Apples and oranges. Electric radiator fans are computer controlled and only run part time so they tend to last longer unlike the electric water pump which runs at 100% of the time. On top of that if the radiator fans go out you won't necessarily overheat as long as you can keep air flowing through the radiator by driving the car at reasonable pace. If the electric water pump goes out your dead in the water no matter how fast you drive.propellerhead said:Aren't the radiator fans electric? Are those not reliable?
If it works for radiator fans, why won't it work for water pumps? Both are just as critical. You'll overheat if either one fails. Same risks. Same probabilities of failure.
I'm not trying to be a smartass. I'm on the fence on getting an e-pump or not but I still haven't found a really solid argument against e-pumps.
propellerhead said:The radiator fan runs less and the effects are less urgent. True, however, cycling it off and on and off and on is probably harder on an electro-mechanical device than just leaving it on. Yet we never think about a radiator fan failing when we're stuck in 100+ degree heat in the middle of summer in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway for an hour with no off-ramp in sight and we're all going less than walking speed. We just trust our electrically driven fan to run. They have been doing so for years.
The risks of a water pump failure are the same with a mechanically driven water pump and an electrically driven water pump. If either one fails, you're dead in the water. No water flow. No cooling. No chance at life. For argement's sake, we can probably say that's an equal risk.
So that leaves us with reliability. How reliable is an electric water pump? One vendor rates their pumps at 3000 hours mean time between failure. Doesn't sould like much but if you drive at an average speed of 30 MPH, you need to go 90,000 miles before your electric water pump will fail (statistically speaking, of course). 90,000 miles? That's about six years of driving on average. That's longer than most tires. I'll take 8-10 rwhp for under $400 and run it for six years. That's a pretty good bang for the buck.
I'm not hell bent on saying electric water pumps are the greatest thing in the world. I just think they'll do fine in daily driven cars. We're just not used to the idea of having one of the last fully mechanical devices in our cars turning into an electro-mechanical widget. Just like some people hate EFI and love carburetors. Some worry about the electronic throttle control on the 05-06 Mustangs but we've had them in F-16s for a long time now.
propellerhead said:The radiator fan runs less and the effects are less urgent. True, however, cycling it off and on and off and on is probably harder on an electro-mechanical device than just leaving it on. Yet we never think about a radiator fan failing when we're stuck in 100+ degree heat in the middle of summer in bumper to bumper traffic on the freeway for an hour with no off-ramp in sight and we're all going less than walking speed. We just trust our electrically driven fan to run. They have been doing so for years.
The risks of a water pump failure are the same with a mechanically driven water pump and an electrically driven water pump. If either one fails, you're dead in the water. No water flow. No cooling. No chance at life. For argement's sake, we can probably say that's an equal risk.
So that leaves us with reliability. How reliable is an electric water pump? One vendor rates their pumps at 3000 hours mean time between failure. Doesn't sould like much but if you drive at an average speed of 30 MPH, you need to go 90,000 miles before your electric water pump will fail (statistically speaking, of course). 90,000 miles? That's about six years of driving on average. That's longer than most tires. I'll take 8-10 rwhp for under $400 and run it for six years. That's a pretty good bang for the buck.
I'm not hell bent on saying electric water pumps are the greatest thing in the world. I just think they'll do fine in daily driven cars. We're just not used to the idea of having one of the last fully mechanical devices in our cars turning into an electro-mechanical widget. Just like some people hate EFI and love carburetors. Some worry about the electronic throttle control on the 05-06 Mustangs but we've had them in F-16s for a long time now.
cooter_11 said:I tend to disagree with almost everything you have stated. Like Uncle Meat said, it's like comparing apples and oranges when you talk about a fan and a pump. One moves air and the other moves a liquid.
I think that the third paragraph of your statement is the only valid arguement in this case. I feel that if it's not broke, don't ****in fix it.
I'm glad you disagree and I'd like to hear why. Like I stated, I am considering getting an electric water pump and if you have strong reasons why I shouldn't, it would benefit me (and many others) to know why you think electric water pumps are not a good thing. I will never claim to be the final authority on water pumps and I will never say I know more than the entire Stanget community. There will always be someone out there who knows more than me. So please, share your knowledge on water pumps. Why is moving air vs. water an issue on the reliability of an electro-mechanical device? Why is it apples to oranges?cooter_11 said:I tend to disagree with almost everything you have stated. Like Uncle Meat said, it's like comparing apples and oranges when you talk about a fan and a pump. One moves air and the other moves a liquid.
I think that the third paragraph of your statement is the only valid arguement in this case. I feel that if it's not broke, don't ****in fix it.
Can you make a kit that will buzz if the current draw from the water pump goes to zero?Monsterbishi said:If you want a degree of protection for the cooling system, you could make up a simple warning buzzer, using a hobbs style switch to detect when it drops below a certain pressure, and a thermostatic sensor to detect a temperature shift. with these hooked into a 12v buzzer that you could mount under the dash, if the water pump fails, radiator cap fails, radiator leaks, etc - you should know about it before any damage occurs.
Cheap to make, and a whole lot of peace of mind.
Personally, a electric water pump is high on my list of mods for when the car arrives, as for failures, I'd hazard that unclean coolant systems and possibly high underhood temps would be the major cause.
I didn't say I heard of one that lasted 90k miles. That's just a calculation based on the Meziere's advertised number of 3000 hours of operation. Average of 30 mph x 3000 hours = 90,000 miles.svttech76 said:...
the only reason i dont think it should be on somebody only car is because they do then to wear out faster from what i have heard. about 40-60k miles is getting toward the end of the pumps expected life. where a mechanical pump can go a lot longer. propellerhead says he heard of them lasting 90k if thats right then i bet it wont be long untill we see some OEM uses of the electric water pump.
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