hrcslam

Thanks for this. I wonder if the coupling was supposed to come with the O-rings? I really don't want to pull it off again, but I will do it here after the move. So in about a month. It'll be fine until then.

shbox

The coupler does not come with the o-rings. They are usually in a gasket kit as others have mentioned or you buy them separately. Old ones get hard as a rock and you might not even notice that they are o-rings. Each splined shaft has a groove they fit in.

BALLSS

OP

as mentioned the "O" rings are there to keep the grease on the splines and dirt out. Dirt mixing with the grease, as shbox notes, will basically turn the grease into a grinding paste and kill the splines. Both on WP and WP drive gear spline

Another cause of WP bearing failure, and leaks, is the WP drive gear/spline bearings wear resulting in more "slop" from the drive spline which can also cause WP bearings to fail/leak.

When you pull your WP to put O rings on the shaft splines...confirm there is not slop in the WP drive shaft. This is often more evident if you keep having leaks from the WP drive seal on timing cover as the shaft movement will kill that seal. Replacing that WP drive spline gear is no small task and some chose to go EWP if in fact that worn bearing of the shaft makes for a drive spline movement.

The FelPro TC gasket set has all the seals, o rings, gaskets you need for the swap. Around $12 at most auto part stores

94LTZ

iTrader: (5)

I actually have one of those couplers in good condition sitting around, also my electric pump has lasted 10 years so far.

Glad oh got her all fixed up!

smitty2919

To go EWP or not depends on application In my opinion. For a 100% street driven car? No need. For a roadcourse car? No since it will most likely hinder. But for drag strip plus street driving or autocross plus street driving I would say Yes. I know that after five 30-50sec autocross runs on a 80*+ day I would see 230*+ and could never get it down under 200* before I would run next. Im an ious to see how the new radiator + EWP works for me.

There are pros and cons to run a EWP. Just have to weigh the options yourself and your cars intended use.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Thing is most folks pretend they are some huge upgrade. So long as folks understand they REDUCE water flow at mid to high rpm, and that electrical faults become a possibility, and some have had sudden failures, or impellers spin off etc. it is fine.
They INCREASE the complexity of the system thereby increasing the likelyhood of problems.
I know some will claim a mechanical LT1 waterpump never lasted over 5000miles but that is just false and used to justify their choice in a low flow electric pump. The overwhelming majority of LT1 cars even today more than 20 yeas after they were built still run mechanical waterpumps, and optis, and 4L60Es, and LT1 pcms etc even though the current generation of LT1 owner believes most LT1 cars couldn't roll off the assembly line without breaking down on the way to the car hauler due to all those terrible parts.

hrcslam

Today I went for a nice long drive. 105°F OAT, all highway never got over 190. Stop and go never got over 210. I'm happy for now. In the next month or so I'll drop in a dual core radiator and the o-rings.

I also got to play around with a Dodge Viper. That was fun. No racing, but some spirited driving. He was a little surprised I was able to pace with him, but we never got a full throttle opportunity.

smitty2919

Lol I agree. I was not having any issues with my stock pump. Come to find out some of the bolts may have not been as tight as they should which could have been the cause of my slow leak...

If I go to get serious about road racing, a facory replacement will go on. For me the ability to run the pump in the pits is great. Adding a warning light for pump circuit failure will help. My coolant temp gauge has a HIGH warning light as well coming on at 240. I plan/expect to be able to lower the set point to 220 and go from there.

sweetbmxrider

iTrader: (13)

How does 12 volt and ground add complexity? You remove the spline drive nonsense, you remove a possible leak in the timing cover, you remove a common leak from the weep hole that kills a $300+ distributor job, and sudden failures or impeller issues don't occur on mechanical pumps? There are pros and cons to each, but this silly blasphemy you like to preach is coming from inexperience and stubbornness. What works in oem form does not always work in a performance application so your silly line about optis, 4l60s, and stock pcms is stubborn ignorance. My car speaks for itself and backs up everything I claim. Opti, electric waterpump, 4l60, le2 top end, 11:1 comp, and all the other things the internet hates simply works on my 10 second street car.

ahritchie

iTrader: (1)

In my personal experience going back to 1997 and over 100K of LT1 driving, (not hearsay) I've had 200% more issues with mechanical stock WPs than the Meziere electric one on it now. One was a very expensive mishap.

Issue #1: Same exact issue as this thread, slipping splines on the impeller resulted in overheating, luckily noticed the "check gauges" light in time.

Issue #2: A couple years later the reman replacement WP also takes a dump, I didn't catch it in time until noticed steam coming from under the hood an ended up with blown head gaskets.


There's not anymore "insurance" with mechanical vs electric in my experience.

SS RRR

iTrader: (2)

Doesn't necessarily kill, but temporarily maim. Not all optis are permanently damaged because water leaks onto them.

smitty2919

EWP may get a bad reputation like Opti's do due to the parts being installed. Anyone I spoke with about this said go Meziere or don't bother. Same seems to apply to MSD knockoff Opti's or cheap AZ Opti replacements...

Some see an EWP as "more complex" due to having to wire it in and having a motor, and some like a "simple" mechanical spline driven solution.

Two relays, a LED light and hooking up maybe 7 wires and you are done.

BALLSS

The OP found the "cause" of his overheating to be a striped spline coupler. The "why" it stripped could be due to worn/gone O rings on WP &/or drive gear spline allowing dirt to get in and wearing the splines, a worn wp drive bearing causing wobble or a failing WP bearing causing that end to wobble and generate spline wear. Mechanical WP's can fail themselves internally as can a EWP

I was one who initially felt a EWP was not for a daily driver. After several dealer installed WP's (under new car warranty) where they all weeped onto the Opti and killed it I went to a EWP 16+ years ago and now about 90k mi. So for me it has lasted as long as any mechanical WP should. Proper installation, including wiring, is as important to a EWP as keeping the grease & O rings in order for a mechanical. Not doing so with either will result in a WP failure sooner than later

My point is either a mechanical or electric they both need to be of good quality, installed and maintained well. The EWP does not require a well greased spline with good O rings. Being a "electric" component it can instantly fail as a mechanical can "instantly" fail if the impeller spins freely or freezes up. They both have their respective +/-

Not here to debate which one cools better, has a lower draw on HP from motor. That has been debated to death. I can say from experience a Meziere EWP performs well and has, for me, at least the longevity of what any mechanical pump should have.

I have 2 LT1 vehicles. One with EWP, the other a mechanical. On that car space was more a problem (70 Nova) between motor & radiator. So far the mechanical does not leak like the original AC Delcos I had on the Impala. The WP was a NIB 14 year old AC Delco I had in my parts bin. It was the replacement WP I got from the dealer when I found the then 500 mi new one they put on was leaking and I swapped that out for EWP

hrcslam

The added complexity of the EWP comes with adding additional steps into its operation. Now you are depending on the alternator for power, if that goes or the belt does you loose cooling as quickly as the battery dies.

The EWP also flows less at RPM. So for situations that call for sustained rpm operation the EWP is a no go. For drag racing or other situations that call for short bursts of power, EWP all the way because it can cool better at low/idle rpms far better than the stock mechanical unit.

If they made an EWP that could flow 50+GPM UNDER LOAD I'll be all over it.

ahritchie

iTrader: (1)

I will say my electric WP and 383 do not like these 100+ degree temps lately. In my non-scientific test on a my 10 mile drive @ 80MPH 2300RPM cruise to work and back; in the morning when it's 80 degrees out, AC on, water temp stays 180-190. (160 stat) However, in the afternoon when it's 100 degrees (and the air close to the road surface is 120+ degrees), AC on blast, water temps will start slowing creeping (same 80 MPH cruise) and creep up to 210-220 on the drive home.

I've seen it get pretty hot though before when I had a mechanical pump too in the summer, LT1s are just more temperature sensitive IMO.

hrcslam

I'm sure if you could add a gear to drop those rpms you'd drop your coolant temps too in those conditions. You'll also probably get better gas milage.

Today at 110 OAT my cruising temps got to about 190. That's at 75mph with a 6 speed though on a mechanical pump. It would likely be lower with an EWP, but the plan is road racing (some day)so I'm sticking with the mechanical pump.

bufmatmuslepants

iTrader: (3)

I haven't had any issues with my baby CSR, on 100 degree 70% humidity days, beating on it then stop and go traffic, I've been fine. However I may attribute that to no AC condenser blocking flow, a good condition air dam, 90/10 water to coolant, and both fans wired to run all the time. I had 1 fan die recently and do notice it starts to climb near 200 idling in lots of traffic, normally stays at 185 all the time. Pump is about 7 years old, and I like it because I can run the pump and fans in the staging lanes without the motor on and drop my temps quickly when hot lapping at the track.

hrcslam

No AC is a huge factor. Especially on 100+° days. It's not the flow that is the issue so much as the temperature of the condensor. They are reaching over 230°F right in front of the radiator that we are trying to cool engine temps down to 180-200° or so. Depending on engine output and it's corresponding BTUs (driving style, route, location, and all that jazz ) and you can quickly see how one situation is not the same as another. Also, that humidity is helping you cool your engine a lot.

Again, the EWP has its place. My car isn't one of them. They are good for what they are made for, but to say they are for the win is not taking into account everything. If they truly are for the win, every major auto manufacturer would be using one stock. They don't for a myriad of reasons.

sweetbmxrider

iTrader: (13)

Holy **** talk about grasping for straws! Someone can't be wrong. If your alternator ***** out, not only does your water pump stop running, your coils stop firing, your fuel pump stops flowing, your pcm stops thinking, BUT DON"T WORRY YOUR MECHANICAL PUMP CAN STILL TURN!!!!!11!!!1!

If you are road racing or autoxing, sure you are better off with higher flow from the mechanical. Cruising down the highway at 2krpm, you aren't benefiting from the mechanical at all.

What other bull **** can you spew out now?

hrcslam

Wow, seems you need a lesson on battery capacity. That's the difference between needing a tow truck or getting home without one, or over heating.

You seem to think I'm totally against EWPs. I'm not. It depends on its use and vehicle application.

The only bull **** being spewed is blanket statements like "EWP for the win". That's generalizing a specific.