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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Defrost without exchangers ?
Posted by: Literati914 Sep 4 2019, 10:39 PM
What are you guys without exchangers doing to de-fog your windshields? what are all options? I mean some people use a stand alone heater unit.. do those defrost also?
Posted by: Literati914 Sep 5 2019, 09:02 AM
What are you guys without exchangers doing to de-fog your windshields? what are all options? I mean some people use a stand alone heater unit.. do those defrost also?
None? Rain-X only?
.
Posted by: Garland Sep 5 2019, 09:08 AM
Standalone 12 V electric heaters are junk, they will do nothing to help you. There is a product called fog free, that will work well on the inside of the window. Although I haven’t used it in years.
Posted by: Literati914 Sep 5 2019, 09:43 AM
I'll look into that product, thanks.
Let me ask this - what about de-fogging using the A/C... my '04 Volvo kicks on the A/C compressor when I hit the "defrost" button, and it does a good job of clearing the windshield. Probably better than other cars I've had, tbh. I've never had A/C in my other 914s but my latest project will have it - so..is there a way of connecting up the A/C venting system to the defrost vents of the 914 ?
Posted by: mepstein Sep 5 2019, 09:44 AM
you have fog in TX?
Posted by: rhodyguy Sep 5 2019, 10:15 AM
If cold air will defrost, you're golden.
Posted by: bbrock Sep 5 2019, 11:30 AM
you have fog in TX?
They do! I've seen it. Many times.
AC works great for defrost. I think pretty much all newer cars have a defrost setting that kicks on the AC to supply dry air. I've always wondered why the dealer installed AC didn't route the cold air to the factory air box somehow. Too expensive to retrofit I suppose. There has to be a clever way to do it.
How do you drive without heat exchangers though. All my friends and relatives in the Dallas area reach for down coats when the temp drops below 72
Posted by: Literati914 Sep 5 2019, 01:16 PM
you have fog in TX?
Plenty of inside the windshield kind of fog, from all this humidity! Particularly when it rains.
Too expensive to retrofit I suppose. There has to be a clever way to do it.
How do you drive without heat exchangers though. All my friends and relatives in the Dallas area reach for down coats when the temp drops below 72
I drove my second 914 for 2.5 years as a daily driver with only seat warmers for heat - it was usually sufficient and I'll probably be installing those again. Maybe I'll post a seperate thread for help figuring out A/C to the dash vents when needed. Thanks.
Posted by: Rand Sep 5 2019, 01:20 PM
Rain X wipes work for me. Both sides of the windshield. Keeps the inside from fogging, and you never even need wipers on the outside.
Electric cannot work. It's physics. Gas works, like an Eberspächer.
Posted by: VaccaRabite Sep 5 2019, 06:04 PM
I've never had heat in my 914, and Rain-X / Fog-x works great.
I have also had some really scary drives where I just could not see out the windshield... SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS
I'm actually putting heat back in my car just to get air on the windshield to defog it. Seeing where you are going is really great!
Zach
Posted by: Superhawk996 Sep 5 2019, 07:23 PM
Being 20 and knowing everything. I stripped the heat exchangers off my 1st 914 to save weight along with just about anything else that wasn't welded in.
That was fine when I could afford to buy what we used to call "winter beaters" and store my 914 in the winter.
Then I got out of the military and was broke. Had to drive it in the winter.
Coleman propane heater strapped into the passenger seat beside me and a ice scraper withing arms reach. Forget fog, I used to get ice on the INSIDE of the windows from my breath condensing and freezing to the cold glass. Tried to usually leave a window down a crack . . . . needed to vent the CO somewhere. Definitely not recommended. 
Oh, and in case you didn't know, heat rises. I can't tell you how many times I arrived at a destination a few hours away with numb feet.
Oh, to to be 20 again. 
By and large, RainX on outside and RainX anti-fog was the way to roll but I assure you it won't always work, but, it is better than nothing at all.
Posted by: Steve Sep 5 2019, 10:00 PM
For years I had no heat with my 6 conversion. I just dressed warm and forced all the cold outside air to the windshield. Defrosted it no problem and this is when I lived in northern cal, where it gets pretty cold in the winter.
Posted by: bbrock Sep 5 2019, 10:13 PM
Being 20 and knowing everything. I stripped the heat exchangers off my 1st 914 to save weight along with just about anything else that wasn't welded in.
That was fine when I could afford to buy what we used to call "winter beaters" and store my 914 in the winter.
Then I got out of the military and was broke. Had to drive it in the winter.
Coleman propane heater strapped into the passenger seat beside me and a ice scraper withing arms reach. Forget fog, I used to get ice on the INSIDE of the windows from my breath condensing and freezing to the cold glass. Tried to usually leave a window down a crack . . . . needed to vent the CO somewhere. Definitely not recommended.
Oh, and in case you didn't know, heat rises. I can't tell you how many times I arrived at a destination a few hours away with numb feet.
Oh, to to be 20 again.
By and large, RainX on outside and RainX anti-fog was the way to roll but I assure you it won't always work, but, it is better than nothing at all.
Sounds a lot like our old 74 VW bus with perfectly good heat exchangers and fully functioning heating system. We would literally climb inside our sleeping bags in the winter when we went on trips, or even just driving into work. I would unzip the foot section so I could work the pedals. Heat cranked up high (what a joke), and ice scraper on the dash to periodically scrape the ice off the inside of the glass. Usually a stop or two to get out and scrape the outside of the glass too. Good times... good times....
Posted by: SirAndy Sep 5 2019, 10:49 PM
What are you guys without exchangers doing to de-fog your windshields? what are all options? I mean some people use a stand alone heater unit.. do those defrost also?
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=113152
Posted by: Garland Sep 5 2019, 10:50 PM
Coleman propane heater strapped into the passenger seat beside me and a ice scraper withing arms reach. Forget fog, I used to get ice on the INSIDE of the windows from my breath condensing and freezing to the cold glass. Tried to usually leave a window down a crack . . . . needed to vent the CO somewhere. Definitely not recommended.
Wow Same! Ceramic heater. Like it was yesterday, I remember walking out of a donut shop, looking at the 914, just sitting there, after the last 45 min drive, of the 5 hour trip. I had just finished my coffee. I was cold, the 914 was colder, it was snowing, your in Michigan heading North!
I smiled, and I got in. 
Posted by: Superhawk996 Sep 6 2019, 06:41 PM
@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=20845
@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=1535
You have both duly earned life members to the air cooled masochism club! I'm honored to be in such good company! ![whip[1].gif](style_emoticons/default/whip[1].gif)
Posted by: porschetub Sep 7 2019, 03:07 PM
I have headers ,no heat,pulled my heater control and found it all but melted down,couldn't be repaired but would work on high speed.
Removed the whole unit and blanked the dash hole off,found a nice Hella pull switch in my collection ,wired that to the high speed and adjusted vents accordingly and found I had good flow over the inside of the screen.
Surprised how well it works,not something ever one would do but suits my needs.
Posted by: wndsrfr Sep 7 2019, 06:45 PM
I got a 12v boat bilge blower, kluged up some 4 inch aluminum dryer vent pipe to pull warm air from just under the cylinders along the passenger side header & piped it to the driver's side long, capped off the passenger side long & had good enough heat to clear the windshield in Virginia autumn weather. Pulled 12v from a new toggle switch.
If you still have the blower installed just use that.
Posted by: 73-914 Sep 7 2019, 07:55 PM
My 73 Thing only had the gas heater, good for setting your right knee on fire with your left knee knocking LOL
Posted by: tygaboy Sep 8 2019, 06:04 AM
I see a couple comments that electric can't/won't work. I have no experience otherwise but... I'm just got one of these. Now, I do have the advantage of having an LS with an alternator that can support it so maybe that's part of the "electric can't work"?
If anyone is interested in the results, I hope to bench test it in the next couple weeks.
Assuming it passes (No, I don't have any idea what that looks like at this point), I'll post about it, along with the install, as part of my build.
Attached image(s)
Posted by: Rand Sep 8 2019, 08:12 AM
LOL, leave it to Chris to find a way to make the impossible work. I should restate, electric heat cannot work with the stock electrical system. Forcing a square peg in a round hole can be done with enough effort, at the cost of efficiency. 
Posted by: PatrickB Sep 8 2019, 10:15 AM
I see a couple comments that electric can't/won't work. I have no experience otherwise but... I'm just got one of these. Now, I do have the advantage of having an LS with an alternator that can support it so maybe that's part of the "electric can't work"?
If anyone is interested in the results, I hope to bench test it in the next couple weeks.
Assuming it passes (No, I don't have any idea what that looks like at this point), I'll post about it, along with the install, as part of my build.
Let us know how it works out.... inquiring minds want to know!
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