Forcing Air into the Engine Compartment, Engine Cooling ??? Options

[Highland]

I'm guessing it's been tried, but is there a downside to forcing fresh oncoming air into the engine compartment? I've read that removing the rain tray does not help cooling which tells me the 2 engine compartment side vents are more than adequate to feed the centrifugal cooling fan; so perhaps increasing engine compartment air pressure and reducing relative air temperature would help.

So don't laugh too hard at the pictures (IMG:style_emoticons/default/av-943.gif) It's a first pass attempt.

I did a couple of runs on my normal joy ride and am qualitatively seeing about a 5 to 10 degree head temp reduction and quicker cooling to normal temps after an uphill grade. Also cruising at 65mph in 5th I'm seeing about a 10 degree reduction in steady state temperature. I have a big hole in the back due to a 3D print problem and my duct tape keeps on flying loose so not getting full duct air. I just have a VDO head temp gauge on #3 plug. As many of you know the VDO has 50 degree hash marks; so not real accurate reads.

So is it correct that head temps are not affected by outside air temp, that's an oil temp thing?

Has anyone tried this? The stock grating is still in place. Can I be doing any harm?

[JeffBowlsby]

Next question? Thse are al found on my 914 Classic site under Vintage Photos.

[914_teener]

Next question? Thse are al found on my 914 Classic site under Vintage Photos.

Wow..never seen these before. Just goes to show you that they knew what they were doing when they originally designed the body in white car.

When I first read the title of this thread...I don't think you want "higher pressures" in front of the fan. Like Mark said...you want lower pressure as this is a forward curved scroll fan. If turbulence is created around those tips, the fan becomes less efficient at doing this. Thiink of an airplane wing here. You might get cooler air but I seriously doubt you will get cooler engine temperatures by doing that as fan efficiency will be sacraficed. This is why the deflectors are there at the end of the body pan.

I had a side project where I was going to use exothermic paint on the cylinder bores and heads where the tips and exposed surfaces of the fins were not. I was also going to insulate the HE's exteriors and use exothermic on the tubes. My thought was to gain the difference in the exhaust and make the HE's more efficient and gain heat at the same time. Sold everything to Rob -Beat Navy and I think he went a different route with his car.

I think as designed the car does pretty well disapating heat. I used to drive mine over 100 degress often and never had any issues. I did run without the rain tray though during the Summer becuase of idling in traffic.

[BeatNavy]

My thought was to gain the difference in the exhaust and make the HE's more efficient and gain heat at the same time. Sold everything to Rob -Beat Navy and I think he went a different route with his car.

Hey Rob!

I put an external ceramic coating on those HE's and have been meaning to put them on my ride. I don't know whether the welding repairs or ceramic coating cause a fitment issue, but I could never get them to seat on my heads. Just wouldn't go over the head studs, so rather than fighting it I just kept using my SS HE's.

Just before I recently dropped my engine (to fix a failing oil pump (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) ) I gave them another test fit. I aggressively ran a rat tail file thought the ears, and I think I finally have them so they'll work. I'm excited to see how they work and if the ceramic coating reduces heat transfer directly under the car in any appreciable way. Should get them on this week.

I agree with Literati914. My car's head temps are great, even when not moving. But my car's oil temps really spike without significant air movement under the car on hot days. I feel like the oil "cooler" is just cooking the oil over the HE's.

[914_teener]

My thought was to gain the difference in the exhaust and make the HE's more efficient and gain heat at the same time. Sold everything to Rob -Beat Navy and I think he went a different route with his car.

Hey Rob!

I put an external ceramic coating on those HE's and have been meaning to put them on my ride. I don't know whether the welding repairs or ceramic coating cause a fitment issue, but I could never get them to seat on my heads. Just wouldn't go over the head studs, so rather than fighting it I just kept using my SS HE's.

Just before I recently dropped my engine (to fix a failing oil pump (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) ) I gave them another test fit. I aggressively ran a rat tail file thought the ears, and I think I finally have them so they'll work. I'm excited to see how they work and if the ceramic coating reduces heat transfer directly under the car in any appreciable way. Should get them on this week.

I agree with Literati914. My car's head temps are great, even when not moving. But my car's oil temps really spike without significant air movement under the car on hot days. I feel like the oil "cooler" is just cooking the oil over the HE's.

Hey Rob:

Hopefully not a thread de-rail....but good to know you are still doing it and hope to collect on that beer...hopefully Springtime. I'll send ya a PM if I and when I make an East Coast tour. Love to see you new engine set up.

The idea was to exothermicaly coat the inside and outisde of the exhaust tube and insulate (ceramic coat) the outside of the stock HE's shells. Like insulating your house you would get better thermal scavaging in the cylinders and while at the same time getting less heating in the engine bay during hot weather....and maybe better heating from the stock set up. Don't know but that was the thought.