Take shots at this idea......, I'm sure there's something wrong with it Options

[East coaster]

So, in the quest for some sort of damn heat/defroster I was curious if this could work.

In the really sh*tty diagram below, a coolant recirculation system that cycles coolant through the muffler to transfer heat from exhaust to coolant so it can be used with a heater core to supply heat/defrost.

I would expect that the tubing passing through the muff would need to be more than a simple tube and more likely an array of small tubes in parallel to better transfer heat.

Is this feasible or should I gently place the crack pipe down and call for help (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smoke.gif)

[jsteele22]

A couple of thoughts...

1) Cooling the exhaust gas as it flows through the headers/muffler/etc. is bad from the point of view of performance. I'm not sure how much, but seemingly trivial changes to an exhaust system do make noticeable effects. You've got a sweet engine, make sure you don't rob yourself of all the power you've paid for. (Of course, the stock H/Es do cool the exhaust, so the effect prolly isn't so great after all.)

2) I think any kind of tubing wrapped in/around the exhaust system is going to be a headache. If the tubing isn't brazed/welded on, you won't get much heat transfer; if it is, the frequent, huge heat cycles are going to make for serious thermal expansion stress issues. I wouldn't count on it lasting very long.

3) Using hot oil might work, but not nearly as well as water. The specific heat of oil is only half that of water, and I think the viscosity makes a boundary layer that hurts as well. But with a big enough oil cooler and fan, you can prolly get enough heat.

3) Are you handy with upholstry ? How about running a zig-zag pattern of 1/8" tubing through your seats and plumbing it in to the oil circuit. That way no annoying fan noises taint the sweet sweet sounds of your 6.

4) As an alternative, you could move the oil tank into the cabin. Put in in the passenger seat, dresss it up a bit, and you can ride in the carpool lane.

5) If it was me, and I had the money, I'd go with a gas powered heater. I think I read that they were used in 911s in colder (e.g., Scandinavian) markets. Probably the best part is that you get heat right away. I don't know if gasoline odor is an issue, but Summit Racing sells gas fragrace additives with cool choices like grape, cherry, and pina colada.