I am converting my 75 914 to a six. Motor is 2.4 with Weber 40's. Haven't decided on cams but it will be either "T" or "E" spec. Live in Florida and need to install an external oil cooler. Don't want to go with a front trunk mounted type (need to run A/C as well). Read about a nice external set up in a car featured in the Oct. 2006 issue of Excellence page 100. It is a dual cooler system mounted under the rear trunk on either side of the tranny with electric fans. Does anyone have experience with selecting the type of cooler and fan needed for this set up? Don't think I would need the dual set up as the car featured had a 3.6 liter motor!! Would love to have pictures, diagrams, supplier sources or any guidance.

a/c ?

next thing you know, you will be asking how to install a heater...

geez. if you want a/c get a toyota

Seriously, I pulled up an old thread on the topic for you. I don't believe you really need an external cooler with a 2.4L motor but if you really need one someone here will help u.

no need for any /6 engine up to (and including) the 3.2L, unless you plan to take the car to the track ...

they all have a build in oil cooler that is more than enough for normal street driving.

the reason why you see external coolers on the 3.6L conversion is that those engines don't have a build-in cooler at all!
Andy

Florida summers are hot an humind. Folks down here are telling me that you can see temps in excess of 215-220F without external cooler. What is the title of thread you are speaking of?. I've got a Toyota(Sequioa) it let it do the pulling.

bcheney I'm going to do a /6 conversion also. Regardless of what engine size I end up with I will be adding a fan assisted oil cooler under the car. It is way too hot and humid in Florida not to run a cooler in my opinion. Most 911's have external oil coolers and the engine mounted why do you think that is?

Andy... I disagree.


I believed the same as you until I spend a Texas summer with my six. The oil temps approached 250 on my car.


I put a 911 carrera cooler in the right rear corner of my car, mounted vertically. It allows air coming under the right rear fender to hit it. Even without the fan it dropped the temps a good 30 degrees. I really need to get out there and install the fan and see what that will do.

Yeh, I've heard all the opinions about not having to run an external cooler on my 2.4L. Without one, my oil temps were in the 270 F range ...

I put the Empi 11" X 11" with fan on .... horizontally mounted on the passenger trunk roof/floor and the oil temps dropped to the 180 F range. Then I blew the cooler up from "excessive oil pressure" on the scavenge side .... yeh right ....

Have since mounted a 5" X 11" cooler with no fan in the same area. Temps run about 230 F.

Yeh, there could be something wrong with my engine or onboard cooler, but due to the cooling aspects of a 914/6 I had been advised an external cooler was necessary.

OH BTW, the maximum head temps I see are 325 F.

Having had owned 6+ 914/6 conversions....4 that I've done myself, 2 bought as-is.....

I have heard EVERYONE tell me that they don't need a cooler. The ONLY one was a 2.0 "S".....all the others....2.7, 3.0, 3.2 needed one.

Haven't done a 2.4.....but expect to do so. Best to do a thermostat, and run lines up front.....if you don't want it in the trunk put it in the front fender well like the 911s.

i am a believer in oil coolers...
running a cooler behind the engine, will cool the oil to an certain extent.
but you are fighting against all the hot air from the motor. kinda defeating the purpose of the cooler.
i am a fan of running copper or brass lines up the longs and if trunk space is important to you, i have seen pics of coolers in the front bumper,
just remeber...max cool air flow to the cooler....and excessive heat is your enemy

alright, i retract my statement ...

seems like there is a need for additional cooling, even on the smaller /6s ...

and cooler oil is a *good* thing!
Andy

You mounted it in the fender, in front of the wheel? I like that idea, rather than having the engine pumping oil all the way around the car. Got some pics?

I have a 2.4T CIS motor in my car with just the stock factory oil cooler. On a 75-80 degree day my oil temps were only approaching 220 after a 25 minute track session....I'll have to see what happens this summer in 95 degree heat...

Are you using a factory oil tank? Mine is aftermarket and holds an extra 1.5 qts or so which helps some. Also be sure to do the tin modification in Bruce Anderson's book.

Just put an old Mazda cooler up front like I did...hey , if a non-car guy like me can do it...so can you!

Nope.. Behind the wheel, right in front of the rear sway bar and the muffler.

No picts right now.

Here one that I pirated
Dont know whose.

Here's how I did it on the last conversion I built. It's from a place called The Latest Rage, pretty much a VW place. Wes Hildreth turned me on to this. It was around $130 IIRC for the cooler, fan, and the end brackets. Took a little head scratching and some trial and error. It is plumbed without an external T stat, but since there's not a lot of extra plumbing it hasn't been a problem. It's connected right out of the pressure side (the fitting on the right rear of the case) and then back to the tank.

Andy -

I saw 220-250 oil temps in my '75 2.7 6 conversion on the Mt. Hood drive at WCC 2006 on the climb to timberline. Additionally, I saw 220 on the downhill portion into Hood River and then into Portland. Granted, later in the day it was hotter (over 100 degrees that afternoon and I have little confidence in the accuracy of the guage) but I have been thinking of a front mounted GT style oil cooler for those very same reasons - and I don't track the car!

Edit:

I like the photo above with the rear angle fan unit. $130.00 sounds like a steal! and no body cutting!!!!!

Latest Rage (619-445-7553)

thanks Dr and 9146986 for the pics. In both cases there is a fan above the cooler. Unless those fans have ball bearings, I wonder if that is a long term solution. Do the fans run full time? Can you trigger them to run at, say 210F ?

I was always told that up to and including a 2.7 you did not need a cooler (I have a 2.7 with no cooler).

Brett, is your 2.7 stock? Carbs, CIS? What kind of exhaust?

It was set up with a switch at the dash and a power relay.

Thanks to all who have replied so far. The pics and info are giving me some great ideas and options. Keep em coming. Seems like this is a great topic for a lot of other folks besides me. My goals are to be good to my motor and minimize the cutting and drilling of the tub. I am sure that with all of your input I will be able to make something work that meets those goals.

I think the final answer is.....run it....if it gets hot....add a cooler.....I've always run them and added one.....the ONLY time that I did NOT need to add one....there was a cooler ALREADY installed......PISSED me off big time.


It was on my 70 914/6 conversion with a 2.0 "S" motor....it was a former /4 warrior.......I beat the crap outta that /6 and it never over heated.....

Hey Dr. Evil!

I don't know what is in the 2.7 but i'll look in the reciepts. Webers, BB stainless headers & heater boxes - 911 sport muffler ( now has a RSR two in, two out muffie!)

Ran 210 in traffic on a 95 degree day....