I'm still plotting a heat scheme. I really want to have heat/defrosters in my 3.6 conversion. I've entertained the idea of a gas heater, which would probably work fine. I've also considered trying to get something to work off of the oil cooler. Now, I was just looking at the Elephant racing finned oil lines and thought hey, maybe I could route finned oil lines through the old heater passages (solves oil line routing to front cooler) and still fan force air through the passages and derive heat from the finned lines. I would have to come up with a way to port the lines into the ducts and out while still keeping the ducts semi-sealed. This doesn't seem insurmountable.

For all you thermodynamists out there, would this work for heat??

where the oil lines go into the heatre ducts...all that is needed to seal it would be a grommet or 2.... good idea!

I think it would be easier/cheaper for you to do a oil/air heat exchanger. You will have to run a front mounted cooler anyway (no oil cooler on the engine).

Let me speak with a vendor today that is working on a heating system for 911's based on the front mounted oil cooler.


B

I wouldnt think they would give off enough heat to make it worthwhile. I have been using an electric heater for my car as a temporary solution. I think some sort of collector around the header is still the way to go. I dont drive my car during the winter here in Minnesota but the electric one worked fine at temps below freezing. It throws enough heat to keep the cabin warm and kept the windshield clear. I Still think header or engine heat is the way to go, I did considered my front mounted oil cooler as a source but it takes way to long to get warm running through the thermostat. Im sure you would get some warm air out of the install but I doubt hot air.

Opps, Wow sorry, resize

I agree with imachappy. 300 degree oil vs 600 degree exhaust. the heat would be marginal at best.

Thanks Brad," how did you do that"
the resize is another view, one showning the front of the heater, note the c clamp on the floor, thats how I kept it on the ashtray, I found the ash tray useful for something after all.

"how did you do that"

All the admins have the ability to yank a piture, edit and repost. Some people dont have full command of their photo editing software.. so we help them out.

B

In the winter ambient temps are lower and they help keep oil temps lower... WHICH decreases the heat soaked into an oil cooler..........It don't do a good job of putting out much heat that way.....

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'm trying to equate an oil cooler to a heater core. Simplistically, I would think heater core 200 degree water/oil cooler 180/190 degree oil?? Of course, in my aircraft in the oil barely ever gets to 160 in the winter, so maybe it won't work. What kind of oil temps are you guys running vs air temps??

I always wondered how effective "Mountain 914s" oil cooler in the fresh airbox worked (pic below). Those of you who know the car (yellow custom flared/tan leather teener) have probably seen his install and I've always wondered how well it worked for heat/defrost. I guess with his car (3.0) the cooler is only supplementing the stocker? I don't think this size/location would work w/a 3.6.

Scratch that question..........I just realized he doesn't have anything hooked up to it to supply heat/defrost....Dooohhhhhhhh!

Hey Buddy...

Sort of BTDT..... I have a 930 cooler up front and headers on a 3.0. I figured I'd draw heat from the cooler shroud (front trunk) on cold days after the cooler kicked in. No luck.

Tried a block plate (removing the engine OC) - still nothing. Then - tried it with/without the Mocal inline T'stadt.... Nada...

Well - spring time came - I gave up on heat altogether. It makes sense - you are running full length lines up to the cooler (looses temp over the run length), so the oil cooler doesn't do anything at all, except become part of the circulation - IF the T'stadt even opens.

On anything below 50 degrees - the oil never heated enough to do anything on the interior for heat - except make me feel good about my crappy design...

Dunk, Thanks for the real world feedback! I figured somebody has BTDT. I guess I'm looking at somesort of heat exchanger or a gas heater. I have a set of stock 914-6 HEs, but it looks like I'd have to hack them up pretty good to fit on a 3.6 and I know the diameter is less than optimum (read sucky) for a 3.6.

If I go the HE route I'd like to find a set of stainless headers and fabricate a heater box on each. I've fabbed aircraft HEs and in the aircraft world we add either a coiled spring or fins/spikes to the header pipe to aid in heat transfer. It's funny I've never seen that done in the Porsche world. It really does make a big difference. On my aircraft exhaust I welded two little rings, one at each end of the heater box run, and use a long coil spring (similar to a screen door spring) and attach one end to one ring , wrap it around the header pipe till I get to the other ring and attach it. I noticed it damn near doubled my heat output and gave me an additonal 50 rpm drop with carb heat on.

The T4 bus heat exchanger has a big mass of finned aluminum cast directly on the J-tube. Unfortunately, the whole assembly weighs 17 pounds EACH.

One other thing I've heard of in the world of DIY aircraft is stuffing the HE with stainless steel wool--scrubbing pads or the like. I'm thinking of doing the same on my 912 and using the bus HE shells I have, stuffed with stainless steel wool.

Adam

I have seen mufflers done this way (instead of fiberglass packing.. they used stailess shavings from the CNC mill)

The person I know working on the oil/air exchanger was a Indy car team engineer for 10+ years. I *hope* he comes up with something that works. He is a 911 guy, but maybe something can be done for us 914 owners.


B

Want a gas heater? I pulled this out of a 411/412 many years ago. never used it, don't know if it works, don't want anything for it. Just pay the shipping.

s;dfk