Rear Mounted Auxiliary Oil Cooler, An alternative to the front mounted unit Options

[earossi]

I can't locate the post; but someone was asking about mounting the front auxiliary cooler for a 6/ conversion project. I had responded about an alternative that involves mounting a cooler and cooling fan in the engine bay of a 914. I have attached several pictures of such an installation. This was not my car; however, my installation was essentially the same as depicted in the attached photos.

The cooler and fan carried a price tag of less than $400. To install the cooler, you have to fabricate some brackets as shown in the pictures. You'll need to route 12 volts to the cooler which incorporates a thermostatic temperature switch to actuate the booster cooling fan when oil temperatures reach a predetermined point. You'll also have to fabricate two short jumper hoses to take suction from the engine mounted oil cooler.

There are a number of these installations out there, including the one in my car. Several are running down in Dallas and work well.

Installing this rear mounted cooler deletes the need for hoses to be routed to the front of the car, and for body modifications needed to mount an oil cooler in the front trunk. The cooler is available from Savage, or from any number of suppliers.

[socal1200r]

I don't know much about 914s, so I'm guessing the stock coolers, if they have one, are pretty piss poor in function?

To me, it makes no sense to mount an oil cooler anywhere near the engine compartment. Isn't the purpose to COOL the engine oil? At the very least, it should be positioned like the one a couple of posts above, with its own "grill" next to the back window. I doubt this area gets any air directed down onto it, but at least the heat has a place to go. I would think that if someone really wanted to cool their oil, they'd mount it up front like an intercooler and run the lines to the back, or even mount it like it's done on the green 914 but in the front trunk, where it'll be in the air flow.

If you REALLY wanted to cool it, and valued function over form, one could put a small scoop on the front trunk and mount the oil cooler directly underneath it. Think a small rise Subaru scoop (WRX?), styled like an STI scoop but not as tall. I know, blasphemous...but I'm sure it would function a lot better than a lot of these locations in this thread...

Since most oil coolers are rectangular in shape, a matching shape in a hood scoop should work quite nicely...

http://parts.glanzmann.com/p/Subaru__Impre...er=BingShopping

https://www.amazon.com/04-05-SUBARU-STYLE-C...=Wrx+Hood+Scoop


'Course one could also mount it on the inside of the rear fender, and use a vent piece like this, with the openings pointed towards the front, to force air thru the cooler as well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J0OZ1XM?psc=1


But if I were to tackle something like this, I think my first choice would be doing something like the cooler with its own grill behind the rear window, but putting it on the front hood somewhere instead. Next would be on the front hood, but with a small scoop. Third would be at the rear window, like the one pic shows. Last choice would be anywhere in or near the engine compartment.