electric water pump drive

[beingblueeyes]

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

[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.

[PitchBlackC3]

Plenty of other things you could spend that money on and get more return.

[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.

[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

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.

[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.

[George C]

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

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.

[pl4yboy]

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.

[oleshifty]

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'

[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?