924Board.org

Benino · Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:40 am Post subject: heater core

My 1980 931 needs a heater core. Trying to find a non dealer source.
I found a site that shows this:

924: 1982 Heater Core, from 924 VIN#92 CN450832 & 924T VIN#93 CN150332

Is there some reason this heater core only lists for 1982? will it not fit?

the picture looks right:

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1980 Porsche 924 N/A USA
1980 Porsche 924 turbo USA
1987 Porsche 944S USA

Chrenan · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 3903 Location: Canada

I think there were major changes to the 924 ventilation system some time close to when the 944 came out (1983 model year), so this may have something to do with it. One of the better 924 historians here will know (gohim, paul, etc).
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

I take it yours is leaking? I have had a coolant odor since I changed the hoses to the core, but I can't find any leaks up front, and am wondering if I pushed too hard on the fittings while pressing the hoses on.

FWIW, PET also shows a series of ">>Chassis Number" but only shows one part number for the core. Superceded?
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Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

AHA!

-nick · Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2699 Location: Cambridge, MA

The pipes from the heater core out to the engine bay are much shorter on the late'82+ cars. The late'82+ have the hoses from the head clamp onto the heater core on the interior side of the firewall. From what I remember, the earlier cars have the hoses clamp on the engine side of the firewall.

Basically, you'll need to extend your hoses to make it work. I used a pair of brass male-male barbed fittings and some extra length of hose. It's ugly, and uses lots of hose clamps, but works fine.

I believe the hose diameter of the later core is slightly larger too. Make sure your hoses are soft and pliable or else they'll crack when you try and put them over the core.

Have fun. This job sucks!

*edit - just so you know, this is the core I'm using. The issues above are the only problems
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1980 931S
15psi boost, MS-II, EDIS, 951 IC, custom intake, Ford 5.0L throttle body, Forge BOV, WB o2, G31 w/LSD, 964 wheels, 968 rear sway, Bilsteins, 200# Welt. springs. A laptop, and a partridge in a pear tree.
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet

Benino · Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:57 am Post subject:

I called them and they also list this same part for 87-88 924s. So I called the porsche dealer. They could not tell me if they are interchangeable, but they do show a different part number for 80 924 and for 87 924s . . . so unless someone here has tried this replacement, there's no way to know

It may be a typo but the site was letting me complete the order for $37 shipped for the heater core I found:
http://www.tweeks.com/shop?frame=6.4061

The correct heater core for 80 931 ordered from the dealer will take 3-4 weeks and cost over $300 at the wholesale price.
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1980 Porsche 924 N/A USA
1980 Porsche 924 turbo USA
1987 Porsche 944S USA

Benino · Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:07 am Post subject:

I didn't see nick's post until after my last one. So you are saying the core itself is the same size and will fit in my heater box?

I replaced my heater core in my 80 N/A a few years ago. I cant' remember where I got the core or how much it cost, but I do remember that what I installed in the car had much shorter plastic tubes and because of this it was a huge pain to install the hoses and clamp them on.

The core that was originally in the car was the same setup as the one I just pulled from my 931. The core has a plastic flange with two water holes and then a separate plastic piece with flange and two tubes. You stick the tube piece through the firewall before sliding the heater core into the heater box, and then you bolt the flanged tubes to the flange on the core. This allows for longer tubes since they aren't int he way when you are trying to slide the core in.
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1980 Porsche 924 N/A USA
1980 Porsche 924 turbo USA
1987 Porsche 944S USA

-nick · Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2699 Location: Cambridge, MA

Yep. The version with the bolt-on tubes carries the ridiculous pricetag. The 944 core with the shorter tubes is cheap, but as you found out - a real pain to install. Other than the tubes, they're essentially identical.
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1980 931S
15psi boost, MS-II, EDIS, 951 IC, custom intake, Ford 5.0L throttle body, Forge BOV, WB o2, G31 w/LSD, 964 wheels, 968 rear sway, Bilsteins, 200# Welt. springs. A laptop, and a partridge in a pear tree.
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

So Benino, where is yours leaking? Is it repairable?
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Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

Benino · Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:52 am Post subject:

What actually broke was one of the bolt on tubes. cracked near the base which I could not tell until I had removed it all. Thats where the big leakage was coming from. The core is also leaking out of the middle and looks pretty crusty and corroded along the edges too. if it didn't look so crusty I'd probably consider having it repaired, but it looks like it could spring another leak any time.
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1980 Porsche 924 N/A USA
1980 Porsche 924 turbo USA
1987 Porsche 944S USA

Rasta Monsta · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 11733 Location: PacNW

Maybe you should run it by the radiator shop and see what they say. The bolt-on tube (477 819 869) is $4.54 and the two sealing rings (021 101 173) are $4.08 each.

rasta
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Toofah King Bad

WeiBe (1987 924S 2.5t) - 931 S3

924guy · Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject:

late 82 924/924T have the early 944/late 924S ventilation system as stated above. my 931 , which has a build date of 10/81 but was not delivered until 9/82 has the late system and its a huge improvement over the earlier set up. my defrost actually defrosts, heater actually heats, ect. !

when replacing the h/c always replace the hoses, its a pita to do and you know if you dont they will leak in short order

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Eric
78 924
82 931 SE "smokey"
99' VehiCross
Y2K Honda Insight
http://www.cardomain.com/id/924Guy
Performance by Pasha

steeny · Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:48 am Post subject:

this part breaks all the time, and is a bitch to get at. i ended up repmacing the bolt on bit and the two sealing rings as rasta mentioned. a grand total of 9 bucks or so from pelican.

cbass was looking at making aluminium versions of the two tube bit, though i think it sorta got shelved in preference of more power.

the most annoying part of the whole deal is that the whole dash has to come out

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1978 924 N/A
she's gone.....

-nick · Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2699 Location: Cambridge, MA

29 years of deposits in the cooling system - I would venture a guess that a replacement core would improve the heating system. The HVAC needs all the help it can get on the early cars too! It might be worth just swapping the whole core out.
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1980 931S
15psi boost, MS-II, EDIS, 951 IC, custom intake, Ford 5.0L throttle body, Forge BOV, WB o2, G31 w/LSD, 964 wheels, 968 rear sway, Bilsteins, 200# Welt. springs. A laptop, and a partridge in a pear tree.
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet

Paul · Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:30 am Post subject:

I had a radiator shop install my old end tank on the new cheaper core for $25.

Here's a before picture:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5db10b3127cce91b21f6c9f2700000016108AZuGrlozZtE
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Owned and repaired 924s since 1977
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