Rotate on this...

[Putter]

Made you look!!!!
But since you are here, can anyone answer this.....

I have gone to every parts house I can find and asked the same question only to get those dumb looks.

If I have a water pump in front of me sitting on a table (long water pump to be exact), is there a way that I can determine if it is a STANDARD ROTATION or a REVERSE ROTATION???

I have no idea what it came off of (I KNOW it is a Chevy) or what year range it is from. I just want to make sure that the water is circulating properly, but don't want to replace it if not needed.

[CPNE]

I think rotational flow depends on which hemisphere you're in.

[69 longhorn]

You might try digging up some casting #, & talk with a partshouse buddy to find out what the pump fits. By app, that should tell you stand or reverse rotation. 69L

[1-PU70]

Can you take the cover off the back and look at the impeller, then compair it to one that you know flows in the correct direction. But I dont realy know.

[Putter]

You can, but I am trying to avoid taking it off the block if I can help it.

[Dean]

Do you know if it was a serpentine belt engine?

[67ChevyRedneck]

Only thing I can think of, since its on the vehicle, is to drive it around and see if it gets hot. If it is the wrong direction I would think the motor would run hot, right?

[Putter]

To answer Dean, the engine was not serpentine engine, but I bought a serpentine setup (factory Chevy style) and all of it came in a box of assorted items, including the water pump. The seller told me it was a reverse rotation, and I have no reason to doubt him, but want to be 100% sure. It is running and driving, but I think it might be running a little on the hot side. I am swapping to the lowest temp thermostat I can find this afternoon so it will open sooner and hopefully run cooler (I located a 160 degree one locally).
As a trial & error.....can I remove the theromstat, and reconnect the hose....then start it up and see if it shoots water across the yard?? Just a thought.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Putter, another way to tell if water is flowing is wait till the truck is warm (so the thermostat is open) and using a thick rag (so you don't burn ths crap outta your hand), squeeze the upper radiator hose to see if you feel it "full of flowing water." I don't know any way better to describe it. You should be able to "feel" the water pressure in the upper hose. If it is "weak" then something is wrong. Not an expert on this, but I was told anything below a 180-185 degree thermostat on a basically stock 350 was a no no. The engine needs a certain temp so that it can operate at its most efficient rate. My 86 camaro has a 195 and the electric fan doesn't even kick on till about 205-210 degrees. Just some thoughts.

[cableguy0]

a 160 thermostat is a bad idea. the engine isnt never going to warm up properly your gas mileage will suffer and the engine can sludge up.

['70_402]

Originally Posted by cableguy0

a 160 thermostat is a bad idea. the engine isnt never going to warm up properly your gas mileage will suffer and the engine can sludge up.

how come all the guys on the "engine masters challange" use a 160 and they are looking for every last horsepower... i always thought that less heat more power....


how much of a bad idea is it?? can damage be done? what do you mean by sludge up....

[cdowns]

that's why the nascar guys have the oil and water heaters hooked up to the cars prior to qualifying so that the engines can be as close to optimum conditions to make the most horsepower

[1STtimePRo'71]

Originally Posted by CPNE

I think rotational flow depends on which hemisphere you're in.

[Palf70Step]

Putter, I'm not positive short of looking into it, but in theory this should tell you without putting it on the engine.

Hook up a lower raditor hose...an old flexy one would be great.. You'll need this at a point where you can use a belt and hook it up to a grinder wheel. Put the hose in a bucket of water. Hook a belt/pulley on pump and onto the grinder or a drill. see if it moves or how fast it moves water. Now either flip the pump around or revers the drill rotation. See which way pumps or pumps the most water. Then you'll know which way it is.

If it does it in the same rotation as the crank then normal, if it isn't then it's reversed. I've tested them to see if they work this way, but never had to check for direction, so in theory........

[jamis]

putter,
just drain about three inches from the rad and run the engine looking down inside the tank and you will see the coolant flow from the right side of the core. Then you know you have the coolant flowing in the correct direction.

[67_C-30]

The reason Dyno engines run the cooler temperatures is that it allows the engine to be run leaner and with more ignition advance without detonation. You notice these are for short-term applications. The same thing is done for drag race engines, but again, these are not ideal conditions to run long amounts of time or distances.

Putter, if your truck is running hot, it may be a good idea to try the 160 stat. If your radiator is not quite adequate enough to cool the engine, it won't actually run 160 degrees. If a 160 stat will keep you in 180+ range without overheating, it is not hurting anything. But what the other guys are saying is correct IF the 160 stat keeps your truck at 160 degrees. I've seen guys keep 400 SBC cool before by doing this. If you don't already, you get a gauge to find out where are. You should check out that water pump, timing, etc. to make sure you don't have another problem.

[jamis]

on the subject of engine temp. there is no difinitive answer, late model where designed to run 200+ degrees because the power managment systems controls fuel delivery and spark timing(they wher not looking for power or fuel economy at those temps they where tring to clean up the emissions). Try running 200+ degrees on the 1970 350 with 36 degrees of timing then tell me higher temps are better. Diffrent situations reguire diffrent temps for the best performance there is NO one temp theory fits all. A 160 degree t-stat is fine in most warm climate situations. We have run 1200hp blown 540s for hours in offshore boats with the outlet water temp about 120 and never had a problem....

[68w/sbc406]

my truck runs a hell of alot better at 160 than 190

[pritch]

You guys are putting way to much thought into this. Get a pencil or a piece of wood dowell or something and stick it into where the lower hose goes on. Then rotate the pump by hand. If the impeller blades catch the dowell, it's going the correct way to pump. If you can feel the impeller blades moving past the dowell, a ratchet kinda feel, then that is the wrong way. Compare what you find with a pump that you know which way is supposed to turn and your set. But I do like the idea of shooting the water across the garage, long as it ain't $8 a gallon anti-freeze. Just my .02

[Putter]

Okie dokie....here are the results. My pump has been mounted on the engine for the past week. I wanted to see if it was actually the reverse rotation (That is what I need) without pulling it off...then finding out is was, then having to buy new gaskets...blah blah blah. I ended up using the idea that Jamis suggested about watching for water coming out of the fins in the core. I went ahead and installed the temp gauge, which in turn drained some water in the process. I fired it up and when the thermostat opened, I DID see water flowing from the core at a good rate. So I am satisfied that it is a reverse rotation water pump.
Thank you for your input and suggestions. I will use several of the other suggestions in the future if I have to determine the type of one that is NOT on the motor.

Oh, I went ahead and installed the 160 degree thermostat. On the way to work this morning (with the outside temp in the upper 50's/lower 60's) the gauge got up to 180-190 depending on stop lights and traffic and zero fan movement. The electric fans are set to come on at 195-200 (give or take a degree).