Secondary Air Injection System Malfunction (P0410)

[sandyegg]

I recently had to have my '96 850 wagon smogged and while it passed the California emission tests with flying colors (all readings were less than the average for passing vehicles and well within the maximum test limits) I had an P0410 OBDII fault code indicating I had a secondary air injection system problem. I looked at the various forum topics concerning a P0410 code and read about how to go about replacing the unit. The question I have is, "if my car is passing the emission tests with a faulty secondary air injection system, how critical is it to have it repaired? Can I continue to drive the car with the malfunction without doing any real damage to it? What might be the consequences of not replacing the unit?"
Thanks for any advice you can give me.

[jreed]

I had the same code on my '97 855 GLT and it turned on the Check Engine Light. I didn't try to pass inspection with the light on, so I repaired it. The pump, Secondary Air System (SAS) check valve, and relay all needed to be replaced and there are some good write ups here.
I don't think you can cause any damage to the car's systems by running with a malfunctioning SAS. The SAS system pumps air into the exhaust when needed (start up and sometimes when idling after cruising) to help burn excess hydrocarbon in the exhaust and helps to keep smog down.

[sandyegg]

Thanks for the info, jreed. I'll see how it functions with the problem and tackle it if and when I need to.

[Ozark Lee]

The pump and the valve are stupid expensive and they do very little as far as emissions go - that said I don't know how stringent the California smog tests are.

The CEL will fail a smog test anywhere but here is a link to instructions for simply eliminating the SAS system:

http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/index.ph ... as-delete/

I only have one car with SAS (and it is bad) but I have not yet had the time to "fix" it. As such, I can't verify that the "fix" actually works.

...Lee