Toyota Land Cruiser 200: 1UR-FE Secondary Air Injection Pump Failure

The 1UR-FE 4.6L V8 petrol engine is fitted with a secondary air injection (SAI) system that pumps fresh air into the exhaust manifold during cold starts to accelerate catalytic converter light-off and meet emissions standards. The electric SAI pump is mounted in the engine bay and is susceptible to water ingress through its intake hose, which causes internal corrosion and eventual motor failure. When the pump fails or degrades, the ECU detects insufficient air injection via upstream oxygen sensors and logs P0410 or P0418 secondary air injection system codes. Prolonged operation with a failed SAI pump causes the catalytic converters to work harder at cold start, accelerating precious metal degradation and eventually triggering P0420/P0430 catalyst efficiency below threshold codes. If catalytic converter damage has already occurred, total repair cost increases substantially. The fault is common in vehicles operated in humid or wet climates, including all of New Zealand and coastal Australia.

• Check Engine light with P0410, P0411, or P0418 codes
• Rattling or whirring noise from SAI pump on cold start (pump struggling before failure)
• P0420 or P0430 catalytic converter efficiency codes appearing after SAI failure
• Cold start emissions test failure
• No audible air injection noise during cold start warm-up phase

1. 1

   Scan for all stored and pending fault codes — prioritise P0410/P0418 and any catalyst codes.

2. 2

   Physically inspect the SAI pump intake hose for cracks or open ends that allow water entry.

3. 3

   Listen for pump operation during the first 60 seconds of a cold start.

4. 4

   Check the SAI relay and fuse before condemning the pump.

5. 5

   If catalyst codes are also present, budget for catalytic converter replacement on top of pump costs.

Parts involved: High-pressure fuel pump.

$900 to $5,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Has the Check Engine light ever been on, and what codes were stored?”
• “Has the secondary air injection system been serviced or the pump replaced?”
• “Have the catalytic converters ever been inspected or replaced?”
• “Does the vehicle pass emissions testing consistently?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.