Turbocharge your cooling system - SakeBomb Garage Competition Electric Water Pump Kit

The coolest thing to happen to the RX7. Ever.
If Mazda used a setup like this from the factory, countless motors could have been saved from overheating, warped housings, overheated and failed coolant rings, cooked turbos, and general rotary related heat woes. We've been revising this kit for over 8 months and are very excited to finally make this available to the FD community. Please forgive our lengthy thread, there is a ton of information to cover and we are doing our best to provide all of the necessary details and information in as readable of a format as possible. Please ask any and all questions, we expect quite a few considering the new technology.





Cliff Notes:

• Sustained coolant flow after shut down - Electronic controller allows pump to continue circulating coolant through your engine, radiator, and turbos after shutdown - prevents hotspots and boiling, and will even activate fans if needed.
• Flow optimized and contoured SakeBomb Garage Coolant Redirection Plate - Redirects coolant flow in place of mechanical pump with minimal turbulence.
• Efficient at all RPMs - Coolant pump no longer dependent on engine speed, so the pump is always flowing at optimal rate. Flow speed is now based on temperature, not RPM;
• User programmable pump controller - Pump speed is increased or decreased based on engine temperature. Real time control of pump speed to reflect engine cooling demands. Programmable set-points for maximum temperature and fan control. Mil-spec wire used on essential under-hood components. (optional LCD display controller available)
• Controller can trigger fans - removes the need for upgraded thermosensor (such as FC thermosensor).
• No mechanical drag on motor - 2-7hp (conservative estimate) regained by removing parasitic drag on motor. Increased throttle response.
• Increased reliability - Water pump belt slip is no longer a worry. No wax-pellet thermostat to fail.
• Goodbye turbo timers! Pump circulates coolant through turbos after shutdown.
• Low power draw - 8 amps at full speed.
• Easy to bleed cooling system - Without car running, just connect pump directly to a 12V battery. Pulse pump to bleed.
• -> Optional LCD Controller Upgrade <-
• -> Optional Custom 'Samco' Silicone Hose Kit <-

*Kit Requires removal of airpump, thermostat, and mechanical water pump. No wax pellet thermostat, so your car may take a few minutes longer to warm up, however the pump controller handles thermostatic functions based on temperature by varying pump speed (short pulses for pump at startup until operating temp is reached. (Upcoming "street kit" allows retention of mechanical thermostat, and stock airpump.)







The OEM pumps are (for lack of a better term) garbage, with the impeller made from folded sheet metal. Up until this year we've been using the ‘remedy’ machined mechanical pumps, however no impeller can be designed for optimal flow at all RPMs... you either under flow at low RPMs or cavitate at high RPMs. There is no one design that is optimal from 800-8000 RPM. The issue is that the pump (being mechanically connected to the motor) operates regardless of temperature and is forced to spin outside of its optimal range.





For example, if you’re overheating but your motor speed drops, you’re now moving less coolant when you need it most. Temperature, load, and RPM all become irrelevant factors with a mechanical pump tied to the crank pulley, it’s just along for the ride. The mechanical pump is forced to spin at the speed of the motor, and robs power to do it regardless of how much or little that pump really needs to be working. If we look at optimum pump speed, for a given condition the mechanical water pump is either under or over-cooling, under or over-spinning, or not spinning at all when you need it most (shutdown). Electric water pumps on the other hand can vary the pump speed based on the actual real time load demands for the cooling system and temperature of the coolant. It can spin as fast or as slow as required for the conditions to maintain the optimal engine temperature. New OEM applications tend to favor electric water pumps for a number of reasons, one being efficiency (no drag on the motor) and low power consumption (this one takes 8 amps max at full speed, and less as needed), but allows for other possibilities such as continuing to circulate coolant through the motor, radiator, and turbos after shutdown. The controller module we use also has the ability to trigger the fans if the temperature set point is exceeded after ramping up the pump speed. It’s an elegant solution and may end up rendering the mechanical water pump system in the FD a thing of the past.



Estimate of hp loss due to parasitic drag of mechanical pump (2-7hp loss depending on RPM - conservative estimate)






Prevents heat soak
o Runs after key-off to continue circulating coolant through the motor, turbos, and radiator – this prevents hot spots and boiling
o Electronic controller can trigger fans as needed to further cool the engine after ramping up pump speed - even while the car is off
o Coolant flows through turbos after shutoff - turbo timers are now redundant
o Pulls very little power (only 8 amps at maximum flow)
o Helps save turbo seals, coolant o-rings inside the motor, and prevents warping and hot spots from lack of cooling after shutoff


Maximum Cooling Efficiency
o Highly efficient impeller design - Optimized for maximum flow efficiency
o Standard mechanical OEM fitment pumps can be efficient either at high RPM or low RPM, but not both. Our electric water pump is de-coupled from the engine and is therefore efficient and effective regardless of engine speed.



Cooling On Demand
o Electric water pump operation is based on coolant temperature, and controller can modulate the speed of the pump in real time based on cooling requirements.
o Controller temperature settings are customizeable.
o Fans can be activated by the controller to increase cooling if temperatures continue to increase after max speed of the pump is reached. This is essentially a digital version of the "thermosensor" which is user-programmable.
o Belt slip on the mechanical water pump pulley is now a thing of the past!
o The end result of the system is the ability to activate maximum cooling even at low RPM, and after key-off.


Free Up Power and Throttle Response
o Save horsepower and increased throttle response by removing parasitic drag of mechanical water pump on the engine. 2-7hp depending on RPM.
o Only draws a maximum of 8 amps at full speed, and less as needed.

Contoured Design Tested for Optimal Flow
o 3D-optimized and contoured billet 6061 aluminum coolant redirection plate, milspec hard anodized.
o Contoured fluid path to drastically reduce turbulence and vortices forming in the water pump housing with the mechanical water pump removed
o Months of flow testing and revisions to create bowled output to fluid passage; this reduces turbulence by preventing quickly moving coolant from hitting a flat wall rather than smoothly directed towards the coolant inlet. The smooth flow contour aims to achieve as close to truly laminar flow as design constraints allow. Less turbulence means less flow restrictions and therefore more efficient and effective cooling.
o The plate has a C-ring that seats in the same beveled surface that the mechanical water pump blades do, forcing coolant through the flow path to the motor rather than whirl around and create turbulence.






Direct Mounting Location
o Located in lowest possible orientation to aid in most effective pump operation.
o Short and direct flow path to radiator.
o Electric water pump allows easier bleeding of coolant system. Connect pump directly to a 12V power source to manually circulate coolant through the engine without the caron. (With a manual pump, it usually takes days of topping up the system and heat cycling to thoroughly remove all air)








Specs
• 40 gallon per minute maximum flow rate
• 72.5 psi maximum rated operating pressure
• 8 amp maximum current draw
• Recommended operating range of -40°F to 266°F
• Aluminum pump housing for improved durability
• 7000+ hour manufacturer rated lifespan; equates to roughly 200,000 miles at an average of 35mph
• 2 year pump warranty

 

Interested in more installed photos

 

The million dollar question: How much?

 

Tl;dr: GB deposit for $200

OR

Payment in full: $675, +$155 for silicone hoses, +$95 for optional LCD controller.



What's included:
• SBG Coolant Redirection Plate, EWP 150 Pump, EWP Control Module, Recirculation Plug, Thermosensor, PnP Wiring Harness, and correctly sized (shorter) alternator belt included.
• Milspec wire used on essential under-hood components to prevent deterioration due to heat
• ->Optionally available with high quality Samco silicone hose upgrade - made to spec specifically for this kit<-
• ->Optionally available with Davis Craig premium LCD controller<-
* Removal of stock airpump, thermostat, and mechanical waterpump required for this kit.


Group Buy and Ordering:

We are offering a reduced price for the first 20 pre-orders of our Competition Electric Water Pump kits. These are first come first serve. Most parts are currently in stock however we are still waiting for a few last pieces as well as anodizing and finishing on our Coolant Redirection Plates. We are expecting kits to begin shipping within the next two weeks or sooner at this point. To reserve a spot you can do one of two things:

Payment in Full: Please visit the product page and submit payment in full. Your kit will ship as soon as it is complete. Order here -> SakeBomb Garage EWP-150 FD3S Competition Electric Water Pump Kit

Deposit: Please visit the deposit page here-> GROUP BUY DEPOSIT: SakeBomb Garage EWP-150 FD3S Electric Water Pump Kit to submit a non-refundable deposit payment. You will receive a coupon code emailed to you within a couple days good for the amount of the deposit. When you are ready to submit the remainder of your payment please visit the standard competition water pump product page here -> SakeBomb Garage EWP-150 FD3S Competition Electric Water Pump Kit Add the item to your cart, and enter your deposit code at checkout. You will have 12:00 MIDNIGHT MARCH 31st, 2015 PST days to complete checkout. Your code will not expire but the total price of the kit will increase after the pre-order is over.

 

Any plans for an FC kit?

 

Just to save other people the effort of Googling:

It looks like a generic kit (from random ebay) is around $400, so $275 for the custom redirect plate and cover, correct belt, correct wiring harness, and supporting a great vendor seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

Thanks for the kind words! We appreciate it.

 

If we get enough interest yes. We'd need 15 people min to make it happen.

Our product designer really wants to do one for the FC but the minimum production run is the only hangup.

 

Here's a quick teaser video showing a bit of the flow testing and principles behind the design. We've got a more in-depth video coming but for now, here's a preview

 

How would this kit work with a V-Mounted Radiator setup? It looks like the location of the pump could lead to the lower radiator hose becoming dangerously close to the ground?

Otherwise it looks amazing! I can't wait to see how it looks installed and for a solution that maintains the airpump

Robert

 

In order to make it work with your V-Mount setup you'd need some new hoses to plumb the pump in. That's the only limitation, everything else will bolt right up.

 

Anyway you can make a street version that will allow us to retain the airpump?

 

Yep! We've had one in the works, developed alongside the comp kit. Keep your eyes peeled; it'll be released very soon.

 

Can you post installation pictures?

 

Will this work for us 20B guys? Either way looks like a great kit, nice work!

 

I am interested in seeing how the pump installs as well so I can see what kind of clearance I would need to work with with my current setup. I am guessing the street kit utilizes a pully on the piece that attaches to the waterpump housing and just runs on a bearing?

Looks very interesting though!

 

I am also intressed in if this will fit my 20b...it is in a fc chassis so some mods are mandatory that i understand

 

We wanted to show a bit of the design iterations we went through for the comp kit. We went through many different designs, part and shape iterations, and quite a bit of testing to end up at what we consider to be the optimal setup for the FD.

 

Just a guess, but I believe you need to switch to an FD front cover (requires oil pan bolt hole modification) and then use the fd water pump housing.

 

That's correct, we added an idler so that the belt for the alternator and air pump cleared the bottom edge of the thermostat housing.

 

Id like to register my interest in buying this kit for S5 FC

I was actually looking at getting the E&J billet electric pump, but your kit offers way more benefits for the money. My plan is to use a KMR low mount power steer kit, and then remove the cas in favour of a FFE trigger wheel - and then have the alternator moved further to left hand side and retain the alt to crank belt.

 

As far as the FC is concerned, as soon as our shop car arrives (we don't currently have an FC but one is on the way ) we'll adapt the setup to work.

 

It doesn't help that the S4 and S5 waterpumps are different too... But I'm also interested in an S5 kit

 

Don't worry, we've got something planned out for the FCs - and we do realize there are two different pumps Considering the FC market, we're also working on making it more cost-effective as well.

 

I placed my Group Buy order, thanks!