[freshyip]

Dear all,

Honestly u might all have noticed that I have been posting a lot than before eventho I have owned my Black Exige S for several years now hehe

I have accumulated a number of mods and maintenance issues to do all together, now...the most serious is my Water Pump Failure.

A year ago my mechanic and I noticed dried white coolant stains below the pump along the side of the engine. Only a few drops of stains,,as I have always noticed coolant level dropping the bottle; now last week, when do I my servicing...this time we noticed actual red/orange dried spots (color of the toyota coolant) along side the engine below the water pump..sort of like dried blood, very visible this time. Now all you big brothers here...what to do!!?!!!!!!

Some say its not gonna bust becox the pressure found a way to leak/seep...anyhow, I need to get this fixed sooner or later..

Monkey wrench has some sort or aftermarket pump along with two other pullies to order...I suppose I dun wanna risk buying another OEM pump since its failing on me already.... Any racing or performance alternative????

The saddest part is that I called up deroure UK, they told me that I will need to set the engine down as its too tight in there for any hand to get into through the rear right wheel well....eliseparts also has one,, slightly different than the one monkey wrench is offering but a bit more expensive, I asked eliseparts if its OEM, they said no, it's aftermarket and its reliable for Toyota..but no brand...which is fine,,,I asked is it better, they can't really say......I mean I dun care what it is but I just wanna be very very sure I wanna get the best one so I dun need to fix it again

What u guys think..??? I add like 500ml of distilled water in the coolant bottle now once every month...crying!!! :facepalm

 

[LostPawn]

That is the good thing about water pumps, they have good signs before they fail. Get it fixed soon before it strands you somewhere.

 

[bri3d]

Not sure what's meant by "set the engine down." The water pump should be accessible with the rear clamshell removed.

Also, check your front radiator area for leaks while you are at it. It could be that your pump is starting to go but your actual substantial coolant leak is out of the radiator expansion tanks (very common problem).

I don't know if there's an aftermarket part that's best. Failure of the OEM part with metal impeller blades seems pretty uncommon from searching the forum, so you might be just fine with an OEM replacement.

 

[sleepe]

I replaced the plastic impeller pump with the steel impeller verson as preventative maintenance when the clam was removed for other stuff

 

[freshyip]

Thank u bri3d and sleepe..... So u suggest removing the clam instead of removing the engine????? Easier right???? Mine is a 2007 with new interior....I dunno if I have the metal or plastic impeller.....but which one is better?????:shrug:

But I'm very afraid that after the clam is off....there will be more noises.....

What other mods/upgrades relating to the engine should I also upgrade to since that side of the engine is so difficult to access?????

These are the things I'm considering to purchase:

Pump

Toyota Water Pump - 2ZZ-GE 1.8L VVTLi - TOY-16100-29146 van Toyota OEM - Monkeywrench Racing -

Under drive pump pulley (no idea what it is)

MWR Underdrive Pulley - Lotus/Toyota 2ZZ Water Pump - MWR-506005 van Monkeywrench Racing -

Under drive alternator pulley (also dunno that it is)

MWR Underdrive Pulley - Lotus/Toyota 1ZZ, 2ZZ Alternator - MWR-506001 van Monkeywrench Racing -

Also this belt I think becox it says somewhere I need a longer belt for their pulleys

Gates Belt- Lotus Elise SC - MWR Underdrive Pulleys - GAT-K060802 van Gates - Monkeywrench Racing -

Why is this happening to me... Only me!!!!! :facepalm

 

[HKFEVER]

Cause you floor it like driving F1 all the time

 

[HKFEVER]

L

 

[bri3d]

You have to remove the clam either way, there's not really a way to drop the engine out the bottom. Do the work with the engine in and the clam off, though. With the clam off everything is almost as accessible as if the engine were out of the car, and you don't have to screw with the suspension or driveshafts.

When I took apart my interior last I actually ended up with fewer squeaks when I was done than when I started. As I went I added felt strips or weather stripping where things touched (mostly around the edges of the plastic interior rear bulkhead panel). These cars aren't exactly Porsches or Mercedes with tight factory trim and body tolerances that are hard to reproduce

Metal impeller is much better. The plastic ones can break.

The Celica people say underdriving the alternator can cause voltage dips at idle. Up to you if it's worth the HP.

Personally I'd skip the underdrive and buy a new OEM belt to put on while you're dealing with the belt tensioner anyway. Then I'd use the money I saved and buy a Radium clamshell "quick removal" kit and install that while you're at it. That way next time you remove your clam it's a 30 minute or less job instead of a 3 hour one.

But if you really want the few HP out of an underdrive system now would be the time to do it I guess.

 

[Gunpilot]

Underdrive pulleys basically free up drag caused by engine accessories.

Drawbacks I see are your alternator is not going to charge as well and your not going to push as much coolant. That could hurt you if you live in a warm climate or city driving.

Basically they are good for circle track cars doing a constant high rpm. You may see a 10hp gain if that just from 2 pulleys, add A/c, a smog pump etc it may be a bit higher.

 

[realrundell]

The proper purpose of underdrive pulleys is to slow accessories to their intended operating speed when the engine is to be operated for extended periods at higher rpm that might be above the intended average. Our cars were not meant to run at 5k to 8.5k all day long. For brief moments-yes. If a coolant pump is run above it's intended speed for a time, there may be a possibility of cavitating and then failing to move coolant. If you run the engine at the extreme end all the time, slowing the water pump makes it more efficient. As for alternators, it is similar. Also take in to account additional bearing wear at constant high revs. As for hp gain, it is negligible. I never saw gains at the rear wheels an our racecar but I did see the coolant temp come down. For street and occasional track use I would use the factory pulleys.

 

[Gunpilot]

+1

 

[Bane]

You have to remove the clam either way, there's not really a way to drop the engine out the bottom. Do the work with the engine in and the clam off, though. With the clam off everything is almost as accessible as if the engine were out of the car, and you don't have to screw with the suspension or driveshafts.

When I took apart my interior last I actually ended up with fewer squeaks when I was done than when I started. As I went I added felt strips or weather stripping where things touched (mostly around the edges of the plastic interior rear bulkhead panel). These cars aren't exactly Porsches or Mercedes with tight factory trim and body tolerances that are hard to reproduce

Metal impeller is much better. The plastic ones can break.

The Celica people say underdriving the alternator can cause voltage dips at idle. Up to you if it's worth the HP.

Personally I'd skip the underdrive and buy a new OEM belt to put on while you're dealing with the belt tensioner anyway. Then I'd use the money I saved and buy a Radium clamshell "quick removal" kit and install that while you're at it. That way next time you remove your clam it's a 30 minute or less job instead of a 3 hour one.

But if you really want the few HP out of an underdrive system now would be the time to do it I guess.

+1 on almost all accounts.

I would not recommend an underdriven pulley system however for the reasons stated by others above.

I just had my whole interior apart and now it's quieter and better fitting. Also makes for a good opportunity to clean stuff. It's not very hard to remove the clam. It's also a good bonding experience with the car :UK:

 

[freshyip]

Thank you guys!!!! So the upgraded monkey wrench pullies have no better reliability??? I am concerned with reliability other than performance. But I do gun it from time to time but I don't stay @ high rpm constantly like @ a racetrack...

Just looked up radium clamshell kit and shim kit.....if I do buy it......which means I won't be selling the car forever!!!!!!!! :shift:

 

[Bane]

Thank you guys!!!! So the upgraded monkey wrench pullies have no better reliability??? I am concerned with reliability other than performance. But I do gun it from time to time but I don't stay @ high rpm constantly like @ a racetrack...

Just looked up radium clamshell kit and shim kit.....if I do buy it......which means I won't be selling the car forever!!!!!!!! :shift:

No, the performance (I wouldn't call them upgraded) pullies will likely shorten the life of the components you are bolting them to. Just my opinion though.

Since you have an Exige, the Radium shim kit is just four pieces of metal. It doesn't make removing the clam any easier. I do like it though since the factory shim packs really bothered me for some reason. Installing the Radium shims takes some patience (and drilling into your sub-frame).

Here's my post on installing them:

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/2762473-post8.html

 

[freshyip]

Since you have an Exige, the Radium shim kit is just four pieces of metal. It doesn't make removing the clam any easier. I do like it though since the factory shim packs really bothered me for some reason. Installing the Radium shims takes some patience (and drilling into your sub-frame).

Wait a minute,,,, radium only have the shim kit but not the "Modular Rear Clam Kit" for EXIGE!?!!!!!?!!:facepalm

 

[freshyip]

Alright guys thanks for all the input. I just ordered the same plastic (brown color) impeller water pump (becox toyota only have this for me to order for the 2ZZ) along with a TRD 2ZZ low temperature thermostat since everybody I know tells me they are good for hot summer days in traffic jams....

But now the last question remains, should I buy the "Monkeywrench Waterpump Pully" since it claims to "slow down the spinning of the water pump by 6% to decrease cavitation at high RPM and improve cooling." (Stated on their website)?

I had to ask, becox reliability is all I want, and since my water pump is leaking due to cavitation and all I want is what's best to keep her engine strong and reliable....so what u guys think??????? OEM pump + monkey Pully + TRD thermostat?!!! Or no Pully??? Or just Pully and no thermostat ??? Thx all!!!!!

 

[HKFEVER]

You never listen to experts.

Why not go for Eliseparts stell impeller?

 

[driftwood]

Alright guys thanks for all the input. I just ordered the same plastic (brown color) impeller water pump

what just happened here?

you just had like 4 people tell you to buy the more reliable metal impeller fitted water pump & you still went out to buy the plastic one? :facepalm

take the one you bought back & make sure to order the metal one (if you have to wait longer for it to ship from the US then that's what you need to do)

also, save your $ & skip the aftermarket pullies... get the new T-stat & belt instead

here are some links that could help with the install & choosing the right parts

http://www.billswebspace.com/EliseWaterPumpRR.pdf

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/1762707-post34.html

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/1742062-post1.html

 

[freshyip]

New update! Purchase locally!

OEM 2ZZ water pump & TRD low temp thermostat! Apparently the only one made and available for the 2ZZ is with the PLASTIC impeller, which was told to flow better than the metal impeller. The one with the METAL impeller was made for the 1ZZ....

The metal one can fit into 2ZZ, but it has a smaller size Pully (or larger, I forgot I read somewhere) which means will need a different belt.

I'm considering to now buy the monkeywrench underdrive waterpump Pully as well just to slow down my new OEM pump since I'm taking off the clam for all this hassle. Now the last question is whether to buy the belt from monkeywrench or buy it locally. Some friends who purchased from monkeywrench say that their belts are not as reliable becox they focus more on performance so the grooves and the thread of the belt will not as long lasting.....what u guys think????


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[mpc]

Do you really need to take off the rear clam to take out the water pump. and is it normal that with just 11k miles the pump(metal blades) is leaking a little.