Electric water pump, anyone running one?

B

Bee Jay

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 11, 2008
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166
Location
Lompoc, Ca.
I got a $25 gift certificate from Summit. I'm thinking of replacing my aluminum belt driven water pump with an electric one. This used to be a racer only part, but the guys I talked to at SEMA said that they are excellent for the street. The biggest advantage is full water flow at idle and slow speeds. I guess there is some power gained by not having another belt driven acc. but I'm sure the alternator will have to work harder. Do you wire these things up like electric fans, on and off at a certain temperture, or on and off with the key. I guess I could wire it so that the fans and water pump can stay on after the engine is turned off. "Mr, your car is still running" is what my roomate back in the day heard over and over about his MGB.
Bee Jay
 
Use a relay and wire it key on.
Water pumps don't need high flow at idle. (Lower heat load).Modulating with engine speed via belt is fine. My opinion, just something else to go wrong. I wish you the best with it though. Let us know how it works out.
 
BJ, don't bother with it, the belt routing alone with drive you crazy, and the electric pump will not keep up on a freeway in summer heat.....no way in hell, you would have to have the radiator from a 18 wheeler, and some Spal fans to back it up with.....then you get into the amp draw off the alternator....there is a discussion of that crap somewhere else going on....I just laugh, as about 1/2 the crowd knows what is going on....others have no clue....

there are NO free rides, you need the flow rate at freeway speeds....

and here in Florida, I can get the car to run hot after a couple miles at 150 mph.....that is WATER flow, not any airflow problem....guaranfreekingteed....

:bounce: and that's a stock GM aluminum serpentine pump....

soon as I get off it, the thing cools down quite easy....i'ts not a severe thing but I note a temp increase...woopie doo....but it tells me something not up to NASCAR specs....well DUH.....

:bump:
 
I have the Proform 35GPM electric pump and like it just fine. I have it wired - key on. In the 108 degree summer the car never got over 210 degrees on the highway. It does let the car run cooler in town because of the higher flow at lower RPMs. I have a 383 with aluminum rad and dual 11" spal fans. Belt routing was no problem at all, I just got a belt short enough so when the alt is almost maxed out on adjustment, the belt is tight enough. The belt clears the water pump just enough so as not to be a problem.
 
I have read many articles talking about how the new electric water pumps are very reliable and will cool your motor for everyday driving,not to mention the parasitic drag you get rid of with the extra pulley and belt.

One of my future mods is to install an electric pump,think i will go with one from CSR.
 
kwplot34 said:
I have read many articles talking about how the new electric water pumps are very reliable and will cool your motor for everyday driving,not to mention the parasitic drag you get rid of with the extra pulley and belt.

One of my future mods is to install an electric pump,think i will go with one from CSR.
Click to expand...

Kev, even IF your turn that pump with a speed controller running off the battery.....(hint of past discussions with Brain Baskin) , I fail to see any real savings of horsepower...EXCEPT in a drag race situation....when you turn it on at shutdow/return lanes.....

I fail to see any HP or fuel economy gain on say a freeway run....
so even IF you slow the pump down, on a hot day the fans then turn on....

either way the drain off the alternator is the same....power/energy is spent...

:flash::beer:
 
mrvette said:
kwplot34 said:
I have read many articles talking about how the new electric water pumps are very reliable and will cool your motor for everyday driving,not to mention the parasitic drag you get rid of with the extra pulley and belt.

One of my future mods is to install an electric pump,think i will go with one from CSR.
Click to expand...

Kev, even IF your turn that pump with a speed controller running off the battery.....(hint of past discussions with Brain Baskin) , I fail to see any real savings of horsepower...EXCEPT in a drag race situation....when you turn it on at shutdow/return lanes.....

I fail to see any HP or fuel economy gain on say a freeway run....
so even IF you slow the pump down, on a hot day the fans then turn on....

either way the drain off the alternator is the same....power/energy is spent...

:flash::beer:
Click to expand...

Ok Gene we all no your thoughts on anything that is different that what you have.
But then again how would you know? have you put one on your car lately and tried it?
 
kwplot34 said:
mrvette said:
kwplot34 said:
I have read many articles talking about how the new electric water pumps are very reliable and will cool your motor for everyday driving,not to mention the parasitic drag you get rid of with the extra pulley and belt.

One of my future mods is to install an electric pump,think i will go with one from CSR.
Click to expand...

Kev, even IF your turn that pump with a speed controller running off the battery.....(hint of past discussions with Brain Baskin) , I fail to see any real savings of horsepower...EXCEPT in a drag race situation....when you turn it on at shutdow/return lanes.....

I fail to see any HP or fuel economy gain on say a freeway run....
so even IF you slow the pump down, on a hot day the fans then turn on....

either way the drain off the alternator is the same....power/energy is spent...

:flash::beer:
Click to expand...

Ok Gene we all no your thoughts on anything that is different that what you have.
But then again how would you know? have you put one on your car lately and tried it?
Click to expand...

Been on the net talking with guys and also in person since '95.....and not once has anyone ever said electric driven water pumps worked well on the street in summer.....

so looking at the obvious problems concerning belts, accessory drives, and so forth....show me the proven positives....

then go try it yourself....lemme know....no one else seems happy ....

go for it...

:shocking:
 
kwplot34 said:
OK D_B i mean Gene. i forgot that you are the know it all.:bonkers:
Click to expand...

Didn't claim I know it ALL, just enough to figger a few simple power equations and test lab numbers for pump requirements for specific flow needed to cool engines ......and it's not really rocket science....

go find your own information....have fun.....I read enough to find out it was a blind alley for a street machine.....as a retrofit on an existing engine....

someone designs a new engine incorporating that, fine....but it does ME no good....

One hp is 750 watts....so I read it's 3-4? hp for a water pump at 4000? rpm...which varies for engine size and load....

so as a rough guess from recollections off articles....postings....lets say 3 hp....ok, 750x3= 2250 watts at 13 volts that is....175 amps steady draw off your alternator....

go buy a basketball size thing for fire trucks...look up Leece Neville for your efforts....

It's a engineering feet that will wear out my shoes just a runnin to make to work....

:trumpet::trumpet:
 
Everybody talks about pumps, fans, stats, coolant, water wetter, etc. It's all about the heat exchanger. If you put out X BTU in heat, XBTU rated radiator will solve it.
MY bottom line, if your car overheats, your radiator is too small/ineffecient.:smash:
 
kwplot34 said:
I have read many articles talking about how the new electric water pumps are very reliable and will cool your motor for everyday driving,not to mention the parasitic drag you get rid of with the extra pulley and belt.

One of my future mods is to install an electric pump,think i will go with one from CSR.
Click to expand...

Honestly Kevin, with your engine, I doubt you would notice a thing.:D
 
mrvette said:
kwplot34 said:
OK D_B i mean Gene. i forgot that you are the know it all.:bonkers:
Click to expand...

Didn't claim I know it ALL, just enough to figger a few simple power equations and test lab numbers for pump requirements for specific flow needed to cool engines ......and it's not really rocket science....

go find your own information....have fun.....I read enough to find out it was a blind alley for a street machine.....as a retrofit on an existing engine....

someone designs a new engine incorporating that, fine....but it does ME no good....

One hp is 750 watts....so I read it's 3-4? hp for a water pump at 4000? rpm...which varies for engine size and load....

so as a rough guess from recollections off articles....postings....lets say 3 hp....ok, 750x3= 2250 watts at 13 volts that is....175 amps steady draw off your alternator....

go buy a basketball size thing for fire trucks...look up Leece Neville for your efforts....

It's a engineering feet that will wear out my shoes just a runnin to make to work....

:trumpet::trumpet:
Click to expand...

:crap:Have another beer on this post

1DCV Amp = 14.3 Watts!

2250 Watts = do the math or go back to grade school????
 
I'm not looking for a horsepower gain. I think the constant higher flow at idle and slow speeds would be a plus for cooling. I only go above 3000 rpm ocassionally, and only for short spurts. It rarely gets up to 100 degrees here, and I'm not running AC anymore. I rarely have my t-tops on, so I don't drive it much when it is really cold, which is also rare here. So, maybe I shouldn't have any problems. I noticed that quite a few new cars are running factory electric water pumps, and I thought I would like to try it. I just wanted to know who has tried it, and what were their experiences. Let's not fight.
Bee Jay
 
AJ77 said:
I have the Proform 35GPM electric pump and like it just fine. I have it wired - key on. In the 108 degree summer the car never got over 210 degrees on the highway. It does let the car run cooler in town because of the higher flow at lower RPMs. I have a 383 with aluminum rad and dual 11" spal fans. Belt routing was no problem at all, I just got a belt short enough so when the alt is almost maxed out on adjustment, the belt is tight enough. The belt clears the water pump just enough so as not to be a problem.
Click to expand...

Hey AJ. Fuel injected, electric water pump and 700r4. Looks like you are willing to try things. Me too. Do you have a picture of your water pump installed and the belts?
Bee Jay
 
I have a 140 amp alternator because I have electric fans, electric water pump, electric fuel pump, the EFI computer and a 1400 watt stereo. I have no problem keeping the battery charged except when I idle for an extremely long time. That is only because I have an undersized crank pulley and at idle I'm not charging much. I just don't idle for extended periods, that's all. I live in Tx. and it gets plenty hot here in the summer. I had no problem keeping the car at or below 210 degrees all summer long. In town it usually drops about 20 degrees.
 
AJ77 said:
I have a 140 amp alternator because I have electric fans, electric water pump, electric fuel pump, the EFI computer and a 1400 watt stereo. I have no problem keeping the battery charged except when I idle for an extremely long time. That is only because I have an undersized crank pulley and at idle I'm not charging much. I just don't idle for extended periods, that's all. I live in Tx. and it gets plenty hot here in the summer. I had no problem keeping the car at or below 210 degrees all summer long. In town it usually drops about 20 degrees.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of my old joke about Dallas-F/W years ago...

'How hot does it get in Texas?.....Take a pitcher of ice water and pour it on the freeway...the ice melts and water evaporate before it hits the ground'.......

YUP....


:crap:
 
Concerning the electric water pump

Hosepower TV checked a basic 350 engine with a belt driven aluminum water pump on the engine dyno before and after the base line. Before was 290 hp and 329 torq. then they installed the electric water pump and they got 296 hp and 335 torq. This showed 6 hp gain and 6 ft lbs. of torq. improvement. It was on 4-26-08 the 232 show. I like the idea also you install the electric fuel pump and manual rack n' pinon with a electric water pump and I would think you could gain 20 hp at least and the power that you gained is not building it up just using what is there more efficiently.
 
I saw that dyno also,and several others where they took off the belt drive and added an electric pump and all of them showed a HP and TQ gain. And yes most of them stated that they had the alt on the motor also.
 
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