Installing a electric water pump

[sweetdiesel]

Dustin yea you are correct sorry it's been s long since I've had either of those lines hooked up that I frgot where they went... Lol

Dustin if I lost as many pumps as you I would of allready switched
I think u will like this pump!


Do younot think I needed to rerought the line to the upstream side of the pump? ( braided line )

good luck on th latest stocker

 

[JoshH]

Do younot think I needed to rerought the line to the upstream side of the pump? ( braided line )

If you mean post pump or pre pump, you need to keep it plumbed in pre pump otherwise it won't really bypass and will keep trying to build pressure when the t-stats are closed.

 

[KEVINL]

The pump is totally awsome no more worries about the stocker

make sure you install a switch on the pump or it will take foever to heat up your truck lol

Why would this be the stock pump runs all the time doesn't the coolant just bypass till t-stats open

I have heard it is bad to not have coolant circulating all the time

 

[sweetdiesel]

If you mean post pump or pre pump, you need to keep it plumbed in pre pump otherwise it won't really bypass and will keep trying to build pressure when the t-stats are closed.

Ya I was thinking the same thing

 

[sweetdiesel]

Why would this be the stock pump runs all the time doesn't the coolant just bypass till t-stats open

a electric pump doesn't know nor does it care what rpm the truck is running at. When you turn this pump on it's 55 gpm I could only geuss what a stock pump is pushing at 800 rpm?

I have heard it is bad to not have coolant circulating all the time

have you ever used a block heater? Water still circulates it's just very slow

I'm not the least bit worried jmo but your opinion is nice to hear as there are very few people running electric pumps..... You would be surprised how much you can run a duramax without coolant circulating! I know first hand!!


Thanks for your input Kevin it's mucho appreciated

 

[othrgrl]

Dustin if I lost as many pumps as you I would of allready switched
I think u will like this pump!

Do you not think I needed to rerought the line to the upstream side of the pump? ( braided line )

good luck on th latest stocker

You would be surprised how much you can run a duramax without coolant circulating! I know first hand!!

If I was paying for any of them I'm sure I would have went another route by now. But my truck is my only vehicle so when it breaks it's easier to just take a broken one to Advance, trade it for a new one, do whatever mods to it that I want, and install it all in one day.

You could route the bypass line anywhere you want to on the low pressure side of the system - the radiator, any of the rubber lines, ect. The lower radiator hose would be best so that it actually recirculates without getting cooled and helps the truck warm up. For guys with a functioning heater I don't see why they couldn't just block the bypass line like you did and leave the heater loop as a bypass.

You can run these trucks all day with no water pump, if anyone has a water pump fail on a long trip you should know this:
Unscrew the overflow tank's cap to where it is no longer holding pressure. A cooling system that isn't under pressure (ventilated) will naturally circulate - the temp in the motor will get up to the thermostat opening temp, the thermostats open and hot water pushes into the radiator and cool water gets sucked back into the motor. Old tractors didn't have water pumps, they just had ventilated systems. My first pump failed on the way to Mississippi pulling a car trailer, taking the cap off kept the temps in check and got me the rest of the way there topping off with water when I stopped for fuel.

 

[othrgrl]

Well looks like it's time to go electric. I installed the race thermostats that Pat and Kat are selling thinking that their increased flow and lower opening temp would help resolve the pressure buildup. First impressions were great:

In the time it took to install the thermostats the engine didn't even cool off much, even the coolant I drained and re-used was scalding hot when I poured it back in. Went for a 20 minute drive to warm it up and the gauge wouldn't get above 175*, even with me being rough on the truck but keeping the RPM down. Got onto a back road and opened it up a few times, turned around to head back to my normal route home and temps started climbing. Pretty sure the water pump let go, but now that it has cooled I will drive it to the shop this morning and see if the heat inside ever warms up - if it doesn't it's a tell-tale sign that you have no flow and a broken pump.

 

[keith2500hd]

what about using a variable fan controller, that would help control temps. those old tractors used alot of cast iron, some went to thermal siphon, similar to how block heater works. temp difference helps circulate. looks good so far.

 

[othrgrl]

I have electric fans with a fan controller, the problem isn't that the cooling system doesn't have the capacity to cool it. When the water pump is working it stays really cool, when it breaks I have to loosen the overflow cap and let it thermal siphon.

I ordered a Stewart/EMP 55 gph pump from Summit, should be here Friday. No more worries about the mechanical pump breaking.

 

[sweetdiesel]

I ordered a Stewart/EMP 55 gph pump from Summit, should be here Friday. No more worries about the mechanical pump breaking.

Dustin sorry it had to come to this but it's nice feeling not haveimg
to worry about the pump any more! You do alot more dd than Abby does so I hope it works well for you!

 

[sweetdiesel]

Btw that is the same pump I'm runnin

 

[othrgrl]

After looking at it I think this is going to be a very simple install that anyone can do in the drive-way. I gutted a stock pump yesterday and am stopping to see if I can find freeze plugs to fit the front and rear of the pump, and where the bypass line comes into the housing. I am also going to try one in the bypass outlet on the T-stat housing so I can completely delete the bypass line. I'll use red lok-tite when I put them in, then RTV around them for good measure. After that everything will back together as it would stock. In the lower line I am going to add a T-fitting towards the passenger side and terminate the heater core return line there so it is pre-pump; the T-fitting from an AirDog kit where it returns fuel to the filler neck is what I'm using. Then I'll cap off the heater core return in the factory T. The electric water pump will go right in the center.

 

[Krazykid]

Could you please take some pictures of this process? For some reason I am having a hard time picturing in my mind where all these T's and splices are happening. Sounds like a great project.

 

[ChevyDieselLLY]

Glad you are doing this Dustin. Will be easier for me to copy it now when I do mine LOL

 

[othrgrl]

Could you please take some pictures of this process? For some reason I am having a hard time picturing in my mind where all these T's and splices are happening. Sounds like a great project.

Sorry but I didn't get any pictures. It was very basic though. Took a broken water pump that the gear had spun off of, pulled the seal, pulled the snap ring, punched the shaft and bearing out, punched the seal out of the impellor side. That left me with just the aluminum bearing housing part - I took it to Car Quest and picked up a tap in freeze plug to fit each side - if anything get one that is slightly too big and then ream the hole to fit the plug. I used green lok-tite since it won't let go under 400*, they were tight enough I scrapped the RTV idea, as it wasn't needed. The last place to plug is the bypass (top) port on the water pump housing - again freeze plug and green lok-tite. Now bolt the bearing housing into the water pump housing as you normally would and install the "dumby pump" as you normally would - it is now just an adapter. Next choose your mounting location for the water pump - I did mine very similar to Simon's. There is a T-fitting where the return from the heater core ties into the lower radiator hose - I cut the heater hose off and plugged that side of the T. I mounted up the pump and cut the driver's side of the lower radiator hose off to length and clamped it onto the outlet of the pump - there should no longer be any functioning T fittings between the pump and motor. On the passenger side of the lower radiator hose you need to add a T-fitting to tie that heater hose back in. I used the part that comes in an AirDog lift pump's kit to return fuel to the tank - I put it in the straight section that goes upwards. Hook the passenger side up to the inlet of the pump and wire the pump in and you are done.

The plug you put in the water pump housing deleted the factory bypass circuit, but you use the heater circuit as a bypass circuit.

I'll let you guys know how it does daily driving and racing. I'm driving it 1.5 hours to the track today. It is so nice to not need to worry about breaking another water pump when I get rough on the truck.

 

[LBZ]

So how is this pump working out for ya so far?

 

[othrgrl]

On the way to the track it didn't get over 175* in the dash on a 90* day. At the track I could very quickly cool it down very quickly by having the truck off and the electric pump and fans running. I only got to make 3 passes and it stayed cool during those runs; but it came home on a trailer and I haven't had time to work on it since.

 

[Dura-Ration]

How did it do at the Diesel Power Challenge, hence 3rd place. Congratulations. BTW

 

[othrgrl]

Actually I didn't install the electric pump until after the Diesel Power Challenge. I replaced one a few hours before leaving for the Challenge and surprisingly it lasted through 3 days of beating on the truck without breaking; it let go on the way home from the awards dinner. I replaced it a few more times after the Challenge before finally going to electric. Dmitri also broke a pump while we were out there.

Thanks for the congrats.

 

[Dura-Ration]

Thanks Dustin for the information. This has lead me to a better decision on water pump replacement. Hope to see you enter the next Diesel Challenge 2011.