Aftermarket Oil Cooler

[klaucke]

Has anyone had any experience with actually using an aftermarket system such as http://www.perma-cool.com/Catalog/Cat_page07.html , I read this thread on that system, but has anyone actually tried something like this? Someone mentioned flow-restriction problems, but what if I drilled/milled the passages larger on the oil filter fitting [see the 1st link] and used a cooler with larger capacity?

It seems like a system such as this would be easy to install and less expensive than a Porsche alternative -- very appealing. My car never came with a fender mounted oil cooler so installation is slightly more complex for a stock-type cooler.

Also, if I installed something like that, would there be a problem putting the cooler itself on the deck lid, under the louves? I realize this would "preheat" some of the air entering the engine compartment, but I can't imagine a large effect [considering the cooler would cover less than 1/2 of the louves]

For note, the car is a 74 2.7 CIS

[surflvr911sc]

Chuck Moreland at Elephant Racing is the one to talk to about alternate cooling setups.

As far as a deck lid mounted cooler, it’s been tried, it’s been discussed, and most believe whole heartedly that it’s a bad idea. It’s not just blocking the deck lid grill that is the problem, you are heating the air entering the engine compartment at the same time, which is self defeating and can be detrimental. The intake air is hotter, and worse the cooling air for the fan to blow over the cylinders is hotter.

[47silver]

i think that you would have a problem on the deck lid, you are taking oil from 220+ degrees down 20 degrees or more which heats the air up from 70 to about 150 or so...that is 1/2 at 150 mixed with 1/2 at 70 or an average of 115 for all of the air.. so essentially your car would essentially be driving in a desert at that temperature all of the time...
check out the size of the lines and the size of the external thermostat...they are designed for high volume and low restriction...you may cause a very high pressure drop that will at the minimum cavitate your oil pump(s) and lead to catastrophic engine failure and you saved 1000.

gary

[surflvr911sc]

Oh yeah, as Chuck pointed out in that thread, going w/ the factory cooler (or Elephant Racing Widemouth) is really the best solution for front fender placement. I have one on each side.

[Early_S_Man]

The Perma-cool and any other similar design is not designed for the high flow rate and low restriction required in the scavenge circuit of a 911! The factory front cooler has inlet pipe diameter of 22 mm, equivalent to AN-16 fittings and hose!

I used a custom-built Earls cooler with AN-16 fittings, and it was only $180 in 1984 dollars ...

[zotman72]

The reasonable price route is to get an Mazda RX7 cooler from a boneyard, have it cleaned at a radiator shop and plump it up front to the center valence. A co-worker just did this to his 74 but he did get fibreglass RSR front air dam from MA Shaw to host the cooler. You need to grab the 911 hard lines from a boneyard as well, I would recommend DARTAUTO for them.
HTH

[Chuck Moreland]

Before you buy that Bargain mazda cooler, read this thread:
Mazda oil cooler??

Make special note of the comments by TRE CUP.

The biggest cost in an external cooler setup is the lines and thermostat. A proper cooler with good capacity and adequate flow starts at about $350. The supporting infrastructure costs several times that, so don't scrimp on the business end - the cooler itself.

I've spent a lot of energy trying to best the factory oil plumbing setup paired with either a Carrera fender cooler or large center mounted cooler. The finned oil lines are a nice improvement, but most everything else comes up short. When it's all said and done, the factory is really hard to beat.

[Jim Smolka]

The Permacooler system on a 911 is a very bad idea. Barbed hose fittings is a not a good option, and some tracks will not allow you to pass tech with barbed fittings. Hose size is too small. Wrong style cooler for most efficient cooling.