944 turbo radiator dilemma

[pad944968]

Hi all

Has anyone been able to use one of the cheaper Chinese aluminium radiators on eBay in a late 944 turbo?

I bought one, however it was too tall and the depth was very wide at the bottom. Needless to say it didn’t fit and I didn’t really like the idea of butchering the top or bottom bracket to accommodate it.

That said, I’ve also heard that some people have sourced one that actually works. Would be great to know if anyone has done this and if so where they purchased the radiator from.

Having done a bit of research, it looks like the radiator from a turbo is the same as an S2. In fact many retailers are listing the same radiator for both cars. With that many cars, I’m hoping somebody has come across the same issue.

Thanks in advance

Pete

[sgl1966]

Hi Pete , fitted the “winner racing “ one on the turbo which fitted ok although slightly thicker which can only be a good thing .
Had to be creative with the fan mounting tabs as the aluminum to thick for original speed nut fittings. If I re fit it I will probably tap those with for a thread .

[pad944968]

Thanks very much indeed for this - much appreciated!

By the sounds of it, the height and width were ok?

I think there is a bit of room for thickness which as you say is probably a good thing.

Did you but yours direct from Winner Racing?

The fan mounting tabs do look a bit thicker- I take it the issue was they were too thick for the speed clips to fit over?

Did the holes for the rad fans line up ok with the tabs on the radiator?

Thanks very much again.

Pete

[sgl1966]

Just checked and bought from winner racing spares of eBay ( obviously all from china ) after a mention from another member on here . All the fan holes lined just as you say to thick for the clips .

[pad944968]

Thanks again - just found them and sent them a message. Got a quick response which is amazing considering it’s Saturday and they’re overseas.

Fingers crossed all goes to plan and thanks for your thoughts on this.

Pete

[scam75]

Be careful with the screws when refitting the fan cowling so you don't screw one accidentally into the cooling fins. We ended up having to trim the screws a bit if I remember correctly.

Stuart

[pad944968]

Thanks Stuart

This is an incredibly good tip!

Unfortunately I did this very thing many years ago when I didn’t realise the original bolts are a bit special and have a shortened snub end to them.

There was colourful language in the garage that day!!

Thanks again

Pete

[chungstanton]

Just checked and bought from winner racing spares of eBay ( obviously all from china ) after a mention from another member on here . All the fan holes lined just as you say to thick for the clips . But the problem is if it's made in china I am not sure what if anything can be done about defects. According to many lemon lawyers lemon law does not apply to these companies that are outside the country. Once you place your order, they provide a tracking number so you can check its location and approximate date of delivery.

hello
are they in china? how long did it take you to receive? ok thank you.

[cdt808]

Most of the 944 radiators for sale on ebay list them as fitting 944's, turbo's and S2's. However, they are not the same size. The S2/turbo ones are about (from memory) 370mm high but most on sale are about 340mm. Not the end of the world if you are happy to get creative and fashion a bar for the bottom radiator for the mounting rubbers to sit on.

As above, check the length of the screws as you might want to take a bit off the bottom, or shim them from the top, which might be easier.

The aluminium is quite a bit thicker then original as mentioned above so the speed nuts do not want to go on at all. Easiet thing is to dremmel the tabs on the radiator down a bit so that the speed nuts slip on nicely.