Engine Water Pumps

The cylinder head and block have a network of passages, collectively known as the water jacket, through which coolant flows, absorbing the heat generated by combustion. The water pump circulates the coolant through these passages and out to the radiator, where the heat is transferred to the ambient air. In most vehicles the water pump is driven by a belt from the crankshaft, although more and more applications today come equipped with electric water pumps. No matter the type of your water pump, we have you covered with high-quality solutions for your needs.

Although cast iron was prevalent in the past, most modern-day water pumps are aluminum castings. Both of them feature a shaft within the pump that rotates on bearings, with the belt driven pulley at one end, and an impeller at the other end to move the coolant. A seal on the shaft prevents coolant from contacting the bearings and leaking past the shaft. Most water pumps connect to the lower radiator hose. When the engine runs, the impeller pushes coolant from the pump into the block through the network of channels, and then to the thermostat and the radiator. Symptoms of a bad water pump include coolant leaks, noise from worn shaft bearings, and overheating caused by a broken impeller.

Powerful high compression and forced induction engines that regularly see redline develop a lot of heat, much more than an OE cooling system can handle. Modifications like a high capacity radiator and upgraded cooling fan can improve heat transfer, but you won’t realize the full potential of these components unless you get the hot coolant out of the engine faster. Our performance water pumps feature impellers and internal passages that have been engineered to substantially increase coolant flow.

We offer pumps for mildly hopped-up street engines to all-out race motors, with everything from modified OE cast iron housings to full custom designed aluminum units that bolt in place. A performance water pump will help your engine stay cool, and an aluminum pump will save a few pounds. But in addition to increasing flow, the best performance pumps are designed to need less power doing so, and any horsepower not being used to drive accessories can be sent to the drive wheels so you can go faster. But any mechanical pump needs some power to turn the impeller, and the amount required increases as the engine revs. To eliminate parasitic loss, switch to a performance electric pump.

We offer electric pumps that bolt-on in place of your mechanical pump so you can retain pulleys and standard accessory drive belt routing, as well as remote pumps that can be mounted where convenient. Besides eliminating parasitic loss, electric pumps have several other advantages. Coolant circulation isn’t dependent on engine RPM, so flow can be determined by engine temperature needs with the use of a controller; and the pump can be set up to run after the engine is shut off, to cool down hot running racing engines. On custom applications like street rods where space is limited, a remote pump can free up space in the front of the engine usually occupied by the mechanical pump, and provide greater installation freedom. In addition to a choice of engine mount or remote pumps for many applications, electric pumps are also available in a range of flow ratings to match engine size and horsepower.