 What Am I Looking at Here Exactly ?, Radiator or Condenser or both? |
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| Literati914 |
 Jun 12 2026, 11:23 AM
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#1
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Advanced Member  Group: Members Posts: 2,340 Joined: 16-November 06 From: Dallas, TX Member No.: 7,222 Region Association: Southwest Region  |
Typically an A/C condenser is located in this position, but this is a conversion car w/ a 6 installed (not sure which)… I don’t see a vertical radiator and also the dual fans are throwing me on this if it’s just A/C. I've never seen a horizontal radiator, but then.. that's not saying it couldn't be a thing.
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| Chris H. |
Jun 12 2026, 12:14 PM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 4,088 Joined: 2-January 03 From: Chicago 'burbs Member No.: 73 Region Association: Upper MidWest 
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Oil cooler?
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| Root_Werks |
Jun 12 2026, 12:25 PM
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#3
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Village Idiot Group: Members Posts: 9,002 Joined: 25-May 04 From: About 15NM from Canada Member No.: 2,105 Region Association: Pacific Northwest
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If I'm looking at the fittings correctly, looks like one is an oil cooler and the other for AC.
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| Chris914n6 |
Jun 12 2026, 12:29 PM
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#4
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Jackstands are my life. Group: Members Posts: 3,537 Joined: 14-March 03 From: Las Vegas, NV Member No.: 431 Region Association: Southwest Region |
I think I see an ac pressure switch but what we really need to see is hoses.
Could be both, ac and oil cooler. That's a lot of fan. addl: clicked on the image made it big enough to see. it's both. oil cooler pass side. ac condenser driver side. |
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| Literati914 |
Jun 12 2026, 01:11 PM
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#5
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 2,340 Joined: 16-November 06 From: Dallas, TX Member No.: 7,222 Region Association: Southwest Region |
QUOTE(Chris914n6 @ Jun 12 2026, 01:29 PM)  I think I see an ac pressure switch but what we really need to see is hoses. Could be both, ac and oil cooler. That's a lot of fan. addl: clicked on the image made it big enough to see. it's both. oil cooler pass side. ac condenser driver side. Ah, air cooled I guess.. not sure why but I was assuming it was water cooled. Still, this is a unique setup, would love the details.. and to know how well it all works. |
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| mepstein |
Jun 12 2026, 01:46 PM
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#6
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914-6 GT in waiting Group: Members Posts: 20,768 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Landenberg, PA/Wilmington, DE Member No.: 10,825 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region
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One of the PMS cars with a/c. It looks clean but my research says the a/c condenser needs to be vertical for proper operation. I’m certainly no a/c expert so maybe there are exceptions. I know Porsche had them mounted horizontal on 911’s.
@technicalninja Edit - Maybe it was the evaporator that needs to be vertical. IDK |
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| Montreal914 |
Jun 12 2026, 02:14 PM
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#7
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 2,133 Joined: 8-August 10 From: Claremont, CA Member No.: 12,023 Region Association: Southern California
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| Root_Werks |
Jun 12 2026, 02:17 PM
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#8
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Village Idiot Group: Members Posts: 9,002 Joined: 25-May 04 From: About 15NM from Canada Member No.: 2,105 Region Association: Pacific Northwest
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Pretty slick solution. Need an oil cooler - check, want AC - check. It's all in the Frunk. Although I bet that Frunk gets pretty warm on a hot summer day!
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| mepstein |
Jun 12 2026, 03:54 PM
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#9
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914-6 GT in waiting Group: Members Posts: 20,768 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Landenberg, PA/Wilmington, DE Member No.: 10,825 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region
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The video is on Facebook. Just type Patrick motorsports 914 and it comes up. Electric a/c.
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| Ninja |
Jun 12 2026, 04:48 PM
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#10
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Member Group: Members Posts: 224 Joined: 25-September 25 From: Granbury Texas Member No.: 29,004 Region Association: Southwest Region |
It's how the refrigerant oil flows that is the kicker here.
Oil mixes with the LIQUID refrigerant, oil separates out when the refrigerant goes through the phase change to a gas and forms a million tiny bubbles. The oil is the skin of these bubbles. Compressors oil via oil in the suction line (return); it's in the form of bubbles in the suction line. It looks like green foam coming back to the compressor. If you trap the oil anywhere you can starve the compressor of oil. The oil is heavier than the refrigerant. A horizontal condenser can work but the liquid side (exit) should be physically lower than the gas side (entrance) to keep the oil from accumulating in the condenser. Most cores (both condenser and evaporator) are vertical. Most evaporators have both entrance and exit at the top of the cores and it's not as critical as a condenser. Some Fords have a condenser that can be easily installed backwards. You end up with the entrance on the bottom and the exit on the top. Compressor life is less than 2 hours when that happens... The pics in this thread do not look like a compressor killer to me. The oil runs around the system with the refrigerant. I want a 4/1 ratio of ref/oil. So, 4 ounces of oil per pound. A 914 with 134 will be somewhere in the 2.0 lb size. The 8 oz of oil will be distributed as follows. 2 oz compressor, 2 oz condenser and lines, 4 oz in the evaporator. |
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| mepstein |
Jun 12 2026, 05:26 PM
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#11
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914-6 GT in waiting Group: Members Posts: 20,768 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Landenberg, PA/Wilmington, DE Member No.: 10,825 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region
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Stange that they put the compressor in the engine bay.
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2 Members: Montreal914, Ninja
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