I'm considering getting a high flow water pump for my 302. Do the aftermarket pumps work that much better? Did anyone notice a difference? Also, since i run a serpentine, is it possible to bolt a "5.0 mustang" water pump to our early timing cover? Thanks!
From the tests I've seen the good aftermarket pumps flow a significantly higher volume and a higher pressure to reach those hard to get at areas and avoid hot spots. Edelbrock also claims that their's flow more equally to both sides of the engine. They actually have a water pump dynomometer that they test them on. For the money the Flowcoolers are hard to beat. About half the price of the Edelbrock. That's what I'm planning to run on my new 347. A new pump should bolt to the older timing cover but those pumps are reverse rotation.
The flowcoolers look good too! I was looking at this milodon: http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=MIL-16231&N=120+-42796+-45168+300977 My only concern is that I have a stock 3-core radiator, and i'm just wondering if it would make a difference or if the radiator would just become the bottleneck in that case.
i've run a flowcooler on my last 2 engines. i'm happy with them. i also use a pint of vp cooldown whenever i change the water.
See that's funny because I've gone through two Flowcoolers on my 66 Stang in a years time. Both had their bearings go bad. I ended up using a new Bosch unit from the "Boys" and other than being cast iron it exactly the same, I mean exactly down to the impeller changes, as the Flowcooler. Cost $45 bucks too. I think of I buy an aftermarket now it'll be anything else.
You need to consider that the higher pressure capability of the bigger pumps won't be realized unless a higher pressure radiator cap is used. This leads to another problem with the normal OEM hoses not being up to the job of holding the pressure reliably for long periods of time with out problems of ballooning, thermstat housing seal, as well as heater hoses and core issues etc. I would not go above about 16 lbs for cap pressure using normal OEM hoses. I currently run an engine at 20 lbs and discovered all these problems and had to go to special gates hoses that have high pressure ratings. The pump is an alum high flow/pressure unit with 3/4" shaft and larger bearing for the application use we have. Volume is fine and high pressure just means the boiling point is moved higher for any application that needs it as long as the total system can withstand it. One application for high pressure is the use of a smaller radiator where space does not permit larger sizes providing cooling at lower pressures.
I have a Milodon Pump on my car (from Summit) and have been happy with it so far. It was on the engine from the beginning so I have othing to compare it with.
I have a Milodon High Vol Pump on mine and a hi-flow 160 Thermostat ..moves a lot of water .at a idle mine still wanted to run warm 200...going down the road it would cool and stay around 170-175
I would have a concern with the flowcooler casting. Here is why: Based on the photo provided by someone else in this topic, it is obvious that the smaller hose fittings(bypass and heater connections) are intergral castings with the pump itself. This can be bad if corrosion happens at these points because the fittings could possibly break off. Most cast iron pumps have steal screw-in or press-in fittings as do almost any other aluminum pumps. I actually purchased an Edelbrock Victor series pump for my engine(have yet to put it together) and I must say, the quality is the best I have seen. It has brass screw-in fittings for the bypass and heater connections. Unfortunately, the pump was expensive($150 range). But if you are really concerned with cooling your engine and want longevity, you may have to shell out the cash. By the way, Edelbrock claims a 1 or 2%(can't remember which) variation between both sides of the block.
I wouldn't run a high-flow water pump unless I was using under-drive pullys. The water needs to have time for the heat to be carried away as it passes through the radiator. Flowing too fast can actually cause overheating problems. My ultimate point here is that every componet in the cooling system must be matched to work together...
I have a flowcooler right now and didn't see any change in temperatures, but it's about a million pounds lighter than the cast iron boat anchor I took off. I love light parts. I'm seriously considering an electric pump from Meziere. anyone have an experiences with those to make me reconsider?
Yeah, you definitely have to have a radiator that can keep up with the pump and a high flow thermostat - matched parts.
A sytem approach? What you got to be kidding? At least you guys get it. I have always preached that but nobody seems to be listening. except the maverick guys
