jr73

I'm considering one and want to hear of your experiences. I read that stock water pumps produce little coolant flow at low rpms which can cause overheating and at high rpms the design causes cavitation which causes reduced coolant flow and overheating. Our C3s like to overheat and I'm wondering if the pumps are overlooked. Its said electric water pumps have tighter tolerances and different blade designs and flow one speed all the time for consistent cooling.

doorgunner

I read that they last about a year if the car is a daily driver. Also, it's a big drain from the alternator if you have electric cooling fans too. Decent E-pumps seem to be about $150 to $300

Other than that, I like the idea, but have never installed one.

Mike Ward

You heard wrong. The stock GM pumps flows 30% more at idle than required to remove sufficient heat. There is no cavitation if kept out of an overspeed situation.

Stop reading the boy racer magazines that try to convince people that everything the factory did can be out engineered by some guy in a shed.

doorgunner

Got it!


(The point......not the pump)

jr73

Mike, I read this in the April 2012 issue of Super Chevy mag.
It sounded interesting and I value the opinion of the guys here.
I wasnt trying to come off as a know it all and you dont have to snap at me. Isn't the premise of a forum to help each other out? I have read your posts in lots of threads and you get like this alot. Why do you have to be like this? I did nothing to you. Im not going to count this forum out, I know there a lot of helpful and friendly guys and gals here and I intend to ask many more dumb questions here. I know nothing about Vettes, Im a Camaro guy. Im at a real disadvantage here, Im trying to learn. Sorry.

Nowhere Man

if your having cooling problems read this http://www.camaros.org/pdf/corv_cooling2.pdf

Mike Ward

How about that- I nailed it with the boy racer magazine guess. Seriously, please disregard any article you read that tries to make out like there's basic flaws that can be fixed installing a sponsor's widget. GM made eleventy squillion SBC and BBC engines. If there was a fault in the water pump I'm sure someone would have noticed by now.

No offence and I wasn't snapping at you, but this same question comes up every month or so. For every one guy that recognizes smoke and mirrors when they see it, there's maybe ten that believe everything they read. I'm amazed that the usual peanut galley brigade hasn't been by yet to jump on me. They don't believe in the laws of physic cause they're not the boss of me.

jr73

Ok Mike, were good. I'll give you this, you do give this forum some life. I agree most magazine writers can't hold a candle to GM engineers but the article was so convincing
I will be doing aluminum radiator and electric fans, I should be good enough. This system will be cooling a 383 with high perf heads so I was anticipating a little more heat than a stock motor.

widowmaker221

Electric water pumps are typically for the track, they probably are more efficient but don't tend to hold up well enough for daily use. Oh and don't let the PC bullies get to you!! Ha ha

jr73

I think I now have a pretty good idea what the story on these pumps is. I wont be needing one. I also learned Mike is more than just the forum bad boy, he is actually an intelligent guy who knows what he's talking about and if he ever speaks to me again I think he could help me out in the future.

Mike Ward

There's a surprising number of people here who have decades of experience from the been-there-done-that school and have learned the hard way that probably 90% of the go fast stuff in magazines and catalogues is not worth getting excited about.

Many of these same people get tired of being shouted down or out numbered by the 'yoots' whose entire bank of knowledge is what they've read on line. As such, they don't post anymore. That's a shame.

jr73

Which is why I came here to get the low down on something I read in a magazine. IMO this forum has the last word. These folks went to the school of hard knocks, thats how you learn. Besides I mostly look at magazines for the pictures.

billcarson

well some of us read magazines just for the articles.

jr73

chevymans 77

Howard Stewart has been contracted by most all of the OEM and NASCAR teams to develop water pumps that work for their intended use. He has developed water pumps that out perform OEM pumps in just about every aspect, low or high speed use. He no longer owns the company that sells his pumps today but the pumps sold are his design from what I can find. There is room for improvement in the OEM pump category with the ability to flow more water using less HP to do it. He also developed an electric pump that will perform as advertised but it is not cheap.

There is room to improve the OEM system if you want and I would suggest doing your homework and check out Stewart Components to do so.

Howard was making his own line of pumps for a while after selling his company but I cannot find him online anymore.

Everyone on these forms has their own impression of what works and what don’t work so I suggest you do a lot of reading and asking questions in order to make the best informed decision you can.

I have no history with electric pumps so I won’t comment on there use. There was a thread here a few years back about members that had used them on the daily street driven vette with some luck.

Neal

tektrans

I dont like electric water pumps for street driven cars however touching on what Chevymans 77 was saying-Stewart does make an electric IN LINE pump that I have used in the past on street\strip car and it worked very well in conjuction with the mechanical pump. Great for cooling a car in the pits with the engine off and also for a nice boost of flow while in traffic. The pump was around $450 last I checked.

72LS1Vette

My LS1 engine had a Meziere electric water pump on it when I bought it so I left it on. They recommended wiring it so that it ran whenever the ignition was on. My car is not a daily driver but it's been 4 years since the Vette has been back on the road and there have been no problems. If anything I have trouble getting heat in the car when the temps get down near freezing.



Rick B.

RickyBerg

I run a Meziere electric pump plus dual SPAL fans, i also have a Holley electric fuel pump.
Ihave a 60amp alternator and i haveno issues whatsoever with overheating or draining of battery.

In fact im quite pleased with the setup.

One reason to use the electric water pump is to eliminate the long fan belts that sometimes tends to wear out and jump of the pulleys during track events.
I have seen some loosing their belts and the engines boils very quickly..

I have moved the alternator to the right hand side of the engine and are now having two very short belts only, one for the power steering pump (left) and one for the alternator (right).

I have now been running this setup for 5 years, both on the street and on the tracks with no issues at all.