Ok, I'll start by saying that I don't even know if this can work but I want to get the ball rolling on some new ideas.

Why is it that we haven't figured out a way to use the existing temp sensors to trigger a warning system based off of actual temperature.

These sensors uses resistance to interpret temperature.
The higher the resistance the colder the temperature.

The front sensor is a two wire setup, one ground and the other the signal feed to the PCM.

The sensor in the drivers side head is a single wire, I assume that the block is being used as a grounding point.

There has to be away to use this to our advantage to create a warning light or sound for the temp. rising rapidly.

Anyone have ideas?

 

Why not use just a small LED to see if the pump is running.

 

I personally would setup both.

The light would work for power issues such as a blown fuse or a bad ground but not if the impeller shaft broke or if the pump seized up.

I initially wanted to setup a system that monitored the amperage that the pump was pulling so that I could tell if the shaft broke (amps would drop because the motor doesn't have as much of a load) or if the pump seized (amps would raise do to motor load) but that setup would be as expensive as the pump itself.

A audible temperature alarm would give you that extra warning that could help you to prevent popping a head gasket.

 

I have it set up with a green light that is on whenever the pump is on. If the pump loses power, I get a red light. If you wanted to, you could add a buzzer or something to the red light to let you know if it's failed.

I know it's easy to overheat if the pump stops. But how different is this really from other issues that can cause you to overheat? Say you blow a radiator hose. In nothing flat, you have no water in the engine and can overheat. With a belt-driven pump (not an LT1 problem, I know), if the belt breaks, you're in the same boat.

The bottom line is that the light is just for diagnostics. Watch the gauge.

BRAD

 

This whole mess is why I stuck with a stock pump. The 10hp is just not worth the worry.

 

Ohh believe me...I'm a gauge watching freak.

I just like the added security of a noise that gets my attention if I'm not paying attention.

 

I hear ya but for the money the LT4 chain and the double roller with electric water pump are effectively the same.

Besides I only put about 7000 miles on my car a year so an e-pump's longevity isn't really going to be much of an issue as far as I'm concerned.