Can I use an oil cooler for a heater.

[pitts64]

I need a heater in my 69 el Camino. The original heater is all gone. I wanted to run a Derale Econo cooler inside the dash with a water valve to control it.

Can I run hot water / anitfreeze through a Derale Econo-cool cooler?

Thank you,
Jeff

https://www.ebay.com/itm/295205483971

[Walter R. Malik]

I need a heater in my 69 el Camino. The original heater is all gone. I wanted to run a Derale Econo cooler inside the dash with a water valve to control it.

Can I run hot water / anitfreeze through a Derale Econo-cool cooler?

Thank you,
Jeff

https://www.ebay.com/itm/295205483971

I don't envision "why not". Water pressure is certainly less than Oil Pressure.

[RDY4WAR]

I use a larger version of that as a radiator in my drag car. I hooked it up to the heater hoses. It gets the job done, you can feel warm air blowing from it, so I don't see why it couldn't be used for a heater.

[PackardV8]

A radiator is a radiator. You're just routing the heat into the passenger compartment instead of to the atmosphere.

[pitts64]

Thanks guys..

[pitts64]

Ooops not so fast..

I was just thinking what about if it springs a leak. Hot water all over the passengers legs.

I was looking at this style of cooler. They look stronger. What do you guys think?

s-l1600.jpg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/295205483971

[RDY4WAR]

The same could be said for a factory heater core that springs a leak. That's a possibility or risk no matter what you use. The style in your OP would be more effective as a heater.

[BillL]

Sure you can use one, but the internal design is not really conducive to coolant. Oil is hard to get heat in and out, specific heat is lower and the viscosity change lets the thick stuff flow by. There are small passages with turbulators and such for oil. While these give really good performance for coolant the corrosion and little flecks of stuff in the coolant will plug the thing up much sooner. . . .and the pressure drop is higher than a radiator type design for water/coolant.

If one is in a corner for bucks,(been there) then I would not worry about the leaking but expect some degraded performance down the line. It would be better to get a new or refurbished brass core for your cabin heat exchanger.

[pitts64]

I dont have anything yet, so I can use what ever is sensable and low priced.

I'm 65 and keeping this el Camino till the end. This car is my dream car and it was the first car I ever bought, that had everything exactly the way I wanted it..

[BOOT]

I'd skip the heatsink thru style, you won't get much heat.

If your not gonna use a fan, since it's thin coolant and not thicker like other fluids. I'd maybe use the tube & fin multi pass style cooler like you posted

If you use a fan, then perhaps a stacked plate design cooler, just a cheap 12v fan on ebay or amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087T ... UTF8&psc=1

Or an aftermarket 12v backseat heater

Some of the not as cheap fluid coolers have AN ends instead of just tube.

[hoodeng]

The only thing really different in cabin heaters is that the hose junctions usually were on the engine side of the firewall, or at least boxed into a separate compartment.

[FC-Pilot]

I might grab a factory style heater core as the connections would be outside the cab and try a fan on it like Hoodeng said. Or I have seen little 12 v heaters at harbor freight. Almost tried one of those in my brothers old beater.

Paul

[BOOT]

Think the 12v HF ones are more for window defog, at lest the small one I saw was used for that.