Chin spoiler & oil temp?

[carreraken]

I have a '85 with the stock fender mounted oil cooler... Does the chin spoiler affect air flow to the oil cooler? Seems my car is running warmer since I installed the spoiler (used to run 180-190, now runs 190-200).

[photoeditor]

my 78SC (with a Carerra cooler in the fender) did exactly the same thing after i put on the chin spoiler. It's much more stable at speed, but temps climb too high.

The parking light replacement scoop has helped a little, but ducting it directly to the cooler is next, maybe a fan...

michael

[VFR750]

Adding a fan will help a lot.

You can go with a Porsche kit, or add your own, like I did. SPAL makes a nice, thin 7" fan that squeezes in. But I needed to make custom horn mounts. The Porsche kit is a cleaner job.

I wired mine to a dashboard switch (through a relay, of course) And switch it on during hot days. I did not use a thermosat. The Porsche (Carrera) thermosat is set for 240F, which is too high.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by VFR750

The Porsche (Carrera) thermosat is set for 240F, which is too high.

That's good to know. My fan looks dead. Maybe it just never came on much. By dead, I observed some gravel in the shroud that interfered with the blades. So, it must not have run much if it works at all.

[rusnak]

The factory Porsche fan is the best way to go. You can install a switch to kick the fan on manually, which is what I do. I turn on the fan whenever I know that oil temps will eventually be higher than normal, and so far the thermostat has not gotten much over 210, even in 105+ heat with ac running.

[donstevens]

Originally Posted by carreraken

I have a '85 with the stock fender mounted oil cooler... Does the chin spoiler affect air flow to the oil cooler? Seems my car is running warmer since I installed the spoiler (used to run 180-190, now runs 190-200).

It could. It also could simply be the summer weather conditions (temp and humidity) affecting your numbers.

I have had lots of discussions with many people about oil cooling, coolers, fan vs. no fan, pusher vs. puller fans, ram air ducts, etc. I have come to the conclusion that no one (at least I haven't found him) really knows what is going on aerodynamically in the wheel wells.

Your numbers are on the low side anyway so don't worry about it.

Don

[carreraken]

Thanks for the inputs. I have a 6.5" fan that I haven't yet installed. Plan to use the rear washer switch for manual operation. Just haven't decided what to do with the horns...

The temps naturally go higher (even at hwy speeds) when I use the ac which I don't want to do without on the hot days...

Don, I agree with you - I have a hard time understanding the airflow under the fender. Thought about fabricating a small 'upside down' scoop to scoop the air from underneath but wasn't sure if there is enough airflow down there. I didn't want to modify the front valence or use the bumper scoop.

[aj88cab]

Ken

Your Carrera already has a "scoop", look under the bumper on the passenger side, the valence is formed so there is an opening for air to flow directly to the front oil cooler. Adding the front spoiler may have changed the air flow characteristics some, but as was mentioned your temps are fine.

Your car should also have a fan, but maybe I misunderstood your post. You can check the fan operation at the relay connector located at the right front corner of the trunk. There are two sets of wires (fan-power and relay). The relay is the smaller set of wires (white connector). Disconnect the the connector and put a jumper across the pins of the conductors going to the relay (not the fan side). I think your ingition needs to be on. I added a manual switch also because of the high temp rating of the thermo switch.

Located switch here-


Tapped switch wires here-


Extra photos just for the hell of it.....

Carrera oil cooler and fan assembly removed-


My fan never worked because of this broken wire (then again maybe I did it removing the oil cooler) but it works now -


Good Luck
Andrew

[arerrac]

Remember, on the Carrera the factory removed some material under the front bumper to increase air flow to the oil cooler. Below is a picture of what someone has done to increase the air flow, but the factory was similar.

[carreraken]

Thanks Andrew, my '85 has the cooler without the fan or thermoswitch. I have a spal fan ready to go in. Nice install on your switch - it looks very clean.

arrerac, thanks for the photo. I'll have to take a look at my bumper to see if the opening can be improved.

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but when I drive up a mountain - the needle keeps climbing and I get real nervous when it goes above 210 not knowing when it will stop increasing... (I live in the foothills of the Sierra's so there aren't many 'flat' roads here). Ambient is around 80-90, I avoid driving my P when it's much warmer than that. The temps come down g r a d u a l l y on the downhill side...

[Deschodt]

I ran a dash activated Fan for years but that is a PITA, you won't always remember. Lately I installed an adjustable thermostat switch provided by my mechanic (don't remember brand) and put it under the hood. No more dash switch.... It's got a knob you can turn to raise or lower the activation temp. I ran the car to a temperature *I* thought was hot enough to require help, got out with the engine still running, turned the knob till the fan came on... All set since.

[pgeorgeson]

Not to highjack, but can someone post (or send a link to) a picture of the oil temp gauge with the numbers on it (not just the hash marks)?