Question from LT1

[MrArmyAnt]

The water pump on the LT1 is belt driven, while when it goes out we vette owners frequently replace it with electric as it seems to add about 5hp on the dyno not having the extra restrictions. Ya'll noticed this on the blazers' 350? of course it adds one more electric part to break under water...

 

[sled_dog]

The water pump on the LT1 is camshaft driven. No belt.

Sure you will notice a slight increase in power on the Dyno. The big reason against it that I see, how would you run any accessories? They'd have to be mounted down at the bottom of the block since you no longer have the waterpump as a belt routing point. Frame clearance would be an issue as would mounting your alterntor low on an offroad vehicle.

 

[MrArmyAnt]

The water pump on the LT1 is camshaft driven. No belt.

Sure you will notice a slight increase in power on the Dyno. The big reason against it that I see, how would you run any accessories? They'd have to be mounted down at the bottom of the block since you no longer have the waterpump as a belt routing point. Frame clearance would be an issue as would mounting your alterntor low on an offroad vehicle.

Ah. Thanks. Don't know why i said belt driven.

I havent seen how the belts mount, I know older k5s use a few belts, i thought newer used one? Havent gotten a chance to really study my motors all that well, and since I still dont own one its a little more difficult.

 

[sled_dog]

newer setups have serpentine setup, one belt driving everything, but it still uses the waterpump as a pretty important go between for each pulley. If you can figure a good setup to bypass the waterpump so we can run an electric one, please do, I'd swap over too. Not to say its impossible or even THAT hard, I've never sat down and cared enough to figure it out.

 

[dyeager535]

Is there any OEM electric water pumps?

All I've ever heard is that none of them will stand up endurance wise to what is needed for a daily driven rig.

5HP for all that extra hassle and potential problems doesn't seem worth it.

If there are OEM electric water pumps out there, that would change my mind as to reliability, otherwise I'd expect every manufacturer would jump on it, as that would alleviate some engine driven parasitic drag (emissions especially cold) and probably decrease warmup times.

 

[ryan22re]

Is there any OEM electric water pumps?

ive seen some vw's that have a electric water pump, but it only circulates the water after the engine has shut down.

since gm is going to electric assist power steering (no pump), i think that an electric water pump could be the next logical step.

but with all of the electronics on cars/trucks these days, i would bet that we wont see a full electric water pump untill the OEM's switch to 42 volt electrical systems.


ryan

 

[89GMCSuburban]

LT1 doesn't have a pulley anywhere on the water pump.

From what I've read online, the pump's bearing fails and the water from the weep hole leaks onto the optispark that is right underneath it.

I wouldn't run an electric one on a DD. Just don't think it'd be as reliable when you have to drive it for hours straight, or something like that. Unless they are designed for day in and out use, I wouldn't use one. Besides, I doubt the guys that put those on drive their cars to work 20+ miles each direction every day.

 

[MrArmyAnt]

That damn optispark has caused more problems to vette owners than speeding tickets.

 

[sweetk30]

offroad truck and lt1 swap = no hell no. to manny opti spark problems and frame mount and clearence problems. keep them in 2x4 stuff.

 

[MrArmyAnt]

Oh nononono. I was curious for improving HP on the 350, I know some vette people have done that. Looks like anything non mechanical doesn't like offroad, kinda wondering now wether or not I even want TBI over carb.

 

[89GMCSuburban]

I'd spend money on heads before I ever put an electric water pump on a truck. That 5hp gain is at, like, 5500 RPM if you look at dyno sheets.

 

[MrArmyAnt]

True, but heads are also much harder to replace, to me anyway. I can do stuff outside of the motor, but getting towards it my knowledge drops dramaticaly. I need to find a mechanic around here i can be an aprentice for for a while.

 

[89GMCSuburban]

Heads are a piece of cake! The ONLY thing you have to worry about is making sure the pushrods go in the same spot they came out. Get a book and torque the head bolts in steps and in the order outlined in the book. That's it! You gotta remember it's all nuts and bolts...don't let it freak you out!