cooling system Options

[stecz]

My 914, if I drive it awhile, especially on the highway, will slowly get hotter and hotter. I was wondering what the easiest way to check if the flaps/thermostat were working. I can get to the top of the linkage, but does anyone know of a good way to prop it open? I was going to prop it open, go on a long drive and then see if the engine ran cooler...

Any ideas for testing it?

[campbellcj]

As you know, JW (Otto) was pretty strongly opposed to cutting up that car for a front cooler, and I agreed with that - sounds like you do too.

Did you ever try tilting the cooler and/or adding a fan, as I think you mentioned a while back?

I would tend to agree with the other guys that something is either clogged or out-of-tune, as in regular street driving the car should not run hot. The cooler is really for "extreme" conditions like track DE's or extended high-speed cruising.

Or maybe the thermostat isn't opening? I'm not sure how reliable those Mocal sandwich plates are.

BTW the gauge is the replacement (numbered) VDO "cockpit" series one, with matching sender, that is typically used to replace the OE center console ones. The sender is in the stock taco plate location. I doubt the gauge is out of whack, but it's certainly possible. They can be tested/calibrated via a boiling-water test but it's a PITA. You may want to double-check the temps with a pyrometer.