RE: [T3] Cooling conundrums

["Erkson, Toby" <toby.erkson@intel.com>]

This only works on the water-cooled engines.  They get their cabin heat from
a
heat exchanger like us but instead of using exhaust heat (like our cars) it
uses
the water from the cooling system.  So, for the water-cooled cars, it's like
two
radiators are functioning when they turn on the cabin heater and thus
reduces
engine temps.

For us, if you "turn on" the cabin heat you are taking some air that would
normally flow over the engine and allowing it to go through the heat
exchanger
and into the cabin.  The fan housing diverts air over the engine and into
the
heat exchangers.  When the exchangers are closed (no heat to the cabin) all
of
the cooling air goes over the engine.  Pretty damn clever, dontchathink?
For
us, in a hot engine situation, you DEFINITELY want to keep the cabin heat
OFF so
all air will flow over the engine!

Side note:  If you examine the forward part of the heat exchangers, right
where
the control flaps are, you will see that there is a narrow port where air
will
pass out.  My guess for this is to keep the internal exchanger from
overheating
(because some air is flowing through it) and becoming heat damaged when it's
not
being used to heat the cabin.  I haven't blocked these off in my car --
haven't
really thought of it until now, honestly -- so I don't know if doing so will
help cool the engine further (by allowing ALL of the cooling air to pass
over
the engine, not losing some to the exchanger, like if J-tubes were properly
used).  Other thoughts?

   Toby Erkson
   air_cooled_nut@pobox.com  <-- Please use this address for email
   '72 VW Squareback 1.6L bored and stroked to 2.0L, Berg five-speed
   '75 Porsche 914 1.8L, ORPCA member
   Portland, Oregon, http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/8501/


>-----Original Message-----
>my father has a rear-engined watercooled car with marginal 
>cooling.  he drives
>this with the heater on full blast when it's hot out.  he says 
>this helps to
>keep the temps down a bit.
>
>now, assuming the above works (and i'm not totally convinced), 
>do you think
>that opening the hot air vents when the engine is getting too 
>hot will help to
>reduce the temp by channeling some hot air away from the engine?

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