Cooling System

[windlake]

The cooling system on the 1974 914 1.8 is comprised of a "thermostat", a "pulley", a thermostat cable with a special nut and 2 flaps in the fan hosing/engine sheet metal.

My question is can ALL this, the thermostat, the pulley, the cable and the 2 flaps, be removed and what is the plus and minus of doing so. The car is driven between Memorial Day and Labor Day in Wisconsin. No cold weather but plenty of hot humid weather. Want MORE cooling air and warm up time is not an issue.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Do not remove the thermostat system. It helps your car get up to operating temperature more quickly. It was designed to run best within a certain range of temperatures, and getting there quickly is A Good Thing. Your engine will experience more wear, worse performance, and worse fuel economy if you disable or remove the thermostat system.

Finally, the flaps make certain that air gets where it needs to. In particular, the right-side one actually pushes air through the oil cooler. Without it, much less air will go through that, and your oil temps will go up significantly.

All in all, the best thing for your motor is to have the cooling system working correctly. And that includes the thermostat.

--DD

[Tobra]

Some really smart German guys figured out the cooling system on your car. There is nothing there that is not needed. One of the most important considerations for the well being of your motor is an efficient cooling system. You want all the cooling tin, flaps and seals on the car.

[NOTASIX]

The T stat, pulley and cable can be removed, BUT the flaps MUST stay in place.. If you remove these the airflow inside the upper plenums of the cooling system will be compromised AND NO AIR will be delivered to the oil cooler! Study the system closely to see how the oil cooler air is delivered to the cooler cavity and you'll see why this occurs..