What are these flapper thingies used for? It seems they would let valuable cooling air escape before it is blown across the cylinders. Can these be blocked off, or are they really needed?

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As a side note, WTF is this hole for? I found a pair of pliers that I lost about a year ago in there! I couldn't find them anywhere and 'knew' they were on the engine somewhere, but they fit perfectly in the hole and were nearly invisible.

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The flappers are there for the heating system. If you have the heater blower turned on, and the car is idling, there may not be enough air flow to defrost the windshield, so the flaps close, and the air comes from the electric fan. When the engine speed is higher, and there is more air from the engine fan, then the flaps open. One of the things people forget is that there is always air flowing through the heat exchangers, even when the heat is not being used in the car. This actually helps to cool the engine, since it is cooling the exhaust pipes coming out of the heads, which in turn helps to cool the heads as well. If you block the heater outputs, you will cause more turbulence in the fan housing, and actually reduce cooling. If you want to get rid of them, it would be best to get the vanagon housing, which doesnt have them.

The above is true ..... that's what they are for.

The square hole you have pictured is for some sheet metal to connect to that was on the early 1.7s. It gave pre-heated air to the engine in really cold climates. Right now, without the remainder, it is just a hole to lose cooling air for the #1 cylinder (AFAIR).

Thanks guys. So what I am hearing is I need to keep the flapper thingies and block off the square hole near cyl #1?

From reading previous posts, I decided to disconnect the thermostat and secure the deflector plate to keep air across the oil cooler. And I cleaned off the cylinders. Check out all this gunk. The engine should run a lot cooler now.

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I think I found and fixed the oil leak. We'll see.

Now if only I can remember where all the vac lines and electrical connections go. I should have marked them better. Damn guiness!

I didn't really pay attention while I was pulling off all the exhaust ductwork. I am guessing some ductwork connects the flapper thingy holes to the HXs.

BTW it's a '72 1.7. It seems you guys already knew that!

You might want to put the thermostat back in. This is a topic that has been debated greatly, but I think most agree its better with the thermostat in place.

As long as the thermostat is working....

my flappers are blocked off, no thermostat and the airdeflectors are removed and the one over the oil cooler is permanently positioned to always direct air over the stock oil cooler.

But I do have a rather large oil cooler and fan up front...

One of the arguments for the thermostat is that the engine will take much longer to warm up without them. And while warming up, wear is increased, and in the end, the engine will wear faster.

we live in California.....how long is it going to take to warm up...?



Every 914 I have ever owned had the flappers closed.

my car is 90+% track and AX.

works for me, others may have different results