The automotive water pump is a simple centrifugal pump that is driven by a belt connected to the engine’s crankshaft. The pump circulates the fluid when the engine is running. The water pump is vital to the operation of a car engine as it ensures that coolant flows through the cylinder head, radiator, hoses, and cylinder block and maintains the optimum automotive operating temperature; it is usually driven by a belt from a crankshaft pulley or sprocket.
An automotive water pump uses centrifugal force and impeller blades to move coolant through the various hoses and channels that make up the cooling system. After the coolant flows around the engine, usually at the front of the car, it is hosed to the radiator, where the hot coolant is cooled by air movement along with the radiator fins. It then leaves the radiator and returns to the water pump, where the process starts over.