Texas in the summer. Such a mild climate. Perfect for wheelin’ in the scorching heat with little to no air passing through the radiator. Note the sarcasm, because we’re laying it on pretty thick. One of the key areas that we need to address on Project Over Easy is the effectiveness of the cooling system.
FlowKooler advantage:
FlowKooler high flow water pumps push twice as much coolant through your cooling system at low speeds than stock water pumps and help the engine transfer the heat, resulting in engine temperature reductions of up to thirty degrees. Higher flow volume also increases cooling system pressure within the engine block resulting in reduced instances of detonation as well as improved flow efficiency. Plus, water under pressure has a higher boiling point too for greater cooling efficiency.
Since 1995, FlowKooler has focused on increasing cooling system flow rates at lower engine speeds to resolve low speed overheating. Face it, cooling systems cool a vehicles engine by having air pass through a radiator. FlowKooler addresses this problem by making water pumps that deliver double the volume of stock pumps at engine speeds below 3,500 RPM and typically outflow “performance” pumps by 20%. At 3,500 RPM and higher the gallons-per-minute flow rates level off to standard flow rates.
 Waterpump and Thermostat selection:
We began our cooling overhaul by going straight to the heart of the matter, the water pump and thermostat. FlowKooler was contacted for guidance on component selection including a water pump and thermostat that would best match the Scrambler project vehicle. They recommended a high flow FlowKooler water pump in cast iron (part# 1774) and a 180 degree Robertshaw thermostat (part# 330-180).
The Robertshaw Thermostat:
FlowKooler recommends and sells Robertshaw thermostats (shown at right vs. the stock GM thermostat shown at left). Consider the Robertshaw company as the grandfather of thermostats – they made some of the first thermostats back in 1916 for some of the first American cars. In other words, they know their stuff.
Today, Robertshaw thermostats are still leading the industry with key features like a balanced pressure feature that allows equal water pressure on both sides of the thermostat even before the thermostat has fully opened. This enables the thermostat to respond to temperature only, better controlling engine and cooling system temperatures.
| Installation - Flowkooler Waterpump and Robertshaw Thermostat |
| Time: |
8-11 hours |
| Tools Needed: |
Wrenches, sockets, ratchet, screwdrivers, gasket scraper, catch-pan, wire brush for drill, paper-towels / rags. |
| Difficulty: |
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Installation
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  Removing the old water pump and thermostat – The Small Block Chevy engine installed in the Project Over Easy Scrambler provides a straight-forward platform for the water pump and thermostat swap. For the purposes of this installation, and to ease the documentation of the install, we performed the water pump and thermostat update with the radiator and radiator support removed from the vehicle.
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Typical installations will only require the removal of the fan belts, engine fan (if so equipped), water pump pulley and the actual water pump.
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  Thermostat replacement requires only the removal of the thermostat housing. As with each of the other updates made on this project vehicle, we allowed plenty of time for the WD-40 to penetrate the water pump and thermostat housing bolts.
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With the stock water pump removed, it is time to thoroughly cleaned the gasket surfaces and prep for installation of the new FlowKooler hi flow water pump.
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Water pump and thermostat installation – This is one of those projects where installation is truly the reverse of the water pump and thermostat removal. The only additional step required for our installation was the swapping of a heater hose outlet from the stock pump to the FlowKooler water pump.
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 With this step complete, it was a simple installation for the FlowKooler pump and all related components (pulley, fan, fan belts) as well as the new Robertshaw thermostat.
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Once installation / reassembly was complete it was time to add the proper ratio of water/coolant and then fire-up the engine to check for leaks and cooling results.
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4x4Review Off Road Magazine
