Where's my thermostat??
Discussion
Daft question I know, but my kit car project has a V6 Duratec installed and I am not sure if it has an in-line thermostat or not. I am sorting out the plumbing with an electric water pump (Duratecs have got a reputation for breaking the standard wp's) and I can't see one so I just need to make sure.
Anyone?
Anyone?
Another alternative is you could get a standard pump but with a metal impellor which would solve your potential problems. You could ask about these on the mondeo enthusiasts website.
I'm not entirely sure you get more power by going electric because you'll simply increase the load on your alternator.
I'm not entirely sure you get more power by going electric because you'll simply increase the load on your alternator.
RazMan said:
The DC one has had some good reviews and the Mk3 is guaranteed for 2 years which suggests they have confidence in their product.
The DC pump flows roughly a tenth of the standard mechanical pumps. It basically stops working if you offer it any resistance or back pressure, because of the combination of a low power electric motor that hsa to slow down to produce any torque, and a centrefugal pump that stops working as soon as it slows down. The DC EWP put about 75W of power into the water. The mechanical pumps put between 3000W and 5000W of power into the water. In comparision with the flow characteristics that the cooling system was designed for the little DC pump is a joke, a toy. Maybe your engine will survive with a tenth of the flow it was designed for, maybe it won't. How much comfort will your DC guarantee give when your engine goes pop?
Resiting the Duratec in a mid-engined car makes the standard water pump in a rather awkward position and removing it just makes the plumbing a lot easier. Also the EWP takes considerably less power from the engine mainly due to the intelligent nature of the controller. A mechanical pump is governed by engine speed and has to run at a ridiculous pace at high engine levels. The EWP is governed by engine heat and gradually increases the speed of the pump to match the cooling requirements. Therefore the EWP'd engine will be able to give higher power levels on the track under peak loads - the pump speed only increases when the heat level increases some time after the power-generated heat has soaked into the coolant. To cut a long story short it should give around 10 bhp more than a mechanical pump at peak loads.
RazMan said:
Resiting the Duratec in a mid-engined car makes the standard water pump in a rather awkward position and removing it just makes the plumbing a lot easier. Also the EWP takes considerably less power from the engine mainly due to the intelligent nature of the controller. A mechanical pump is governed by engine speed and has to run at a ridiculous pace at high engine levels. The EWP is governed by engine heat and gradually increases the speed of the pump to match the cooling requirements. Therefore the EWP'd engine will be able to give higher power levels on the track under peak loads - the pump speed only increases when the heat level increases some time after the power-generated heat has soaked into the coolant. To cut a long story short it should give around 10 bhp more than a mechanical pump at peak loads.
If you need to do away with the mechanical pump for packaging reasons then that is a valid reason to go for an EWP. I still advise you to go for a decent big pump not the DC toy pumps.
I'm afraid I just don't agree with power gains as a justification. The small EWPs can flow enough to control the average engine temperature but you need a hell of a lot more than that to avoid hot spots in the head. Waiting for the whole engine to overheat before you turn up the pump is absolutely the wrong answer, it only takes ten seconds under power to form a hot spot and you need the water flow right there and then and not a few minutes later. If you are after performance gains then a good cooling sysem is absolutely critical, compromising the cooling system is absolutely the worst way to get more power.
zzr said:
Getting back to the thermostat.... it's mounted on the pipework that connects to the water pump in an aluminium housing that is supported by the hoses.
Aha, just as I suspected - I will have to find one at the scrappies to put it back in circuit.
Ta very much - I thought I was going a bit daft when I couldn't find it!
GreenV8S said:
I still advise you to go for a decent big pump not the DC toy pumps.
I've had a good search round and can't find any alternatives so far. I would welcome a link or two if you know of any. DC also do a booster pump EBP to assist bike engined cars which can also be used for heater boost.
I know of at least three race cars running on the EWP and they seem to be ultra reliable so far with rolling road figures to back up the power claims. Running at 110 litres/minute at max flow is hardly ever needed except under extreme conditions so a normal road / track day car shouldn't have too many worries - plus I've only got a little V6 which is all alloy too.
I agree that it only takes a few seconds for hot spots to form but the controller should react instantly to the coolant heat and turn the wick up so I doubt if any hot spots will have a chance to form - in fact I would have thought that a drag car (for example) would have more chance of overheating with a mechanical pump after a 0-200mph run and back to standstill. I know my turbo Nissan pops and gurgles after a fast run - that's why we have turbo timers to allow them a chance to soak some of the heat away isn't it?
>> Edited by RazMan on Monday 19th December 14:15
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