Is anyone running a STEWART water pump?

[SwaveDave]

Im going with an Electric Water Pump , for street. (Uh huhhh... thats right!)

I dont know how many miles are on my present mechanical water pump, so, i decided to replace it before i go on any long trips. I researched Electric ones, and am convinced it is the way to go. Meziere, CSI, and Moroso all advertise thier electric pumps for Drag and Street use. I talked to Don Meziere and his standard pumps rated at 35 gpm have a motor brush life of 10,000 hours and the seal life is 2500 hours. The Heavy Duty one, is 12,000 hours and 3000 hours. I drive my Vette April thru November and figure i drive roughly 100-125 hours per year max. So, it will last a long time. The advantages i have come up with are as follows:
1. An electric flows 35 gpm (standard duty) continuously. Thus, at idle when you need cooling the most, it is outflowing a mechanical pump., and should contribute to much better cooling. It is su fficient at higher street rpms such as 4000.
2. There is a H.P. gain from the engine not having to turn a pulley on a mechanical pump. (especially at higher rpms).
3. Having a dual electric radiator fan setup already, makes the ELectric Pump installation easy. The engine belt will only have to turn the alternator and p.s. pump with crankshaft. No modifications to the pulleys.
4. I already have an oversized alternator. The electric pump draws a meager 6 amps total.
5. They sure look good.

Im installing it this week, then shall do an analysis based on : Outside temp, water temp., rpms, and mph. Ill report my findings.

Dave

 

[Ken]

1. An electric flows 35 gpm (standard duty) continuously. Thus, at idle when you need cooling the most, it is outflowing a mechanical pump., and should contribute to much better cooling. It is su fficient at higher street rpms such as 4000.

You have to keep radiator residence time in mind for cooling to be most efficient.

2. There is a H.P. gain from the engine not having to turn a pulley on a mechanical pump. (especially at higher rpms).

The HP gain is insignificant in my humble opinion.

3. Having a dual electric radiator fan setup already, makes the ELectric Pump installation easy. The engine belt will only have to turn the alternator and p.s. pump with crankshaft. No modifications to the pulleys.

4. I already have an oversized alternator. The electric pump draws a meager 6 amps total.

:cool

5. They sure look good.

Im installing it this week, then shall do an analysis based on : Outside temp, water temp., rpms, and mph. Ill report my findings.

Thanks Dave!

_ken

 

[SwaveDave]

Ken,

Thanks for your comments. I think 'residence time' is only one factor to consider ; if you have a big radiator with alot of air moving thru it from twin fans ... you can run the water thru the radiator quicker and thus provide a greater amount of cooling , if the heat from the water is being surrendered sufficiently . This in turn, will provide much better cooling of the engine.

One fly in the ointment though...is the thermostat which is restricting the flow even when its fully open ... but its important to have that. (Id like to take it out though, just to see the effect of what happens after the new electric pump is installed).

Dave

 

[Tom73]

Dave,
Is a constant 35 GPH going to be enough for street operation? Check out this page on the Stewart Waterpump page: http://www.stewartcomponents.com/edelbrock_comparison.htm

It compairs the Stewart and the Eldebrock pumps. At idle they are only moving 17-18 GPH. But at 3000 (good round town speed) they are moving 51-65 GPH and at 3500 (highway speed) they are moving 59-77 GPH or twice what the electric pump is putting out.

tom...

 

[69MyWay]

Since I have no experience with this brand of pumps, I can't say one way or another what I think will happen.

Instead, I will eagerly look for a follow up report after you get some miles on the system.

Good luck with the install, and please keep us posted.


Maybe we can take a good look at it at Sharkfest


Is that radiator repair still holding up?

 

[SwaveDave]

Thanks for the Stewart webpage on GPM's ; Im buying the Heavy Duty Electric Pump which moves 44 gpm , not 35 . Im not too concerned about higher street rpms (3500 and above) because i have an oversized radiator, twin radiator fans, and twin oil coolers ...to cool the engine . However, i might be concerned if i had just a stock setup on the car.

Im going to experiment with keeping the 160 degree thermostat in place, and also running it without a thermostat...both at low rpms and higher rpms to see what effect it has on engine temp.

Ill keep everyone posted. By Thursday, i should have some actual figures to post.
The 3 major manufacturers all claim it can be used for street ..but just to be safe, i wont dispose of the mechanical water pump


Dave

 

[SwaveDave]

Tom 73,

One more thought about the Stewart GPM figures..is that, the figures are what thier pumps are 'delivering'...and not the actual 'requirement' for the engine to be cooled (which would be lower) ; therefore, i feel a little more relaxed looking at the figures.

Ill post my findings in a couple days.

Dave

 

[SwaveDave]

Well, i came to my senses just in time...i was going to pop for a Meziere Electric water pump, but just didnt feel good about it at higher street rpms. So, im pretty well hooked on Stewart pumps now ; which one do you have : Stage 1,2,3,or 4 ? Do you notice any difference ? Any problems ? Does it appear to be high quality ?

Thanks,

Dave

 

[69MyWay]

Hey Dave,

I know this is of topic here, but check out this set up.

This was done with a long leg water pump from Edelbrock. So I am pretty sure that you are going to have a ton of extra space now between your engine and radiator with the electric one installed.

 

[SwaveDave]

69,

Nice pics !!

I decided agaisnt the electric at the very last moment. Im going to pop for a hi flow Stewart mechanical pump.

Dave

 

[tacoed]

Water pump high voulume stewart 1 each

Good day mate I am running Stewart High volume water pump for the last 2 years, easy to put on {did the rad pads,& hose's } at the same time. I went from runnin aprox 210 deg's to a constent 185/190 all day long hard driving, iddle or on asphulat in the summer heat, I have no worry's or gripes about it. I would buy one again.

Good luck.

 

[SwaveDave]

Well...G'Day !! (I didnt know people in Chilie talked that way

Thanks for the info on your Stewart pump. Just about everyone rants and raves about them. Can u imagine what that stage 4 pump would do with 8 impellers ??! ... would be like a Fire Engine hose !

Thanks, Dave

 

[tacoed]

Well G-Day

It's a long but fun story.. You can say that I have bounced arund a bit,and have had many of good travels in my day's. However I have never been in your your neck of the wood's. I do hear that you have BIG Deer up that way. This place has some of the best coffee, and coast line you could ever find! Take care mate

 

[SwaveDave]

Sounds like you get around...

Yes the deer can get pretty large...so can all females here in the land of milk and honey, the good ol USA.

If you ever get up this way, come on over ...and ill take you to Outback Restaruant and we'll kill a few Fosters...

Dave

 

[ccflorida]

Dave,

Can you please explain the different stages 1-4 of the Stewart pumps also which pump (stage) have you decided on?? Also what do they run in price??? Thanks
Roy

 

[SwaveDave]

Roy,
Go to Stewarts Website for alot of info on thier pumps. For my 454/540 h.p. street vette, they recommended a stage 2 pump (which will deliver alot more than stock). Im apt to go with a stage 3 though, since the difference in price is hardly anything. On thier website, they tell you which one to go with based on your car usage . The stage 4 pump runs $299.00 ...so the stage 1,2,and 3 will be alot less. They look to be really beefed up , and if i lived in the south like you do...id get me a real high capacity one if you drive it in 95 degree plus weather.

i can let you know how it works after i get mine installed.

Dave

 

[SwaveDave]

Roy,

Just got the price for the Stage 3 pump for my car :$179.95 . Pretty reasonable id say for a super h.d. water pump and for as long as they last.

Dave

 

[jsimpson]

Dave, I don't think you gain power with eletric pumps and fans. You most likely lose power due to losses in converting mechanical energy to electrical energy and then back again. I use electric fans simply because they perform better at idle, when my air conditioning needs them the most. The only way electric fans net a power gain is when they are turned off, such as when barrelling down a quarter mile strip. Electric pumps can offer no such advantage since they are always on!

 

[Bullitt]

As pointed out, I think the mechanical vs. electric water pump horsepower gains/loss is not so much to the pump, but down to the fan set-up. A conventional pump driven fan loads the engine down on the pulleys. Yet, it is true that the electrical alternative does take more current to run. It's give and take, but I'm switching to electrical fans for it's effectiveness to draw in more air at idle speeds. Traffic is a b**ch and somewhere along the way, I'm gonna get stuck in it.

--Bullitt

 

[jsimpson]

Bullitt; that was my logic for switching to electric fans on my RAM Cummins and probably on my big block 70. I can afford the power loss for a gain in idle speed cooling! Nevertheless, the fact is that there are significant power losses any time you convert from one energy form to another. The only efficiency gain comes when the electricity to the fan (or pump) is shut off, such as when you're making a run down the drag strip! I'm sure not going to run any electrical accessories off of my lawn tractor; the losses would be significant there!