Most often, the coolant pump is used in systems of vehicles with an internal combustion engine. Most often, the device is mounted in front of the engine, and its drive can be either mechanical or electric. The main equipment used as such devices is centrifugal pumps.
General description of the unit
As for the coolant pump with a mechanical drive, usually such a drive is produced from a crankshaft or camshaft from an engine. A belt drive is used to connect them. If we are talking about an electric drive, then you need to install an electric motor, which will be equipped with a control system. As mentioned earlier, the main coolant pump model is centrifugal.
The device of such a device includes an impeller, which is mounted on a shaft with a pulley. These elements, in turn, are mounted in the housing. This protective case is usually made of cast iron or cast aluminum. A mandatory element is a gasket, which is located between the cylinder block and the coolant pump.
An impeller is an element that is involved in direct circulation, usually also called an impeller. This part is made in the form of several blades having a special shape. The installation location of this element is the drive shaft.
General principle of the unit
Work begins with the rotation of the impeller, which is located at the inlet to the pump. Because of this, a vacuum is created, due to which coolant from the radiator enters the pump. Then the liquid enters the central part of the device, passes through the blades, and then is pushed out of the unit using centrifugal force. Thus, the fluid reaches the cooling jacket of the cylinder block.
Pumps in the system
To date, the system can be equipped with a primary and secondary coolant pump. The functions of the additional pump may be different and vary depending on the design features of the engine. The additional unit is designed for the following purposes:
- additional engine cooling if the device is operated in a hot climate;
- cooling of the exhaust gases, in the case of the functioning of the recirculation system of this type of gas;
- cooling the turbocharger if the engine has a turbocharging system;
- pumping fluid to cool the engine after it is turned off to avoid overheating after stopping.
It is also worth adding here that, of course, there are supply pipes for an additional type of coolant pump, and the electric version is most often used as a drive. In this case, control, that is, turning the pump on and off, is carried out by controlling the electronic unit included in the internal combustion engine system.
Switchable pump
Today there is this type of pump, which is called shutdown. They are installed on some models of Volkswagen cars. The essence of this device is that, for example, it does not immediately turn on. Because of this, in the cold season, you can warm up the engine much faster. This will not only save time, but also save fuel. In order to stop the flow of fluid into the system, an annular diaphragm or, in other words, a shutter is used. When the fluid path closes, the impeller does not stop rotating.
Some features of the device
As mentioned earlier, the drive can be mechanical and electric, but at present, it is the second option that is much more often used. The first type is pretty much losing in its popularity. As for the installation location - in front of the engine, it is also not chosen by chance. This arrangement allows for maximum performance and additional cooling.
In addition to the main elements, such as pipes for the coolant pump, for example, smaller parts like gaskets, gaskets and other things play an important role. Without them at all, or if they are of poor quality, then the liquid in the system will certainly flow. Since the device operates by centrifugal force, pressure is always generated inside the pump. Most often it is approximately equal to one atmosphere. This is quite important, as it helps to move the boiling point of antifreeze 20 degrees Celsius up. The result of this was that the engine is able to develop its ultimate performance without overheating.
As for the materials for the manufacture of elements and the case, before it was cast iron, now it is more often used alloys of aluminum or magnesium. Some manufacturers make some plastic elements at all to reduce costs. However, here you need to remember that plastic will work less time than alloys.
Pump operating circuit
How the coolant pump works has been described above. To make it easier to understand this system, you can give a diagram that the coolant passes after the pump is turned on.
- Initially, the engine cooling fluid is located in the lower radiator tank. After the pump is turned on, the liquid enters the pump through a certain channel.
- When the device is turned on, the impeller starts to rotate, which creates centrifugal pressure, discarding the coolant to the pump walls. Because of this, pressure arises, and the liquid will be pumped into the tube, in which the distribution will occur.
- There are several openings in the distribution type tube, the number of which is equal to the number of cylinders. Each tube leads to its own cylinder.
The use of such a fluid circulation system in the system allows for uniform cooling of all necessary sections.
Unit Replacement
Despite the fact that the system is quite reliable, sometimes you still have to deal with the replacement of the coolant pump. It is much more profitable to carry out a replacement rather than a repair. Repairing this system quite often is not possible, and if possible, it usually costs either the same or more expensive than replacing and installing a completely new device. The most common coolant pump problem is fluid leakage. In this case, only the device can be replaced. Typically, the following factors cause the problem:
- low quality of the device;
- wear.
If a sufficiently strong noise occurs during operation, this is also a sign of technical malfunction. In the worst case, this means a breakdown or malfunction of the impeller, i.e. the impeller.
Coolant pump for VAZ
On machines such as the VAZ-2106 and 2107, the pump is not located in front of the engine, but on the side of it. As for the drive, it is not electric, but mechanical. This means that the drive comes from the engine crankshaft using a pulley and a belt drive. The main disadvantage of this type of pump with a mechanical drive was that it is able to work only while the engine is running. If the engine remains overheated after turning off the internal combustion engine, cooling will not occur.
This makes the presence of an additional pump for cooling with an electric drive simply necessary for such machine models.