Because of this thread I did some research over the weekend (spoke with my 40 years of experience mechanic) and found out that smog pump job is to inject fresh air (O2) into the exhaust stream so unburned fuel still at high temp would continue react with the O2 which results in fewer unburned hydrocarbons emitted. Apparently in some later autos with cats. the smog pump would inject into the cat. to help with the reaction.

My smog pump is still in place, and to me not polluting the environment makes it worth it. The reduction and weight and power loss due to pulley drag is negligable. The pump does not "fool" the testing equipment into thinking that there are fewer pollutants, it actually reduces emmisions. If you're using the car as a daily driver, why not do what you can to help reduce smog?

From what I've heard on another form, removing the smog pump does not really increase power, as the end of the lines still stick through into the exaust system and block exaust flow. If you want extra power the fittings on the engine need to be removed. Otherwise all you're doing is increasing pollutants.

I agree, the other item that gets me is when someone removes the vapor recovery system. i.e. charcoal canister. Because it does not affect performance and it actually helps with fuel economy by not letting the gas evaporate into the air.