Should I run the thermostat?

[Eddie Brown]

Hi. I was just wondering if I should run the thermostat on my 1911 (40 IDF's). A friend of mine has 20+ years of experience with his 914's. He said that he doesn't run the thermostat, the flaps, or the underside air deflectors(tins). He has no problems at all. Although, I respect his opinion, I'd still like to get the opinions of folks in this forum also. I'm a newbie to 914's, so I listen to learn...

The weather in Bakersfield gets "Africa Hot" in the summer. The winter isn't bad at all. I'm inclined to take the flaps out. I figure that now's the time to make up my mind on this issue before the motor goes in.

Thanks for your time.

Eddie.

[Rouser]

With all due respect to your "friend," he just doesn't want to bother getting it all to work right; been hanging around T-1's too long. Poor advise.

I HIGHLY recommend you run ALL tins (ESPECIALLY the lower), ALL flaps (NOT locked in the "open" position), and a fully functional and adjusted thermostat. If this stuff didn't serve any purpose whatsoever but just eye candy, VW/Porsche wouldn't have bothered installing it if it would've saved a few bucks.

You wanna roast a few cylinders/heads due to uneven/non-existent air flow/cooling, you leave these critical items off. All bets are off.

[norustscott]

The stat is there to assist in RAPID engine warm up.. the faster you get the engine to operating temperature the better.

even if it is 10 degrees F outside the type four t-stat will eventually open to allow 100% air airflow to the oile cooler and cylinders and heads! Like Rouser said, all of the sheet metal and air deflecting thinga ma bobs do something. keep them in place. As the tstat causes the engine to rapidly heat up to operating temperature the rest of all of the PITA sheet metal insures that the engine heats up evenly...and is cooled evenly.

[tat2dphreak]

just so I know... if you don't run a t-stat... it takes the engine longer to warm up, but it won't over heat without it either, right? provided all of the sheet metal is there and in good shape...

[Eddie Brown]

Thanks for the replies!! I am running all of the sheet metal for sure. I won't run it without the flaps; but I may secure the flaps in the open position initially. I like the idea of the tstat when the weather gets cold.

Eddie.

[norustscott]

tat2dphreak...that is my take on it. but it really is not worth it. 90% ( ok maybe less) of engine wear is during warm up...or before the engine reaches operating temp.

[JmuRiz]

I'd have to agree with Scott...granted I'm running mine w/ wired open flaps. I need to get a thermostat hooked up to mine. It does take a long time for that sucker to get warmed up. And i'm running carbs...and carbs aren't happy till they are warmed up.

[Eddie Brown]

I warm the car up in the mornings because the carbs get a little cranky when it's cold. I don't warm it up by revving it hard 3 or 4 times either (I've seen people do that!). I'll get the tstat from Pelican with a bunch of other things I need. Honestly this is not the motor that I had intended for this car. It's not configured correctly (valves are too big=48x38). But for now it'll do. I need to get a feel for the car. With this being my first 914, I'm trying to keep my expectations reasonable. I've driven VW's all of my life, and a 914 once. That was enough though. 914's have the feel that I want; that of driving a mini- F1 car. Since I was a kid and attended my first Long Beach GP (1978), I new what I wanted. My dad owned a VW/Porche/Volvo/Mercedes shop in Hollywood in the 70's. His favorite was always the 914. As the years went by he would always say to me: "son, if you want a VW that goes fast, just get yourself a 914 and forget it". It took me over 15 years to admit that he had a point there...

Eddie.

[pbanders]

Obviously, the thermostat and flaps system makes the engine warm up faster. Why would you want this? When the motor is cold, it requires a much richer mixture than when warm. With Weber's without a manual or automatic choke system, the way you accomplish this warm-up is by rapping the throttle, which causes the acceleration jets to squirt raw fuel into the manifold. With an FI system, this richer mixture is delivered by the ECU's interaction with the head temperature sensor.

Problems with this richer mixture are increased fuel consumption, increased engine wear due to cylinder wall washing, and dilution of the oil with fuel. By delaying warm-up by removing the thermostat and flaps, both of these are increased. Oil dilution increase sludging and also increases evaporative hydrocarbon emissions.

The system is simple and works pretty well. I suggest installing it, even on carbureted cars.