( CSF #8242 )
After 2+ years of development and 4 rounds of prototypes, the world debut of the CSF Porsche 911/930 Engine Oil Cooler at Rennsport Reunion 2023 was met with resounding enthusiasm. Air-cooled enthusiasts know the struggles associated with the oil cooler located on the engine block of the old flat six motor. CSF’s highly anticipated new release is arguably the most important modern engine upgrade to be released for the 911 in years.
While the original design was effective at the time, they have not aged well. On top of that, there have been no updates to the design and original replacement units can be hard to come by. When the CSF 911 was being built, CSF realized this was a much needed part for the air-cooled community and set out to design something special.
Design and Engineering
The original Behr Cooler was designed back in the 1960s and definitely shows its age at this point. Original coolers can be ultrasonically cleaned and refurbished but there is good chance they will start leaking after cleaning. The cleaning process may cause the coolers to fail due to it’s old and brittle materials, or it can remove corrosion and debris that has kept the original from showing the leak beforehand. However, the core is not the only source of leaks. The OEM cast base plate that mounts to the block can become slightly warped or aging porosity can cause the seals to not seat correctly and leak.
The old original coolers aren’t the only issue though. CSF has gotten many first hand reports of brand new OE coolers from Porsche’s revamped “Porsche Classic” Catalog leaking within a few months of installation. Apparently the new items available from Porsche are not built as well as the original Behr coolers. CSF has now brought to market a modern OEM+ solution to this vintage design.
For development of the 911/930 Engine Oil Cooler, CSF teamed up with the leading Porsche engine building experts at SV Auto. Their deep knowledge of classic Porsche engines and expertise in restoration gave CSF invaluable insight into how to best approach the design and construction. Long time R&D Partner and CSF Dealer Brian Day at Euro Parts West was also a critical partner in the development of the oil cooler design.
Attention To Detail
CSF’s goal for the 911/930 Oil Cooler was to recreate the original cooler with a modern interpretation of the design while improving functionality and reliability. To accomplish this, CSF spent countless hours in research and development. Brain Day was instrumental in really helping CSF engineers understand the 911’s oil cooling system. These details and deep understanding allowed for proper engineering and creating a cooler that could fit such a wide variety of models.
Improving upon a design starts with understanding the system as a whole. Every detail of the cooler was analyzed from core strength to oil flow restrictions.
3D scanning of 911/930 engine blocks and OE Coolers gave CSF the ability to ensure optimal fitment and see what room there was for improvements. Fitting and testing was performed on several 911/930 engines at SV Auto to provide accurate performance metrics.
New to the Core
The CSF units utilize a modern and robust tube and fin core specifically designed for this cooler. This new core has higher flow, less pressure drop, and is more durable than the original design. In addition to the upgraded core, CSF added support/strength bars between the tubes. These bars increase the burst pressure which has been tested to 290 psi (20bar) without leaking.
The high-performance core uses 7 cooling tubes with 8 rows of fins. Between the ultra efficient fin design and high flow tubes, the CSF cooler is ~10% more efficient than a brand new OE unit and up to 25% more efficient than a used unit.
Billet Base Plate
Because the base plate of the cooler is also a common problem area, CSF wanted to upgrade this area as much as possible. Instead of the original cast design, the CSF cooler uses a CNC machined billet aluminum plate. This offers a perfectly flat mounting surface which is both stronger and more resistant to warping over time. You’ll also notice a special helix design which adds strength while keeping weight at a minimum.
The O-Ring recesses are CNC milled into the billet for a perfect fit and seal. Nothing is worse than getting your engine put together only to find a minor oil leak at the O-Rings between the block and the oil cooler. You can now confidently install your oil cooler knowing you won’t get any leaks from improper O-Ring seating.
Fits 1965-1989 Models
One of the goals of the CSF 911/930 Engine Oil Cooler was to have a single unit that could fit both older (65-71) and newer models (72-89). The solution may seem simple, but engineering the two upgraded stainless steel fittings so there was no oil flow restriction took some extra design work. CSF took some inspiration from the CSF 911/930 Turbo Fender Oil Cooler (CSF #8168) using a similarly designed “Widemouth Fitting”.
The threaded M30 “Widemouth Fitting” for the 65-71 models maintains the optimized inner diameter (ID) of the oil pipe to maximize flow through the oil system. The “Widemouth Fitting” offers 50% greater flow capacity over the OEM connection.
The machined in-house Stainless Steel fittings offer increased strength and durability over the OEM Aluminum slip-on tube (72-89 models) and threaded M30 fitting (65-71 models). Both OEM connections are common sources of leaks. CSF also includes two high quality copper crush washers to offer the best possible seal and prevent any leaks.
OEM+ Look and updates
CSF understands Porsche purists want to keep an OEM look even when upgrading the performance of their 911s. This was a driving factor behind many of the cosmetic features of the oil cooler. You can see the stamped for strength “X shaped” design in the metal on the top of the cooler along with the OE Part Number just below the CSF logo. In addition, the cooler comes in a Titanium color Thermal Heat Dispersion Cerakote finish. This advanced finish is durable, improves heat dissipation, is anti-corrosive, and offers a very classy OEM+ look to the cooler. A modern upgrade over the original.
No details were overlooked in the design of the CSF cooler. The curvature of the case matches the original precisely and includes all the fine details. The spark plug aperture matches up perfectly with the valve cover for a perfect fit. Built into the machined base plate are small but important details such as the raised mounting pads and strengthening ridges.
CSF VS OEM Performance Testing
Extensive testing was done between the CSF Oil Cooler and OEM Oil Cooler. For these tests, CSF was able to procure a brand new old stock Behr OEM unit. This offered a true benchmark comparison in oil flow, pressure drop, and heat dissipation. Tests were conducted in our factory’s wind tunnel under controlled conditions.
The data shows the CSF Oil Cooler outperforming the OEM unit by a substantial margin in Heat Dissipation and Pressure Drop. At equal flow rates the CSF cooler was on average ~8% more efficient at dissipating heat and offered ~6-8% less pressure drop. These results were before applying the Thermal Heat Dispersion Cerakote which further improves the heat dissipation performance.
Premium Packaging
Each cooler is packaged in a premium box with laser cut foam inserts. You can be confident your oil cooler is protected and secure as it is shipped.
Learn more about CSF’s High performance air-cooled oil cooler solutions
Check out CSF’s article on Air-Cooled Porsche modern cooling solutions. Featured in SSF Auto Parts‘ online magazine AutoFocus (Second Quarter 2022 Issue)
Installation at SV Auto
If you were at Rennsport Reunion 2023 you probably saw the 911 engine on display featuring the CSF Oil Cooler. SV Auto built this beautiful motor for a rally customer but was kind enough to loan CSF the motor for display. Click Here to see photos from Rennsport Reunion.
Product Images
Porsche 911/930 Turbo Engine Oil Cooler Features (CSF #8242)
- OEM+ / High-Performance recreation of the original Behr Oil Cooler
- CNC Machined mounting plate with helix design for strength and pocketed for lightweight
- Modern Tube & Fin core with lower pressure drop and higher heat dissipation than the original
- All OEM Behr features replicated on the billet mounting plate and cooler case
- Comes standard with modern Cerakote titanium finish (additional heat dissipation) – modern interpretation of the OEM Behr finish
- Optimized ID and flow characteristics of oil pipe for maximum oil flow through the vehicle’s oil system
- Stainless Steel Fittings for late model slip-on style (72-89) and early threaded style (65-71) with upgraded M30 “Widemouth” Design for improved flow
- Complete drop-in fit, absolutely no modifications to install.
- 10 year warranty
- Combo Model fits both Early (65-71) and Late (72-89) Models (great benefit to stocking dealers and distributors)
- New OEM coolers from Porsche are extremely scarce/hard to source and cost $1,300+
- CSF #8242 Applications:
- 1965-1971 Porsche 911
- 1972-1989 Porsche 911/930 Turbo
- CSF #8242 OEM Part Numbers:
- Porsche: 911 107 041 02
- Porsche: 901 107 041 03
- Superseded:
- Porsche: 901 107 041 02
- Porsche: 901 107 041 50
- Porsche: 901 107 041 BX
- Porsche: 911 107 041 00
- Superseded:
- MSRP / MAP: $995.00 USD
Also Available for the 914-6
Where to Buy
CSF authorized dealers & distributors
Preferred Dealer
Preferred Distributor
911 Engine Oil Cooler Product Flyer:
Photos from Rennsport Reunion 7
Photographer: cooled.collective
Featured Media:
Videos
Pod Casts
Ravi Dolwani / How CSF Dominates it’s Industry with Quality and Ingenuity
Overcrest: A Pretty Good Podcast
Ravi is the founder of the racing and high performance division of CSF radiators. He joins to talk about creating a new division in a 4th generation, family owned company. CSF began with humble beginnings, founded by his great grandfather decades ago in Bombay India.
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