the car is a 1973 Pontiac Lemans, 350 V8. Water pump needs to be replaced. It's obviously a mechanical pump that's in there now. I was thinking of getting something with more capacity (to start off) as I feel the car could do with a better cooling system (and I have to get a water pump anyways).
I was thinking of getting an electrical pump as that would also free up a bit of power from the engine. From what I gather, by doing this it seems I need to switch to an electrical fan also. Is that the case? Any advice/opinions on electrical systems and set ups? Any recommendations?Thanks in advance to anyone who answers. Much appreciated.
2007-08-24 05:00:44 · 4 answers · asked by meneermalik 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The mechanical water pump in a 350 has more then enough capacity to move water. When you remove the old pump, you may find the fins are corroded or actually eaten away. This would cause any pump to not work at optimum capacity!
An electric radiator fan would free up a little power in the motor, but an electric water pump would need more current and would cause the alternator to work a lot harder. Any savings in power would be eaten up (and more, by the extra drag on the alternator!
If you need more cooling, most likely you have a restriction in the radiator.
I would have the radiator cleaned (or replace it). Removing the radiator will give you more room to work on the water pump anyway! You can get a new one for $235.54 on line at http://www.radiatorbarn.com/
Of course, when you are doing this work you want to replace the thermostat, and back flush the rest of the cooling system!
2007-08-24 05:26:16 · answer #1 · answered by fire4511 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Most 1973 era vehicles have a clutch on the fan which stops turning at higher engine rpm which saves horsepower.
Your best option is to locate a high capacity water pump for your car or locate a radiator with more "passes" than the stock radiator. A radiator shop should be able to give you advise on both.
Remember, the water pump is belt driven along with several other items on the engine, so replacing the water pump with an electric one might be far more involved and expensive.
Plus, the water pump has a seal that must work properly for the engine to retain its cooling fluid.
There are aftermarket cooling fans that can be installed in front of or behind the radiator to provide additional air flow, the local auto parts store should have a listing or a company like Summit. Fans can be manually turned on or have a thermo swithch which turns the fan on at a certain temp. These are usually options with the electric fan "kits".
Good luck.
2007-08-24 12:12:10 · answer #2 · answered by jack w 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Nothing wrong with switching to an electrical water pump. In fact a lot of race cars use them. It frees up some horsepower because there isn't any parasitic loss as there is with a mechanical set-up. You will need a larger alternator though and put in a few bigger fuses because using an electric water pump will suck more juice from the battery. I know what you are thinking though a bigger alternator will cause its own parasitic loss to the horsepower. True but, not as much as the mechanical waterpump sucks. As for using an electric fan, I would say yeah, you could use one as that will free up more horsepower but, you don't need to do it. I would look into a Meziere electric water pump set up. Go to Meziere.com and check out what will work best for you. I hope this helps and I love early '70's Lemans', Tempest's and GTO's so cool car bro.
2007-08-24 12:42:52 · answer #3 · answered by MightyRighty 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
stick with the stock set up
2007-08-24 12:05:06 · answer #4 · answered by John St.Louis 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋