Beautiful weekend here in Atlanta as I pull up to the gas station to fill'er up. I restart the car pull out and notice the coolant temp sky rocketing. I immediately pull over and find the fuse popped on the pump. Prior to replacing the fuse I check all wiring to see if anything is out of place, and once I see all is fine I replace the fuse and start the car. All is good now. Go 3 miles up the road to Wallie World. When I come back out I notice the temps rocketing again.

Insert many bad words here............

After some further inspection and an ohm test we realize the power wire coming out of the pump is grounding itself somehow. Pull plastic covering from wiring and wiring is perfect. Now it's been identified that the internal pump assembly is the problem.

So I blow 3hrs of my Sunday afternoon at the Wal-Mart parking lot waiting for truck and trailor to come get me.

I call Meziere today and explain what happened. "Sounds like you got a short in your pump" he says. "Send it to me and I will fix it and send it back" he then states. So that was easy, BUT the thing that gets me is this pump has @1k miles on it.

Am I wrong for feeling skeptical about putting this thing back on once fixed? I drove it to Augusta last week (2.5hrs away) so now I can rule that drive out in this car with this pump.


What are other people's experiences with this product? Did I just get a lemon and will be satisfied once fixed and reinstalled?

Just not sold on feeling warm and fuzzy with the Meziere after this.

 

Just curious, why does it have an aftermarket pump installed?

 

When I had a 350z, I installed a Maggie with a liquid cooled intercooler. The pump on it failed 3 times and I decided right then that I would never get an electric water pump for that exact same reason. I think its just too risky for the minimal gains.

 

I have had one on my '92 LT1 for several years with out any problems. I like it but it doesn't do quite as good a job as the stock one did on a hot day. As some might know the stock pumps on an LT1 were crappy. My electric one is less likely to spring a leak.

 

The short answer?
Just like headers or a CAI, it's for better performance.

 

Forced induction guys usually hop on this mod as the typical nickel and diming you do for 5 or 6 hp (they say get 200 extra with boost) while their belts fly off the pulley. In the end it is you that has to decide if the risk/reward is worth the extra few ponies. To me I would say no. I gave up on the adjustable rockers since the poly locks can come out and destroy a lower end. I gave up on the idea of maxing out cam size for fear of a floated valve hitting a psiton. I gave up on hollow stem valves after one cracked in 2 and ate my LS6.

So are they worth the extra few ponies?

 

Only if you are racing for money....

 

I still fail to see where the "extra ponies" come from. Just because you move the load to the alternator doesn't mean that you get "free" water movement. You just change the energy required from mechanical to electrical. Guess where the electrical energy comes from......... Yes, farther up the belt. Unless you're on a engine dyno and power the pump from "off the engine" the difference has to be minimal. Probably in the margain of error of the dyno. They can move more water at idle but I don't see any other benefit.

 

Electric water pumps have typically freed up a dyno proven 8-12rwhp, even after factoring in dyno variances.
The REAL advantage with them comes at the dragstrip with the ability to now disconnect/remove the accessory belt entirely (only temporarily of course for it will wear down the battery quickly, most keep a battery charger hooked up between rounds) while still having water pumped through the motor...less parasitic loss = lower ETs/higher MPHs.
Even with all that benefit, would I ever consider one? Probably not.

 

FYI, I have this pump on my 2005, and have had zero problems. I, too, had concerns when I first installed it. My car is ProCharged, and I had heard about belt throwing issues (un-founded, so far) and over heating problems with their kit, so I opted for an electric water pump and Ron Davis radiator. Figured that if I tossed a belt, I could at least get home with the water pump still working. Meziere advertises a 3000 hour life span. I've had this one for about a year and 4000 miles. But, if I go on an out of town trip, I pack the stock pump with me, just in case, because if it does fail, you'll not find one at PepBoys.

 

There are enough things that can leave you stranded. I never believed five extra HP and $550 was worth the risk of adding one more.

 

i had one for years on my lt1.....i would put one on my c6 in a heart beat....i would guess you got a lemon. as this the first i have seen here of one going bad.......as always you don't see the "my electric waterpump has lasted ten years" posts...lol

 

I didn't select the Meziere for the additional horsepower. I installed mine because it pumps 55 gph, constantly. The stock pump is rated at 22 gph at 5500 rpm (I think ??), so at low engine speeds, I can pee more.

 

Meziere has an excellent reputation in the racing world as does CSR and a couple of others. I would but the repaired unit back on without any more worry than you had when you put it on in the first place. Wires some times get nicked in production which thins the insulation to the point it eventually breaks down. This is next to impossible to find during final test at the assembly plant.

You probably have a coil wire on the armature making contact with the armature which then has a path through the bearings to ground.

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I especially appreciate those that have this pump or have had it at some point in time.


The pump is in a brown truck on its way to CA. I think I am going to let them repair it and slap it back on for one more shot. Hopefully all will stay true for many miles to come.


Thanks again everyone.