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Ray,
A lot of us have used the positive siginal wire going to the fan relays. I believe it is pink with a black stripe. However you need to run it to a relay and then run power from it to the pump. Also, there is a terminal just over top of the battery that allows you to tap power.
Ragtop,
Do I have to use a relay if I hook it up so that when the ignition is on it is running? Can I just splice into a wire that is only hot when the ignition is on? Thanks
Yes, definitely use a relay. The motor will draw to many amps to run it over an ignition signal wire. You'll need at least 12-14ga. wire. to run the pump. You'll also want to run it on its own circuit with its own fuse.
Don't be intimatdated by a relay, wiring these pumps is very simple.
Holler, if you need more info. There's a tech tip by STRICK on installing a Meziere pump, same basics go for a CSI.
You'll certainly want to use a relay. That way you can have your water pump on it's own circuit. You don't want to overload an existing circuit. Relays really are very easy to get along with and cheap at that. Why not use a relay?
I thought if I ran it off an ignition (acc. wire) it would just turn on when I turned the car on. If you use a relay, you have to use a on off switch don't you?
Nope, the relay serves the purpose of the switch. Basically a relay is a switch, that uses another circuit to open or close it.
So what you do is wire from your battery, to the relay, then to the water pump. Connect the other leg of the water pump to ground as per the instructions. Then you use your lead that is hot with the key and connect it to the relay, then to ground.
What will happen is when you turn on the key you will apply a voltage to the relay. This will energize the electromagnet and close the circuit, powering your water pump. The current required to hold the relay closed is minimal so you won't overload your existing circuit. The power for your water pump will be coming directly from the battery and thus won't affect any other circuits.
When you turn the key off the electromagnet will de-energize and the relay will drop out, breaking the circuit and turning off your water pump.
You can get relays that are normally open, normally closed, double pole, single or double throw, etc. In every case though they just serve the purpose of a switch, that is controlled by some other electrical source. :cheers:
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