1999 Jetta Probs

My brother has a 99 new style jetta and when he starts the car cold the air pump turns on and the engine starts to idle abruptly. The air pump starts to squeel. is it hard to take apart to clean out. I think it may have dirt/leaves stuck in it. A answer would be highly appreciated. The check engine is on too. he has the 2.0 115 HP engine. Thanks

Where is this air pump located & what drives it? I assume it's the secondary air injection pump, & electrically driven. If so, I've never cleaned one, it's usually just replaced.

would it turn the check engine light on tho?

SAI failures can set code many different codes. A pump failure should set code P0411.