Electric Water Pump

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So Cal Mark

Electric Water Pump

Post by So Cal Mark »

I mentioned the new electric water pump in a couple of threads recently. Now that we have this resto finished up, I can give a more thorough report on this upgrade.
The details are we built a performance 2L for this 1973 Spider and converted it to FI using the oem Bosch L-Jet system. The motor received 10:1 forged pistons, ported cylinder head with oversize valves, 284 street cams, lightweight flywheel, lightweight crank pulley, adjustable cam gears, mls head gasket, head stud kit, Computronix ignition and of course the new electric water pump.
The electric water pump solves several common issues by first eliminating the thermostat and making bleeding the system a breeze.
Engines with thermostats don't warm up evenly, there are hot spots due to lack of circulation as the engine reaches operating temperature. The electric kit starts circulating water at a slow rate as soon as the key is turned on (this is why bleeding is so easy). As the engine approaches the target temperature that you've chosen the pump ramps up the circulation speed. If the engine temperature rises above the target temperature, the cooling fan is turned on. If the temp rises 20 degrees above target, you get an audible warning. When the engine is turned off, the pump circulates water at a slow rate for up to 3 minutes to prevent heat soak.
During engine break-in, we had the car running at 2500 for 20 minutes in the shop on a 95 degree day. Engine temp stayed in the 180 range.
Without needing to waste hp turning a water pump pulley, this engine is REALLY responsive. On this current application we cut the impeller from the rear of the mechanical pump to allow full flow from the electric pump. At some point we'll have a block off plate available so there won't be any need to use the mechanical pump.
We're finalizing all the various pieces to include in the kit, but these will be available soon! Here are some pics of the system;
Image
This is the controller. As you can see I've got it set at 160 as a target temp, the solid lines show the current temperature and the fan symbol in the lower left lets you know when the fan is on. Very easy to set so that if you want higher temps in cold weather or cooler temps in the summer, it only takes a second to change the setting.
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the pump gets plumbed where the thermostat used to sit; lower radiator hose to the inlet, outlet into the engine and heater return into the pump. Pretty simple
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quite a bit more room around the front of the engine without a water pump pulley and a belt from the crank to the alternator
SunnySideUp
Posts: 640
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 3:02 pm
Your car is a: SOLD

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by SunnySideUp »

Early adopter here - sign me up for one!
SunnySideUp
klweimer
Posts: 550
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2012 7:45 am
Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: Arvada, Colorado

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by klweimer »

Pretty slick set-up. Is that a stock radiator?
So Cal Mark

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by So Cal Mark »

it is a stock radiator in that car
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joelittel
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Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:53 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000 FI
Location: Evanston, IL

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by joelittel »

I love this and will start saving for mine now.
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engineerted
Posts: 531
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:57 pm
Your car is a: 1974 124 spider
Location: Farmington Hills, MI

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by engineerted »

Sorry, this is just wrong! You can not control the engine temp the way you have it plumbed. You need to keep the external t-stat, as it is already setup to circulate the coolant, bypassing the radiator during the warm up. What you have done is forced the system to not circulate when the coolant is cold and may never warm up if it is cool outside and the car is moving. Not circulating coolant in the head creates local hot spots that will warp and damage the head. Good try, but you need to keep the t-stat.
Ted
1978 124 Spider, Complete Restoration
1974 Fiat 124 F Production Race car
kmoses
Posts: 366
Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2014 10:28 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Spider 2000

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by kmoses »

I just looked at their water pump & controller kits, very nice. That is a nice clean install. Does the display need to be connected at all times or can it be removed once setup is finished?
So Cal Mark

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by So Cal Mark »

the pump starts circulating water as soon as the key is turned on, at a slow rate. The circulation speed increases as the engine warms up. I've run the car and driven it and the system works as designed by the manufacturer. If you've ever used an infra-red temp gun on various spots in the engine as it warms up, you'll find very high temps as the water exits the engine and returns to the water pump with a closed thermostat.
The controller needs to be connected to the system. We mounted the controller in the glove box at the owners' request
dreavis
Posts: 111
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2015 2:32 am
Your car is a: 1977 Fiat 1800

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by dreavis »

Was there any mention of price? This seems like something a sophisticated solution to a problem that has plagued automotive engineers since the birth of the ICE.
So Cal Mark

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by So Cal Mark »

the kit will be in the $400 range. final price will be determined once we finalize all the various bits and pieces to complete the installation
JohnMc
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Your car is a: 1970 Fiat 124

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by JohnMc »

After seeing the photo I have done a lot of looking at these. BMW's have them and saw that Prius has them (probably HP).
I absolutely love them and would really like to get one.
I have a 1438 with internal thermostat I would love to toss and hopefully your kit would work with my oldster 124.
So Cal Mark

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by So Cal Mark »

The kit will work with any of the Spider engines.
JohnMc
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Your car is a: 1970 Fiat 124

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by JohnMc »

As soon as you get it I am in!
So Cal Mark

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by So Cal Mark »

Pump kits are in stock and listed on my website!
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nelsonj
Posts: 394
Joined: Thu Oct 14, 2010 5:37 pm
Your car is a: 1972 Spider 124

Re: Electric Water Pump

Post by nelsonj »

Anyone done the install yet? I'm very interested in the install process (do you have to use and modify the existing water pump just as a connection) and the results.

Peace.
Out.
Image
Simi Valley, California
Spider 1800
Romans 10:9
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