and remove the system?

 

you can disable the codes for the system and then remove it without triggering any sort of Not Ready condition. However, if you remove first or miss a code then you will trigger a permanent Not Ready code in the ECU that can’t be cleared until a complete drive cycle is done with the complete system installed and working properly. There ARE other ways to skin this cat so I don’t mean to come across absolute, just trying to help guys that don’t know all the codes to disable or don’t make adjustments to limp mode conditions in the program. I have installed and removed and installed and removed and adjusted this system multiple times.

 

@zippsub9, you are absolutely correct! There certainly are "many ways to skin a cat". The Hewitt-Tech setup comes to mind but for a couple hundred more you may as well tune and get something more out of it. The advantage that I can see to that system though is that it is made to "emulate" the SAIS system. To my knowledge it would make the ECU "think" it is going through the cycles and show an individual with a scan tool that the system is operating as advertised. Again, I am not 100% familiar with that system but I have done a little light reading on it.

 

Correct, the Hewitt-Tech system does just that, but I believe requires the system to stay in the vehicle and just piggyback signals to the ECU. The software you speak of is amazing and allows for so many other options from eliminating manual Rev Hang and adjusting Auto shift points, let along making for a more efficient and powerful engine.

Another way to address the SAIS dilemma can also be done utilizing an ECU from a model that never had the system (pre-2012). There are other little quirks associated with this, but multiple paths to wander down.

 

Would either of y’all have a list of these codes?

 

Perhaps, but there are other adjustments than just the codes.