nuke61

I had the P1416 sticky passenger Secondary Air Injection check valve issue and I tried the spray carbon cleaner/WD-40 method and while it would work O.K. for a short time, the code would return within a few days. I didn't want to pull the intake, and wondered if the existing system could be modified so it would be easier to repair.

Well, I did a mod to the AIR system so that the passenger check valve sits in approximately the same location on the passenger side that the drivers side check also sits.

Tools/materials needed:
Replacement AIR check valve
Dremel with ~1/2" diameter ball shaped grinding wheel
1/2" male pipe to 1/2" tubing adapter
small tubing cutter
~5' of 5/8" heater hose
JB Weld

The process is cut the AIR tube on the drivers side and on the passengers side. Grind out the tube side of the adapter so it fits over the drivers side AIR tube stub. Install into check valve and epoxy the whole thing to the AIR tube stub. Run heater hose from drivers side to passenger side check valve. The whole thing from start to finish took me about 30 minutes.

I should have pictures up in about an hour or so. I need to copy them from my camera to my computer, crop and upload.

nuke61

Check valve, 1/2" pipe to 1/2" tube adapter, tubing cutter:



Drivers side AIR tube removed and cut:



Original adapter inner diameter and another one ground to fit over AIR tube, screwed into check valve:



New check valve assembly test fit onto passenger side AIR tube stub, prior to JB Weld application. As an FYI, the fit is VERY tight. I'm certain that the valve assembly wouldn't go anywhere even if I didn't do JB Weld, but that is really being done to make sure and to make it air tight. I test fit the adapter onto the air tube stub at least a dozen times until it would just barely slide into position with a lot of force.

Plasticfan

Thanks for a nice write up. I'll keep this in mind if mine has that problem.

nuke61

I started the car today and ran it for 3 minutes at idle with the AC and max electrical load. Although I don't expect it to come back since I put in a new check valve, my experience with using the WD-40 method has me expecting for it to come back. But after one start, so far it's working fine.

Craig1979

Nuke61:

Sent you a PM with some follow-up questions as to the long term durability & longevity of your Air Check Valve relocation modification procedure.
Hope you get a chance to answer back.
Craig W.

nuke61

What I sent to Craig:

My Z06 is a daily driver, with my commute at ~75 miles/day, so I've put quite a few miles on the new setup. I basically routed the hose on top of the intake, but as far back against the firewall as I could get it. If you're wondering, there was plenty of room to close the hood with the hose on top of the intake. I haven't checked, but I doubt that there's any deterioration of the check valve internals, because the passenger side check valve is basically sitting the same distance from the exhaust piping as is the drivers side check-valve. The JB Weld is doing fine also, probably because it really being used as nothing more than a method to keep the air out. I ground the check valve so it was a tight press-fit onto the piping stub, and almost decided not to apply JB Weld, but decided to apply it anyway, just in case.

If I were to do it today, I don't think I would have done it any differently; I'm very happy with the result. If either check-valve needed replacement, it wouldn't take more than a few minutes for each one, since they're now right in the open. Take a look at where the drivers side valve is located... the passenger side valve is situated about the same place, except that it's a few inches closer to the back of the motor.

gtzy

I see the replacement valve has a silver finish vs the original black. Is that check valve from GM or aftermarket?

Bill Curlee

EXCELLENT WORRK!

BC

ZeeOSix

GM should have put the RH bank AIR valve in this same location instead of burying it behind the engine between the intake maifold and firewall. GM ... wake up.

nextime

I would like to see more photos of this Mod. I have suffered from the same code.

lucky131969

Let us know how that JB weld holds up....

nuke61

gtzy, the check valves are aftermarket, Niehoff part number FE476, purchased at Kragen for about $20/each.

BC, thanks, I like the way it turned out. Not really glamorous or pretty, but absolutely functional.

nextime, I'll try to get more pictures up, but it may be a while. My son has our digital camera for the time being.

lucky131969, if I remember I'll post an update about how the JB Weld is holding up. If you really wanted to get perfectionist about this, I suppose you could use titanium filled epoxy, or even braze the adapter rather than using JB.