same thing happened to me... and it was OEM.

It maybe a wives tale, but without a thermostat it ciruclates too violently for my taste. It blows water all over the place if you pull the cap. With a thermostat or restrictor it flows like stock. I have a gutted thermostat as a restrictor.

I thought that it would be cool to control it with a rheostat, but I really do not think it is that neccesary. While monitoring the gauge, I switch the pump on and off until it is at operating temp. Pretty effective so far.

In the end, it is pretty tempting to try to control it with some fancy electronics I must say.

Something else to note: On a hot day, it is great to have an electric water pump and fans on to cool the car down in a hurry between rounds at the drag strip.

Not a rheostat man, that's 30's technology. A PWM electronic motor controller.

You don't think the stock water pump won't blow water out the filler cap at 6000 engine RPM?

k since my pump has started to go out my charge light has been going off and on

i'm pretty sure thats just the anti-freeze all over the alternator and shorting it out some where

but now my air bag light has started flashing would that just be an indicator that my alternator isn't charging enough or would it be a sensor going out?

Probably a separate issue.

any ideas as to what it could be?

How's your belt? Old, new? Tight, loose? Check the big plug on top of the alternator, although if that was off the charge light would be on constantly.

the belts are going to be shot no matter what due to the anti-freeze being sprayed everywhere and i'll check the connection on the alternator first thing.

would that still cause the air bag warning flash?