electric water pump drive

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07-23-2010, 10:02 PM
beingblueeyes

electric water pump drive

Ok just throwing this idea out there “electric water pump drive” I see the kits advertised in jegs for around 100 and then I see reg electric water pumps for ls1’s for around 450-500. Has anyone ever fab’d up one to a lsx motor? After looking at the drive belt set up on my 5.3 it looks like alls it would take to run a electric water pump drive kit is a new location for the belt tensioner to keep the belt off the water pump. That would result in a much much shorter belt set up and the removal on the dead pulley on the pass side of the motor allowing you to mount any intake manifold you wanted to mount. Then you would have to remove the water pump pulley (after this it become all speculation and theory) install the new slotted pulley and make a mounting bracket for the E motor.

After looking around on line for gains with electric water pumps I found this
http://www.superchevy.com/technical/...mp/index1.html

In there testing they gained a max of 6hp and a avg of 3 and the same with tq. I’m not sure if this would be more or less with a lsx motor because testing was preformed on a sbc gen 1. Any thoughts about this?

**here they say 10-12 hp on lsx motor
http://www.lgmotorsports.com/catalog...oducts_id=1590
07-23-2010, 10:27 PM
IXLR8

I haven't really kept up with them (they might be better now), but in the past the electric water pump drives that use an electric motor and a belt to drive your stock water pump (probably from Moroso) didn't really work well on the street. They were intended to be used at the drag strip to cool race cars down between passes with the motor shut off.
07-23-2010, 11:22 PM
PitchBlackC3

Plenty of other things you could spend that money on and get more return.
07-24-2010, 11:27 AM
oleshifty

like i've said in the past.... electric water pumps just aren't a great idea for daily drivers. They only have like a 500 hour life span, and are pricey.

An UD kit frees up about the same amount of hp, and costs half as much. Plus you get the dependability of a normal water pump. If it is a track car only, sure free up the couple horses, but on a daily, you'd prolly get the same amount of track time increase by removing a spare tire/ passenger seat.
07-24-2010, 11:43 AM
George C

where do you get your facts? the Meizere water pump i have is rated at 3000 hours, do the math on how many miles/years that exactly is. You gain alot from a EWP not just power, a true daily i wouldnt use one but a toy yes. a True daily i wouldnt crack open the motor but thats another story. Now you state you dont gain much, you need to look at what a EWP really does as for drag on the motor.

as stated for close to 700 for a street EWP its not in everyone's budget, when i got mine it wasnt no were near as much as it is today. My setup stays nice an cool

Quote:

Originally Posted by oleshifty

like i've said in the past.... electric water pumps just aren't a great idea for daily drivers. They only have like a 500 hour life span, and are pricey.

An UD kit frees up about the same amount of hp, and costs half as much. Plus you get the dependability of a normal water pump. If it is a track car only, sure free up the couple horses, but on a daily, you'd prolly get the same amount of track time increase by removing a spare tire/ passenger seat.
07-24-2010, 12:16 PM
oleshifty

what do ALL accessories use? (minus AC) maybe 20-25 hp? I'm sorry, but for the 700 bucks, you can make a lot more power somewhere else. Not to mention the electrical draw of a EWP makes the alternator work harder, which robs some of that power you're freeing up.

I realize there is the cooling aspect as well, but not something some good electric fans/ different thermostat could also do.
07-24-2010, 01:49 PM
George C

Alt doesn't work any harder. Motor ramps faster plus the gph of pump is biggest factor

Quote:

Originally Posted by oleshifty

what do ALL accessories use? (minus AC) maybe 20-25 hp? I'm sorry, but for the 700 bucks, you can make a lot more power somewhere else. Not to mention the electrical draw of a EWP makes the alternator work harder, which robs some of that power you're freeing up.

I realize there is the cooling aspect as well, but not something some good electric fans/ different thermostat could also do.
07-24-2010, 01:50 PM
pl4yboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by oleshifty

what do ALL accessories use? (minus AC) maybe 20-25 hp? I'm sorry, but for the 700 bucks, you can make a lot more power somewhere else. Not to mention the electrical draw of a EWP makes the alternator work harder, which robs some of that power you're freeing up.

I realize there is the cooling aspect as well, but not something some good electric fans/ different thermostat could also do.

I'm not quite sold on your logic. One, an electric fan conversion would cost quite a bit. Two, they draw more current and make your alternator work harder than the EWP would. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sold on anyone's logic on this quite yet. For me, if it was a toy, yes, I'd do the conversion. If it was a DD, no I wouldn't.
07-24-2010, 01:58 PM
oleshifty

Quote:

Originally Posted by pl4yboy

I'm not quite sold on your logic. One, an electric fan conversion would cost quite a bit. Two, they draw more current and make your alternator work harder than the EWP would. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sold on anyone's logic on this quite yet. For me, if it was a toy, yes, I'd do the conversion. If it was a DD, no I wouldn't.

I got my electric fans off a z28 in a junkyard for $50. I got my SLP UD kit for 180 shipped with a new bolt. So 230, and that was first time I ever spun my tires from a stop with the 3.73 gears. If you get a electric water pump you're going to need a new thermostat/ electric fan anyway. So the cost of those cancel out. I realize the fans pull a lot of power, but I know me personally BARELY ever use em. While driving I don't need them. With AC on, or stopped in traffic for long periods of time sure, but normally I never see temps above 197, and that is with a stock thermostat.

I'm not saying they aren't nice, and if I had an endless supply of money, I'd have one. But I'd have a new block/heads/forced induction first. For the cost, they just aren't worth it. A 160* thermostat and better radiator would be more then sufficient for 'cooling'
07-24-2010, 06:27 PM
RedHeartbeat

surely the electric water pump frees up HP by removing the EWP from the equation but electricity isn't free and the alternator has to make it. how much HP does the alternator draw to create the electricity to turn the EWP?
07-24-2010, 08:12 PM
George C

10 amp fuse required efans draw more

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedHeartbeat

surely the electric water pump frees up HP by removing the EWP from the equation but electricity isn't free and the alternator has to make it. how much HP does the alternator draw to create the electricity to turn the EWP?
07-24-2010, 09:28 PM
beingblueeyes

This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping to start. I don’t agree with spending over 400 on a electric Water pump because its not very practical but what I would spend around 250$ for a lsx electric water pump that flowed 40-45 gph and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. I have some ideas on how to accomplish this but I need a old water pump to try it on
07-24-2010, 10:38 PM
IXLR8

Quote:

Originally Posted by beingblueeyes

This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping to start. I don’t agree with spending over 400 on a electric Water pump because its not very practical but what I would spend around 250$ for a lsx electric water pump that flowed 40-45 gph and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. I have some ideas on how to accomplish this but I need a old water pump to try it on

But....you aren't the first one to attack the problem. It started with an electric motor driving a belt that spun the stock water pump. Lot's of these were sold by Moroso and were used at the dragstrip on race cars to cool them down in the pits while the engine was shut off. You can still buy them. But the electric motor couldn't spin a stock water pump fast enough to keep up on the street.

Over the years the electric water pump has evolved into what is available today. The stock water pump was replaced by a purpose built pump designed to be driven by a electric motor all in one piece. Yes, they're expensive, but they're light years ahead of the old electric motor driving a belt driving a stock water pump.

I still have a car with a cement truck electric water pump on it (the pump they use to wash the truck down with when they finish pouring cement). It's the same pump they use on house boats to pump water to the kitchen and bathrooms. It works better than the old belt driven electric setup sold by Moroso, but not as good as what you can buy today. The car hasn't been started in years, but if I get interested in it again and the cement truck water pump ever quits or I decide to do some major work on the car, I'll be moving on up to one of the new high dollar pumps.

In the end you get what you pay for. You wanna play you gotta pay.
07-25-2010, 05:10 PM
RUFFNECK

Quote:

Originally Posted by IXLR8

But....you aren't the first one to attack the problem. It started with an electric motor driving a belt that spun the stock water pump. Lot's of these were sold by Moroso and were used at the dragstrip on race cars to cool them down in the pits while the engine was shut off. You can still buy them. But the electric motor couldn't spin a stock water pump fast enough to keep up on the street.

Over the years the electric water pump has evolved into what is available today. The stock water pump was replaced by a purpose built pump designed to be driven by a electric motor all in one piece. Yes, they're expensive, but they're light years ahead of the old electric motor driving a belt driving a stock water pump.

I still have a car with a cement truck electric water pump on it (the pump they use to wash the truck down with when they finish pouring cement). It's the same pump they use on house boats to pump water to the kitchen and bathrooms. It works better than the old belt driven electric setup sold by Moroso, but not as good as what you can buy today. The car hasn't been started in years, but if I get interested in it again and the cement truck water pump ever quits or I decide to do some major work on the car, I'll be moving on up to one of the new high dollar pumps.

In the end you get what you pay for. You wanna play you gotta pay.

Good point!:thumb:
07-25-2010, 08:32 PM
beingblueeyes

Quote:

Originally Posted by IXLR8

But....you aren't the first one to attack the problem. It started with an electric motor driving a belt that spun the stock water pump. Lot's of these were sold by Moroso and were used at the dragstrip on race cars to cool them down in the pits while the engine was shut off. You can still buy them. But the electric motor couldn't spin a stock water pump fast enough to keep up on the street.

Over the years the electric water pump has evolved into what is available today. The stock water pump was replaced by a purpose built pump designed to be driven by a electric motor all in one piece. Yes, they're expensive, but they're light years ahead of the old electric motor driving a belt driving a stock water pump.

I still have a car with a cement truck electric water pump on it (the pump they use to wash the truck down with when they finish pouring cement). It's the same pump they use on house boats to pump water to the kitchen and bathrooms. It works better than the old belt driven electric setup sold by Moroso, but not as good as what you can buy today. The car hasn't been started in years, but if I get interested in it again and the cement truck water pump ever quits or I decide to do some major work on the car, I'll be moving on up to one of the new high dollar pumps.

In the end you get what you pay for. You wanna play you gotta pay.

I took your advice for what you were saying in your first post about those belt driven elt. water pumps were for and did more research and the idea has evolved. I found a good used water pump and will be trying the idea out. if you want to play you have to pay is correct but if you fab something up you’ll be paying less:chevy:
07-25-2010, 09:17 PM
IXLR8

Quote:

Originally Posted by beingblueeyes

if you want to play you have to pay is correct but if you fab something up you’ll be paying less:chevy:

Or you might end up paying more if it doesn't work and you end up with a pile of worthless parts. But sometimes that's what hot rodding is all about. I've tried lots of stuff over the years I wasn't sure about. If you can get something a little off the wall to work it feels good.

If you can get your water pump idea to work well enough to use, more power to you. Good luck.
07-25-2010, 09:31 PM
Mangled03gmc

If your going to even try for some type of electric pump, go out and buy the complete pump from meziere.. They make them for a daily, have a 2000+ hour life exp.. Of course it is going to draw a lil bit more on your electrical system, but nothing that is going to overload it. Like QUICK said, elect fans pull more amps. That pump might draw 5 amps.. Think of the stereo systems we have in out trucks, with the stock Alt?? I wouldn't be scared to do it, if I had 600+ buks that I didn't need.. It is worth it you want every HP you can get.. Its on my list, but not till I get other things taking car of first..