FTO AUSTRALIA

Another option I'm considering for the racecar is an electric water pump. It's gonna be a bit tricky with the pump being run off the timing belt idler, but just have to figure out how to replace this. There are several schools of thought on the power gain from this though. I think the only way to know will be to try it.

Ben what do you think of this idea?

Shane001 wrote:Another option I'm considering for the racecar is an electric water pump. It's gonna be a bit tricky with the pump being run off the timing belt idler, but just have to figure out how to replace this. There are several schools of thought on the power gain from this though. I think the only way to know will be to try it.

Ben what do you think of this idea?

I reckon its a good idea, but you don't think starting with an electric power steering pump would be a better start? Would completely eliminate the need for the front belt on your car

Bennoz wrote:
I reckon its a good idea, but you don't think starting with an electric power steering pump would be a better start? Would completely eliminate the need for the front belt on your car

Someone give the man a prize!! Hadn't even though of this!

Have you any experience with them? Where to get em? How much?

Better go check my regs and see if power steering pumps are free...

Some mentioned this before, so i thought of posting this out. This email was an enquiry from Davis Craig, the manufacturer of electric water pump.

Many thanks for enquiry relating to our range of Electric Water Pumps.

Without doubt the best unit to suit your 1997 Mitsubishi FTO GPX the EWP80 Electric Water Pump
We would strongly recommend the fitment of the Digital Electronic Controller which compliments the operation of the new EWP80. You may decide to completely disengage your existing mechanical water pump which is fine. The EWP with the Digital Electronic Controller fitment will give you greater control of your engine's coolant flow in all ambient conditions. An increase in horse power and decreased fuel consumption of 3% to 5% (Independent tests) is also possible.
Full fitting instructions are supplied.
As you have discovered, these can now be purchased on line from our new website www.daviescraig.com.au with the all-new shopping cart facility.
The fitment of the EWP80 Electric Water Pump with the Digital Electronic Controller will certainly assist you with your engine cooling problem. Both units come complete with DIY instruction manuals and also have a 2 year warranty.


Kind Regards,

Most people who are fitting an EWP will disable the existing mechanical water pump. Remove the impellor and leave the existing water pump housing on the engine and fit the hose for the EWP into the housing inlet.
Belts - not sure where the engine timing belt is on your engine, but I would make sure if you have to remove this belt that very special care is taken to ensure you do not upset the engine timing. The only belt you may need to remove and/or re-route is the belt that drives the existing mechanical water pump. It may also drive the power steering as well and therefore will need to be retained in some form to ensure these functions are maintained.?

Then again, thinking about this a bit and a quick google, would there be a lot of benefit from this? The pump is only operating while turning, while not turning does it operate as an idler? There would be a weight gain from removing all the mount etc. And not having to worry about this belt would be good. But would it be worth the cost and time to rig something up? Seems the MR2 setup is a good way to go...

Whereas the water pump is always running, and you would expect to see power gains especially at higher rpm levels on the straights...

Does the extra alternator load take up more power from the belt? My theory of the reason ecert maker doesnt do this is because it uses much more electricity, and im not 100% sure but maybe something in the alternator adds more resistance, therefor, you might be freeing up power from a pump, but i will take more power to turn the alternator. Otherwise every person in every company would have thought of it, i even thought of it before i even had a licence/car

Just my 2 cents but i dont think either would make any real difference, maybe a kw here kw there...maybe.

I think for general day to day driving probably not a lot.

But for use on the track, there might be some gains to be had higher in the rev range especially. By the way the electric water pumps draw a constant 6amps. So that's not much load. But at 8000rpm spinning the standard pump impeller through pressurised water would surely create some drag. At least that's the theory. Only way to know is to test it yourself (the number one rule I've learned in motorsport lol!).

Without doubt the best unit to suit your 1997 Mitsubishi FTO GPX the EWP80 Electric Water Pump

not sure where the engine timing belt is on your engine

lol



I dunno... for street use, $500 for 3kws... better off not eating Macca's for the next week.

For track use, sure.

Mmmmmmmmm.... Macca's.

Post on a few other forums and ask people have have a electric ps/water pump. It might give you an idea of what kind of gains you'll get, if its only for a few kw's, might not be worth it.

The other benefit in a racecar is heatsoak. The ability to leave the pump & fan running while the engine is stopped for a couple of minutes takes a lot of heat out of the engine.

Also at a constant 6amp draw, I doubt this would put any additional load on the alternator. When you turn your headlights on does the engine power decrease? (serious question, not being sarcastic lol!) Especially with the engine running at 5000-8000rpm constantly. So there would have to be a power gain, especially at higher rpm. And every little bit helps lol

PS: Sorry millsy for hijacking your thread. Ben maybe this should be split off into it's own thread?

Bennoz wrote: I dunno... for street use, $500 for 3kws... better off not eating Macca's for the next week.

For track use, sure.

$500!! They've gone up!! I paid $150 for mine.

Haha, just checked the website, the pump is $250. THat would be rrp so you shouldn't have much problem finding them for $200 or less. With the controller it's $460. But yeah I agree this isn't really a street practical mod, unless you're also tracking it regularly.

As for the controller. This basically varies the pump speed depending on water temp. The only real need for this is to allow the engine to get up to temp. Definitely not needed on the racetrack.

Well how about that, this new forum has a 'merge posts' function

So I've pulled all the water pump bits outta the Mighty Mivec thread & merged them here

I've had a look at the water pump and reckon it will be pretty easy to cut off the impeller blades, so hope to have this setup by end of year.

Next time anyone is on the dyno can you do a quick test for me. Do a power run, then turn the lights on high beam then do another power run and let me know if the peak power is different. This will answer the question whether the electricity the pump needs to run will drain any power from the engine. I suspect not

great...finally someone is acting on this. and im glad that its you!

Anything for more power


As long as it doesn't cost much

precisely!
what superchargers? rotrex. any thoughts on this?

zuihoujueding wrote:what superchargers? rotrex. any thoughts on this?

Not legal for prod sports unfortunately..

But this would not be a cheap solution anyway, and being belt driven and with the Mivec engine not suited to turbo charging might not be much point.

Ben, time for another thread split

Shane001 wrote:Then again, thinking about this a bit and a quick google, would there be a lot of benefit from this? The pump is only operating while turning, while not turning does it operate as an idler? There would be a weight gain from removing all the mount etc. And not having to worry about this belt would be good. But would it be worth the cost and time to rig something up? Seems the MR2 setup is a good way to go...

Whereas the water pump is always running, and you would expect to see power gains especially at higher rpm levels on the straights...

Your PS pump is also always running, it is pumping fluid around the system and when you turn, IIRC, it shuts a valve to give you the pressure you need for the steering assistance. So although there is more pressure when turning, it still needs to shift the fluid whenever the engine is turning over, hence some degree of power loss.