FIRST TERRIBLE WEEKEND OF RACING

[Mike Gaines]

Well, It finally happened...Everything went wrong this weekend at the Summit Race.
Saturday Elims I accidentally started in 2nd gear. Trans Brake, of course, didn't engage because it was in 2nd, not 1st gear. Pushed thru the beam and red-lit.
Sunday Elims in 1st round my high dollar Meziere Water Pump took a dump...I pulled up to the start line after the water box and saw that the temp gauge was at 230 degrees...being on the safe side, I didn't make the run and backed out of the start line. Back in the pits we determined that the electric water pump had just stopped working. It only had 85 runs on it. Meziere said to sent it back and they would repair or replace it.
Only good thing was I did a VERY SLIGHT improvement on my personal best....from 10.158 all the way down to 10.151...wow...lol. Air was at 2700 feet so I didn't expect any better than that...should go 10.00 at the upcoming Hot Rod ReUnion Race in late Oct where air will be around 600 to 800 feet.

 

[1967coronet440]

That sucks sorry to hear. I believe Doug had problems with his pump also, weird.

 

[bobtile]

That sucks, but if you race, you know it's only a matter of when. Not if.

 

[Tex013]

tough break , but at least not broken

Tex

 

[Mike Gaines]

When I saw the temp gauge at 230 degrees I was really tempted to go ahead and make the run....but...I made a quick decision one round at one race wasn't worth blowing up my motor.
I doubt if it would have made it down the track without going to 270, 280 degrees or higher and lock up.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

When I saw the temp gauge at 230 degrees I was really tempted to go ahead and make the run....but...I made a quick decision one round at one race wasn't worth blowing up my motor.
I doubt if it would have made it down the track without going to 270, 280 degrees or higher and lock up.

That temp could also push a freeze plug or split a hose!

 

[khryslerkid]

Not your first bad day at the track, won't be your last. It's a mechanical devise that can fail at any moment. It's why I don't ride ferris wheels at the carnival, but I do love a trip down the 1320!

 

[MoParFish]

Well Mike, you'll have it dialed next time. Gotta say, I got a kick out of you and Jon bantering back and forth with each other. Thought I was gonna have to break you guys up a couple times LoL...I'm still kicking myself for that .044 RED heading in to a money round

 

[malex]

Mike, my Meziere pump gave me problems too. Be glad that yours failed and stayed that way. Meziere rebuilt mine, pretty much everything was replaced. 2 year warranty.

But when mine failed I had no back up. I went looking for a loaner, only one guy in the pits had one, a used one. He said I could have it but I had to replace it with a new one.... It was the start of a 2 day meet and he had me over a barrel. Either I do the deal or pack up. So I have a used pump sitting here now and I had to buy him a new one. I said, how bout 50 bucks for the use of it. Nope, a new one. I ordered a new pump and gave it to him the next meet, told him, If your ever stuck, I hope that I can help you out the same way...

 

[khryslerkid]

Mike, my Meziere pump gave me problems too. Be glad that yours failed and stayed that way. Meziere rebuilt mine, pretty much everything was replaced. 2 year warranty.

But when mine failed I had no back up. I went looking for a loaner, only one guy in the pits had one, a used one. He said I could have it but I had to replace it with a new one.... It was the start of a 2 day meet and he had me over a barrel. Either I do the deal or pack up. So I have a used pump sitting here now and I had to buy him a new one. I said, how bout 50 bucks for the use of it. Nope, a new one. I ordered a new pump and gave it to him the next meet, told him, If your ever stuck, I hope that I can help you out the same way...

Were you both running in the same class?

 

[malex]

Were you both running in the same class?

-- it was his home track and he was running sportsman.

 

[Mike Gaines]

Update on the pump.....I traced the wiring, etc yesterday and found that it was the SWITCH that was broken NOT the Meziere Pump.
Note to MoParFish:
Although it was a bad weekend it was still at a drag race. Great pix of our cars side by side in the pits

 

[malex]

Update on the pump.....I traced the wiring, etc yesterday and found that it was the SWITCH that was broken NOT the Meziere Pump.
Note to MoParFish:
Although it was a bad weekend it was still at a drag race. Great pix of our cars side by side in the pits

—-
Mike, early on when my pump started blowing fuses My toggle switch failed too. Replaced switch and was good for a couple races. Maybe coincidence but keep an eye on it.

 

[65 3 times]

Are you using a relay to protect the switch? Dave

 

[LemonWedge]

Having a switch go away is frustrating. I’m assuming you have the pump on a relay with an in-line fuse (??). If not, nows the time.
I’ve witnessed a number of guys load up with water pump issues over the past few years. Mostly electrical issues.... then there’s me and my streetcar. I had to load up last year because of a snapped belt on my mechanical pump. I now carry extra belts. Chit happens.

Good luck at the HotRod Reunion, Mike!

 

[dvw]

When mine blew the fuse last year it was because the impeller had come loose. It was dragging on the housing. Fixed it at the track and won the event. This year i think its motor armature or bearing damage.
Doug

 

[Shorthorse]

I have to respectfully ask why you would use a relay style circuit for an electric water pump circuit in a race application?
The Meziere water pumps are rated between 6-12 amps depending on the model. A properly thought out toggle switch only circuit, with the correct rated fuse, the correct gauge wire and a correctly rated toggle switch is as simple as it gets. A defective toggle would render the circuit useless regardless of its configuration. A 20 amp toggle can run from 5$ at a supply house to the over priced 15$, 20 amp Painless toggle sold at the major race outlets. Single circuit relay kits are $25 up at the major outlets. Not including the pump itself, a simple toggle circuit would have the fuse, the toggle and two segments of wire as points of failure. A relay style circuit would have the fuse, the toggle, the relay and its mounting socket, the circuit breaker and 5 segments of wire as possible points of failure. What am I missing?

 

[65 3 times]

Relays feature two basic circuits: one circuit turns the relay on and off, and the other circuit passes current through the relay once the relay is turned on. A relay acts like a switch. It turns power on and off on demand and serves as an isolator, preventing the high power demands of certain accessories from damaging other circuits that aren’t designed to handle heavy loads. Placing a relay in the circuit allows the actual control switch to experience only a small level of the power running through the circuit. Basically, a relay is a heavy-duty switch that’s activated by the primary control switch. Relays in the 30 amp range are required for accessories such as auxiliary driving lights, audio system amplifiers, electric fans, electric fuel pumps, electric water pumps, etc.

Always install a dedicated relay with each applicable circuit (don’t assume that a single relay can handle multiple circuits). The relay handles the heavy amperage in the circuit, allowing the control switch to simply turn the relay on and off. A relay also can help to boost a signal in a long wire run. For example, when a wire runs from the battery to the switch and from the switch to the accessory, a lengthy wire can reduce the power available at the accessory. A relay can be positioned to shorten the length of the power circuit, maximizing power available to the accessory motor. Dave

 

[Shorthorse]

Thanks Dave. I really don't want to hijack Mike's post and I know that the vast majority of FBBO members are utilizing relays systems and swear by them. But, there are still a few things that come to mind reading your excellent description. Of course or discussion is based on either style circuit being designed and installed properly.
About high power demands and their effect on other circuits. I could see that if you were utilizing two independent isolated sources of power but in most cars there is only one common source. All electrical devices are common to the battery. Any spike would effect the entire electrical circuit because all circuits share the same source. I have not seen any of the relay kits advertised with surge suppression.
The switch handling a smaller load. True but my personal experience with toggle failure has not been the failure of its contacts to carry a load but a failure within the switches mechanical operation which has more to do with its frequency of use.
Length of wire - also very true but it is important to remember that the ohms in lets say 12 gauge stranded wire runs between 1.45-1.75 ohms per 1000 feet depending on the strand count and configuration. B body cars are 17-18 feet long so I'm not sure that shortening a wire feed makes all that much difference to the device.
Relay amp range - Both relays and toggles have rated amp carrying capacity. 30 amp relay or 30 amp toggle, it makes no difference. The advantage in a relay circuit is that the toggle could be downsized.
Terry

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

I carry a skinny one and a PHAT one