How to Spot a Car's Air Pump Check Valve

Your car's air pump check valve ensures that exhaust gases are fed into the exhaust pipes so they don't back up into the engine system and damage your car. Locating the air pump check valve is a simple process.

Instructions

1. Place your car on a hydraulic lift and raise it high enough to get underneath the engine. If you do not have this option, jack up the front of your car or pull it forward onto a set of ramps. The important thing is that you get ample space to look under your car.

2. Open the hood and mount a flashlight to get a good look at your air pump check valve.

3. Crawl under the car. Look on the left hand side of the engine, if you are facing the windshield, for the cylinder head and exhaust manifold ports. This will be on the bottom part of the engine. This will have three large tubes leading out of it and heading in various directions.

4. Locate the diverter valve and the air injection reactor pipes, which will be the two most rear tubes leading from the cylinder head and exhaust manifold.

5. Follow these two tubes until you see a small metal object that the tubes feed through and continue on behind. This is the air pump check valve. These are silver when they are new. However, your car's engine probably will leave it looking black an brown. Checking the status of the valve and replace it if necessary.