DIY: 2007-09 LGT/OBXT Air Pump Delete

Contributed by m sprank Page 1 of 17

DIY: 2007 to 2009 LGT/OBXT Air Pump Delete with CEL codes and ECU/Sensor fix

Once again I was asked to document a project I undertook with my 2008 SpecB.

I have always hated the OEM air pump system. Sure it got rid of the cat in the up-pipe, but at what expense?
10lbs of crap taking up valuable engine bay space?

I have read of many problems associated with the delete. Mainly that the ECU goes haywire. Well, I figured
that all out. It was actually the research I did to make my GM 3BAR MAP sensor work that led me to stumble
upon the solution to deleting the air pump system.

So without further delay I give you my solution to the air pump fiasco.

First – The pump in all its glory

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Second – The pumps two mounting points. Remove the two bolts, disconnect the electrical plug and release
the hose clamp. Out it comes

Third and Fourth – The plastic tube connecting the pump to the driver’s side solenoid.
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Fifth – The bolt hole that mounts it. Remove the one bolt and the hose clamp at the driver’s side solenoid.
Out it comes
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Six and Seven – The driver’s side solenoid assembly.

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Eight and Nine – The driver’s side solenoid mount. Remove the two nuts and the hose clamp. Pull the tubing
off and out it comes.
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Ten – The tubing from the driver’s side to passenger side. This actually wraps around the back of the motor
and then under the manifold. There are no hard mounting points.

Eleven – Passenger side solenoid. This is held down with two nuts just like drivers side.
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Twelve and Thirteen – Passenger side solenoid mounting studs.

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Fourteen – The hard pipe from engine to passenger side solenoid. Release this from the motor & remove.

Fifteen and sixteen – The passenger side motor mount for hard pipe to solenoid. Remove two bolts and lift
out through are in next pic.
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Seventeen – Where the hard pipe will exit from.

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Eighteen and Nineteen – All parts out

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Twenty – Driver’s side solenoid and studs. I doubled up the nuts and then used them to back out the studs.

Twenty-one – The hard pipe

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Twenty-two – The plastic tube from pump to driver’s side solenoid.

Twenty-three – The plastic tube from driver’s side solenoid to passenger side solenoid.
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Twenty-four – The passenger side solenoid.

Twenty-five – The top of the passenger side solenoid cut-off with a sawzall. You’re after the atmospheric
pressure sensor from the passenger side solenoid, inside thee square top area.
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Twenty-six, Twenty-seven, and Twenty-eight – The passenger side sensor cut out. I can still cut more of the
metal away. All I need is the small square portion on top. I could cut it off with a heat gun and sharp blade.
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Twenty-nine and Thirty – The two sensor connectors. Notice the driver’s side is two wires. This is power
and ground for the solenoid electro-magnet. The passenger side is 5 wires; two for power and ground for
the electro-magnet, remaining three for power, ground and signal for the atmospheric pressure sensor.
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It is important to place new gaskets and block off plates over the two openings.

Then reconnect the passenger side atmospheric sensor to the OEM harness (purple plug) and find a happy
home for it.

Zip ties will work. It is most likely still under the manifold in the end.

You can simply tape off the other two connections (power/ground to pump motor and driver’s side
solenoid).

Now the list of CEL's that need to be disabled:

* P0410 * P0411
* P0413 * P0414
* P0415 * P0416
* P0417 * P0418
* P0419 * P2431
* P2432 * P2433
* P2441 * P2444

Once the CEL's are disabled you can open RomRaider Logger with the key in the "on" position but the engine
off. Check your atmospheric pressure reading. If it is good, so are you.

The ECU checks atmospheric pressure against manifold pressure at start up. If the two readings are too far
apart, no fuel or spark. This is a safety feature Subaru built in. If the ECU determines that one of the sensors
went bad while the car is running you go into limp mode. You won’t see it anymore because you turned off
the CEL. But the car will not run properly and might not start again after shutdown.

This is what led everyone to think that deleting the air pump messed up the ECU. It is not a grounding issue.
But a sensor issue.

If you do not want to cut the sensor out of the solenoid you could simply get a second block off plate (KS
Tech makes one) for just the solenoid. You would have to block it off and leave it in place. It’s less weight
reduction, and it will block your turbo (STi style) air inlet; but it’s better than nothing.
Hope this helps someone.

KSTECH block off plates are found here:

Contributed by LegacyGT.com member, m sprank. Original thread found here

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Additional sensor pics provided by LegacyGT.com member, Flinkly

Additional info provided by Flinkly:

One last thing

Since the LGT/OBXT (at least MY08) has this thick-flanged cast aluminum pipe on the drivers side instead of
a thin-flanged (5mm) steel welded pipe like on the passenger side, you will need new bolts to put a delete
plate on the drivers side.

I say this since not all kits come with bolts and KSTech (who has nice parts, no disrespect intended) states
that you can for sure re-use the original bolts. this might be true for WRX and STI, but not LGT or OBXT (at
least in my experience with my MY08 OBXT).

I also don't know what length or thread the bolts need to be, but even at KSTech, they only