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What is K20 cooling water flow

5K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  kb58 
#1 ·
I think, I may have reversed the water flow in my K20A Elise build. It seems to work well, but I am concerned.

My water flow is:

1. Rad
2. Engine block, where the thermostat used to be.
3. Out of the cylinder head
4. Water pump (electric)

My water pump and rad are in front of the car and the engine is behind. So the overflow tank and the water in the system are used to provide the feed for the electric Meziere pump. The pump pushes the water through all the restrictions i.e. 3-pass rad and engine.

I think, the standard flow is head first and out the block.

I know there are various arguements for cooling the head first and vice-versa.

I should have checked the manuals more closely. I just used the principle that hot water rises...

The block is sleeved and has a girdle i.e. semi-closed deck. So far the results have been good. The motor is turbocharged and makes 600whp. On the dyno and at the track it never hits 200F, which is making me think about a thermostat... but that is another issue.

Have I done something terribly wrong???

Please, help, and Thank You,

Anton
 
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#2 ·
Do you not have a thermostat now?

The flow sounds right to me. You just moved your pump to the other side of the radiator. The factory pump just pumps straight in to the block after the radiator.

Not sure how much that would change things.
 
#3 ·
Thank You. I feel much better, now. Somebody confused me about the water flow.

I just looked at the original repair manual. The stock (mechanical) water pump sits on the side of the block, it would force water into the block, just like me. (Te other way would cavitate the stock water pump and not work).

Mu electric water pump/radiator set-up is working well. I talked a lot to Mezier abot it, so no concerns there. Besides, I forget the exact configuration, it is under the front clip, somewhere :)

The cooling has worked fine during track testing, although in colder fall temperatures, here. The electric rad fan never comes on. It does if, I idle the car in the shop for a while. So, the fan works, but the temperature never reaches set-point.

I do not run a thermostat, it is a pure track car. Maybe, I should... With electric pumps one needs to be more careful with thermostats.

Thanks,

Anton
 
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