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Well, my last water pump had a good run before it decided to weep. Left me a surprisingly large coolant puddle without warning.
I thought I had seen a thread or two about these FlowKooler water pumps, but I couldn't find any. I hate to admit I know a Jeep guy, but he swears by them. Also, the reviews on Summit Racing are all very good.
In any case, I have opted to be the crash test dummy for this particular water pump. Summit didn't have one for the 7.3, so I ordered from them directly. FlowKooler hi flow water pump 7.3
I was masking it off for paint when I realized I hadn't taken any pics..We like pics here.
Trying for a close-up of the goods
All I can tell is they install their billet impeller on an OEM pump. I'll just have to wait and see what, if any, difference that makes.
Between this and deciding to upgrade to RiffRaff silicone hoses and billet straight outlet, I forgot to pick up a fresh thermostat.
Oh well, I'll update if this turns out to be a disaster or not.
I wonder if it uses a heavier duty bearing and seal compare to a standard one.
You can get a quarter million miles or more out of a water pump on a big truck engine but there’s an important difference there…the fan clutch is usually belt driven directly off the crank pulley with its own big *** dedicated belt that looks like something off of a supercharger. The water pump and other accessories have its own standard size serpentine belt. On a 7.3 the pump and fan are being driven off the same pulley which beats up the water pump much faster.
Nothing you can really do about that except design a pump that holds up better or maybe switch to electric fans but I’m lucky if I can get 60-70k out of one before it starts leaking. I’ve driven on leaking ones for awhile before. Usually they will drip when cold overnight but seal back up when driven if they’re in the earlier stages of demise.
I did some research on water pump bearings in another water pump discussion awhile ago. You could conceivably install a larger bearing if you have the machining abilities to do it.
I wonder if it would be better to replace these integrated water pump bearings with discrete bearings and seals. I am guessing the all-in-one bearings are used for ease of manufacturing on the water pumps. If we are going to machine the water pump housing anyway, perhaps some hefty taper bearings and proper seals will do the job better and make the water pump rebuildable.
I did some research on water pump bearings in another water pump discussion awhile ago. You could conceivably install a larger bearing if you have the machining abilities to do it.
I wonder if it would be better to replace these integrated water pump bearings with discrete bearings and seals. I am guessing the all-in-one bearings are used for ease of manufacturing on the water pumps. If we are going to machine the water pump housing anyway, perhaps some hefty taper bearings and proper seals will do the job better and make the water pump rebuildable.
what about those cast iron ones I used to see? I wonder if they hold up any better. I’ve only ever had the aluminum ones.
That impeller looks like it definitely would move more water than the original judging by the number of vanes
I'd guess so, too. But the more thought I put into it, a pump with a significantly reduced load may be more beneficial than one that pushes more liquid.
Say if an improved impeller moves more, then an underdrive pulley brings the flow back nearer to stock, drawing less power from the engine. Might also extend pump life that way.
On the other hand, it would also slow down fan speeds, so maybe not.
I'd guess so, too. But the more thought I put into it, a pump with a significantly reduced load may be more beneficial than one that pushes more liquid.
Say if an improved impeller moves more, then an underdrive pulley brings the flow back nearer to stock, drawing less power from the engine. Might also extend pump life that way.
On the other hand, it would also slow down fan speeds, so maybe not.
And now you've triggered my Heath Robinson OCD: Variable drive water pump to maintain optimal water flow to maintain temperature. Eliminate thermostat since it is a flow restriction, thus freeing up even more horsepower.
Rube Goldberg OCD myself. So when the engine is warmed up, it releases the falcon, the falcon spooks the hamster, the hamster runs in a wheel, the wheel strikes a match, the match burns the string... ...and with enough billet parts, operating temperature is maintained with minimal engine load. Simple as that.
While we're at it, might as well add a variable-pitch cooling fan.
I'd guess so, too. But the more thought I put into it, a pump with a significantly reduced load may be more beneficial than one that pushes more liquid.
Say if an improved impeller moves more, then an underdrive pulley brings the flow back nearer to stock, drawing less power from the engine. Might also extend pump life that way.
On the other hand, it would also slow down fan speeds, so maybe not.
Thicker radiator would compensate for slower fan speed.
Just ran across this in the Facebook. Figured I would share what I seen since I seen your post yesterday. This is on a obs truck.
Interesting testimonial, but I don't know if I trust this at all. What I see here is essentially:
"With the only change (on an otherwise stock engine) being this water pump, I have overcome well-established thermodynamic behavior of an engine that continues to produce over 1,200,000BTU of waste heat in the conditions that I described and has a normally performing thermostat."
Well, my last water pump had a good run before it decided to weep. Left me a surprisingly large coolant puddle without warning.
I thought I had seen a thread or two about these FlowKooler water pumps, but I couldn't find any. I hate to admit I know a Jeep guy, but he swears by them. Also, the reviews on Summit Racing are all very good.
In any case, I have opted to be the crash test dummy for this particular water pump. Summit didn't have one for the 7.3, so I ordered from them directly. FlowKooler hi flow water pump 7.3
I was masking it off for paint when I realized I hadn't taken any pics..We like pics here.
Trying for a close-up of the goods
All I can tell is they install their billet impeller on an OEM pump. I'll just have to wait and see what, if any, difference that makes.
Between this and deciding to upgrade to RiffRaff silicone hoses and billet straight outlet, I forgot to pick up a fresh thermostat.
Oh well, I'll update if this turns out to be a disaster or not.
It just occured to me that the water pump should be made from transparent aluminum just to show off that purdy impeller in action.
Originally Posted by RA101725
what about those cast iron ones I used to see? I wonder if they hold up any better. I’ve only ever had the aluminum ones.
