A question regarding the right front aux oil cooler on the 911SC. The Bently manual indicates the oval shaped tubes are standard and a finned unit was optional equipment. Is upgrading to the finned unit advisable and are the OEM parts available for this?

Mike
'82 911SC

 

The Carrera cooler is the smart upgrade over the 'trombone' cooler that came with your SC. But some of the Carrera coolers sold as OEM are actually more restrictive than the original. Elephant Racing sells a 'wide mouth' Carrera cooler that doesn't have this problem.

There are also a handful of aftermarket coolers that will work -- and a long list of supplemental oil coolers used with water-cooled cars that aren't up to the demands of a 911.

 

i have the standard trombone cooler and it works just fine . I live in Canada however it it tends to be cooler here anyway ... in fact I was out today and it barely hit 150 degrees after an hour ...

 

Thanks for the insite. Living in Sacramento brings hot summers - was wondering about options here. Did the SC ever have an option over the trombone cooler or was this not available until the Carrera?

Mike
'82 SC Coupe

 

I have heard of something called the "28 brass tubes cooler" or something like that but i am not sure if it was ever an option.
this link may help you

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...oil_cooler.htm

 

I replaced my trombone with a 28 brass cooler. It works well as long as there is air flowing and its a great passive addition in keeping the oil cooler specially with the a/c on. It is a beautiful piece of brass. There is a hook attachment for the cooler already there on the 83SC...maybe it was already used the euro version either standard or option.
If you are going to be in stop/go traffic then you really need to get the carrera cooler instead. Adding a fan to the 28 brass cooler is not the way to go.
Do a search under "brass" on thie 911 site and there are a few people talking about it in 2001 and how he was buying a 28 brass from his friends 83SC euroversion.
abe

 

Mike is your 82SC red by chance? I think I saw it parked downtown just a few weeks ago...

 

I have an '84 3.2 911, that was built in July of '84.

It came with a finned cooler, but no electric fan. I guess Porsche was switching from the brass tube cooler to the finned one.

You really need air flow to make the cooler work. In hot California summers, I recommend either mounting the cooler in the front bumper (Ruf style) or go with the Carrera cooler, but use an electric fan. I experimented with several fans, but eventually went with the factory Porsche fan. It has been working well now for over 6 years.

 

"Bruce Anderson recommends the brass oil cooler for American roads in his Porsche 911 Performance Handbook. He says it acts more as a heat sink than a radiator dependent on air flow. I would be interested in knowing the heat capacity and volume of the brass oil cooler compared with the radiator types. I have the trombone and I think it works fairly well as long as you are not in the desert and such." - Houpty GT

There are a few other good notes in this thread.
https://rennlist.com/forums/911-foru...-trombone.html

Why do you want to upgrade?

 

Thanks Ice for the link - very good information. Nikkoa, the '82 is Guards Red, however, was not downtown recently. I am checking into all options for the aux oil cooler - the Pelican tech data on the subject is very detailed and helpful.

Mike '82 SC

 

Traud: I have the brass-tube cooler (I counted 23 brass tubes, I think) and installed a Spal motorcycle/ATV fan to push air from the front of car and out over the wheel. The fan is operated by a fuse-linked switch on the dash and I used a 30-amp relay to give direct power to the fan from the battery. the fan is 6" diameter, and is mounted directly to the cooler. I also added a running light scoop for forced air when moving. I've driven the car in May through 100-degree desert heat with no issues ... never saw more than 190-degrees on the temp gauge.

Google "Spal" and check out their fan options. If you go with a brass-tupe type or a Carrera radiator type you will want a fan either way. You shouldn't have to pay more than $100.00 for the fan.

The entire retro-fit took me about 2 hours .... a six-pack, some Norman Brown on the CD player, and a good set of jack stands. I didn't drain the oil, but you'll spill a bit getting the trombone off, so use a big pan under the cooler. (Nytrile gloes and a big role of paper towels is a good idea, too).

Good luck and stay cool.

 

I have the scoop too, but it didn't flow air until I glued in an air baffle to force air onto the fan. We get some aweful heat here in the summer, so every bit helps.

Also, put a garbage bag over your right front rotor whenever doing work on the front oil cooler or lines. You will need to wear safety goggles if you are under the car facing upward.

 

You have to move the horns, horn brace, and extra bumper support out of the way or the scoop is pretty useless. I put in after-market horns up high, and removed the extra bumper brace. There is a straight-shot line from scoop to cooler now.
Very good suggestion.

 

I have the brass tube cooler also on my '82 SC and have seen higher than desired oil temps in the Texas Summers. My plan since I have the RS front bumper is to install a radiator style cooler in the center openning of the bumper and remove the brass tube one. The shop I use, Jones Autowerks in San Antonio has done several and it provides much better airflow and thus cooler oil.

 

Absolutely right. I think the very best of the very best systems is a front-mounted cooler in the center duct of an RS or similar after market front valence. Spoilers are even better since the "lip" pulls that much more air over the oil cooler when rolling along. Only setback: no room for a fan to pull or push air when you're sitting in traffic. Many racers here in SD believe it doesn't need a fan in center-front since it's directly exposed to cooler front ambient air. I would think Texas would be different. I've contemplated running a line from fender to front cooler to fender cooler with fan then return to back of car. A bit more plumbing, but then you have the best of both worlds.

A guy in SD/Northern Mexico has a 3.8-L 911 with two ... yes TWO ... fan-rigged oil coolers: one in each fender. He sits in the Border Crossing line for hours, and the engine just bakes. His is a nice custom job. He has claimed his temp never exceeds 180-degrees F.

"Cool stuff!"