ERL Aquamist

[Justin]

I think my pump is about to fail very soon as there is an aweful noise and vibration coming from where it is mounted.

 

I'll let you know what happens.

[dangerous brain]

Thats what mine is doing awfull noise and vibration will have to dig out my paperwork and see when it was purchased and from where.

[dangerous brain]

I fitted the ERL system 4 years ago, 3 pumps have quit but always replaced by ERL with no quibble. Last one fitted about a year ago and still going strong. I use a mix of 70% methanol to 30% filtered water which seems to work well.

Set it for >1BAR for best results, I found that below this it is a little overkill and can cause missfire on colder plugs.

 

 

You got any details on who to speak to about this ERL pump replacement as my pump is vibrating so bad you can hear it over the engine, also feels like its trying to vibrate the front bumper and lights off. Mines mounted in between the intercooler and the radiator just under the shiny intercooler blanking plate.

[Whitelightning]

WI - good enough for German Fighter planes - good enough for me

[Matt Harwood]

WI - good enough for German Fighter planes - good enough for me

 

Germans? - Oh yeah, they were the ones that lost despite having the greater numbers

[Whitelightning]

Germans? - Oh yeah, they were the ones that lost despite having the greater numbers

 

1. Ref war and your assumption of German "Greater numbers"

- You obviously dont do history. Here, have some history . . .

http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob62.html

 

 

2. The germans (amoungst others) utilised WI early:

- Have a snippet of more history . . .

 

The essential idea was developed in the first decade of the last century. The original purpose was enhanced cooling. By 1910 some engines which had been water-cooled were simply produced without water-jackets after addition of 'internal cooling', as water-injection was first called. Those engines had compression ratios around 4:1 and the phenomenon of pre ignition (knocking, pinking) was unknown. Later however this became the main reason for water injection which turns out to give spectacular octane improvement, allowing CR as high as 13:1. By the end of World War II many aero engines used water-injection. German versions used water-methanol mixtures, partly because straight water would freeze in winter.

 

 

3. And, lastly, I'd like to finish on a quoate from a German Ex-Girlfriend:

"yes we lost - but it took the whole fekking world to stop us !"

 

[Matt Harwood]

LOL, maybe they lost the Battle of Britain because their WI pumps failed!

[Whitelightning]

I think when the rather fat Herman Goerring head of the Luftwaffe was asked what he needed from Hitler [to win the battle of Britain], he said Spitfires.

[SKI]

Can the stock headlight washers on the UK spec be modified to provide an aquamist type system....

[Whitelightning]

Doubtful.

Pump isnt that powerful.

You really don't want those washers do you !

[Chris Wilson]

You are confusing intercooler water spray with proper water INJECTION systems. See my article below:

 

Water injection serves 2 closely related functions on a turbo engined

car. Firstly it cools the charge air temperature by utilising an effect

known as the latent heat of evaporation. This property can be self

demonstrated very easily. If you pour something that evaporates quickly

like petrol on your hand it feels very cold. This is the rapidly

vaporising spirit removing heat from your skin and bloodstream by the

aforementioned process. By spraying a very finely atomised mist of water

into the inlet of a turbo engine when under boost conditions the

evaporation of the water into steam causes a temperature reduction in the air and

fuel intake charge. A cold charge is less likely to be subject to

detonation than a hot charge. A cool charge is also denser, able to

carry more air and fuel mix per unit of volume. These 2 properties of

water injection allow either less chance of detonation at a given boost,

maybe allowing lower octane fuel to be used, or to allow a rise in boost

pressure usage without detonation. These are very desirable goals for

any modifier of a turbo engine, or one using an engine mapped to run

on a higher octane fuel than generally available in the UK. Japanese

import turbo cars for example.

 

People ask whether squirting water into an engine causes corrosion. In

fact this is not a problem, the combustion temperatures under boost

ensure the water is turned instantly to steam and is ejected out of the

exhaust. The water mist is injected only when high boost is sensed via

a supplied pressure sensor switch. The basic combustion process of

hydrocarbon fuels causes LOTS of water to be generated anyway, which is why cars

not driven on regular long journeys will rust out a mild steel exhaust

system from the INSIDE out. If water is added in the correct volume, via

the supplied, calibrated jets, this is not a problem.

 

Even when used alongside a larger or more efficient intercooler, or

indeed when an intercooler is used in an application where one was not

present as standard, water injection can and does increase charge cooling

still further. Water can be stored either in the existing windscreen

washer bottle or in a separate, dedicated, container. In cold conditions

it is essential to add an anti freeze additive to the water to stop pump

damage through freezing. Windscreen washer additive serves this purpose

fine and the engine won't mind ingesting this solution at all. Or you

can add neat methanol, which is usually the anti freeze additive in

washer fluid anyway. Using a 50 / 50 percent by volume water / methanol

mix will actually help increase the octane of the intake charge, as an

added benefit. As a yet further advantage the latent heat of evaporation

of methanol is extremely high. A win / win situation. It is not however

obligatory to use methanol as an additive. All components of the water

injection kit that are in contact with the fluid are stainless steel or

able to tolerate water and methanol or screen washer additive without

degradation. A properly set up system does not use a vast amount of

water, in fact a modern car sized screen washer bottle used also for the

water injection reservoir will suffice admirably. A water filter is

included to keep any sludge out of the pump or jet. This should be

checked regularly for contamination and blown out if residue is

apparent within.