Too many ugly hoses!!!

[ascarswell]

I've got a '79 sc, and am working on it today on my own in the garage for the first time!!!

I'm totally excited...changed the plugs & it made more of an impact than excpected! I'm about to change out the cap & rotor, now...

My question: Are all of the hoses that come up from the heat exchangers...I believe they're just heater hoses...necessary if I don't use my heat down here in sunny Florida? They're old, tattered, and some have significant cracks & rips, so I plan to replace them eventually, however, I've removed a couple to replace the plugs, and don't really want to put 'em back. Do I need to, or can I just leave them out 'til I get the replacements? Mainly, there's one short one on the left, one long one that runs on top of the fan housing, and the black plastic piece into which they run.

Thank for any advice...again!!!

Cheers,
Adam

[PorscheGuy79]

If you have any rips or cracks I doubt it works at all or at least very well. Wait for someone to chime in but I dont see any problem with deleting it other than to keep a spounge in your car to "deforst".

[NOH20]

I believe you need to keep the hoses connected. You need air from the engine to enter the heat exchangers. I think this is to prevent them from overheating.

[ipapilot]

If you leave anything disconnected make sure it is not a hose which will end up sucking exhaust fumes into the car. A lot of those hoses can be deleted with a backdated setup...

[Doug Steinel]

I say pull them all off and also that damn blower motor. Then get that AC compressor outa there and the condenser attached to the inside of the engine grill.

[ascarswell]

I'm tempted to get rid of the A/C compressor, etc...but it's nice & cool down here this time of year...and it gets hotter 'n' hell down here in the summer. I think I'll upgrade with a new compressor eventually.

OKAY - I've got a problem with you pelicanites now. Usually I put in a question and get multiple straight answers...not so this time...too many conflicting responses! Yikes!!! Anyone know for sure? I'd hate to overheat the damn thing! I think I'll just get replacements and stick 'em all back in! Seriously, though...thanks again for all your help, guys...my first DIY project - plugs, cap & rotor - went really well.

Cheers,
Adam

[ipapilot]

Adam, do a thread search for backdated heaters and you'll find out how to remove some of that junk. It should cost under $100 if you get the parts from a salvage yard. It will eliminate the need for the electric heater blower motor and associated ducting on the left side....Given your location, this would be a great mod and allow you much more access to the engine compartment.

[kqw]

My $0.02...
Put everything back as you found them until you become very familiar with the car and then use this board to systematically eliminate/add components to enhance the car.

[Grady Clay]

Adam,

OK, I will give you a definitive answer.

Replace the damaged/aged hoses with new original parts - OEM.

First the technical reason. The air flow keeps the heat exchangers within specified cool temperature.

Second the value reason. If you ever go to sell your 911, someone will look at missing parts and devalue the car.

Yes, there are all sorts of cool mods you can do and most enhance the value of your 911.

Best,
Grady

[sammyg2]

The hoses only around $12 at pelican, they serve a purpose (as Grady mentioned) they also help to reduce condensation built up in the HEs and will make them last much longer. They are also cosmetically valuable too.
I say replace em.

[Noel]

Air flow through the heat exchangers is necessary to keep them cool. In fact, an old trick you can use if you are stuck in traffic on a hot day is to slightly pull up on the heater levers to turn the heater fan on. Not enough to get heat in the cabin though, but just enough to kick the heater fan on. This will force even more air through the heat exchangers drawing heat away from the underside of the engine. In Florida, you may need this.

If you wish to clean up your engine bay, then back dating the heat is the answer. This can be down with new parts for about $300. Just do a search on "Backdate Heat" and you will find a lot of info and the part numbers you need.

[ascarswell]

AWESOME!!! Thanks a ton for all of your advice. I will replace the parts with new OEM stuff from Pelican. Thanks again, and again, and again!

Cheers,
Adam.

PS - I'll post pics when I get it done! :-)

[randywebb]

In Fl you could perhaps go with a header setup instead of the heat xchgrs. This would also be lighter if you are interesed in that. I'd wait until the end of winter and think about how often I used the heat before doing that....

[Steve87-911]

Originally posted by ascarswell
I'm tempted to get rid of the A/C compressor, etc...but it's nice & cool down here this time of year...and it gets hotter 'n' hell down here in the summer. I think I'll upgrade with a new compressor eventually...

Ya...eventually...like by mid February. I lived in Boca year round for a few years and the A/C is a must IMO.

And i'd take the advice that others have given about replacing the heater hoses and don't delete them.

[ascarswell]

Here's a question...I realize that SSI's are a replacement for original heat exchangers...BUT...what the heck do I have??

I ordered a Bursch muffler for my '79, got it, then realized that my car has a 2-in-1-out set up...??? I had to send back the 1-in1-out set up i originally ordered as per the catalogue, and get the 2-in-1-out Bursch. It sounds great - my question is, does my car simply have a different set of heat exchangers, or does it have SSI's? What does SSI stand for, anyway, and what are the benefits? I'm just full of questions today, aren't I!! Thanks...

Cheers,
Adam

[Noel]

Take a photo and post it.

[NOH20]

Adam,

SSI's are all stainless steel heat exchangers. They are a direct bolt on replacement for your stock exchangers. The SSI's are "shiny" compared to the stock HE's. Do a search under SSI's and you will see many pictures. There are imitations out in the market so to be sure you have SSI's you will have to look for the stamp on them from the manufacturer. SSI's provide better flow which will improve your throttle response and increase HP.

[Noel]

SSI's are not ALL stainless steel heat exchangers. This is a common miss-belief. They are heat exchangers (Porsche Header with the integrated air to air heating system) manufactured by Stainless Systems, Inc. They are a pre-1974 design, which was the way Porsche designed the exhaust before catalytic converters were required. The reason that many upgrade to them is that the post 1974 design was very much a compromise in order to meet the changing environmental regulations and thus, they didn't flow as well as the pre-1974 exchangers. The installation of the SSIs or any pre-1974 heat exchanger really opens up the flow and increases horsepower across the entire RPM range. They have the most dramatic effect on SCs and a smaller effect on the 1984-1989 cars. This is due to the pipes in heat exchangers on the Carrera’s already being bigger and thus flowing more air already. Many state that for an SC, the increase is about 17-22HP. The increase on the Carrera's is closer to 13hp.

[Doug Steinel]

Noel,

If what you are saying is correct, then one should be careful when buying SSI heat exchangers because, like me, they might think they are necessarily getting stainless steel. Anyone out there have an SSI heat exchanger (with the identifying stamp) which is NOT stainless steel?

[Noel]

Doug. I should clarify. All stainless steel heat exchangers are not SSIs, but all SSIs are stainless steel. Sorry for the confusion.