to sound pad or not sound pad?

[ludovicbreger]

I am debating whether or not to remove the engine sound pad in my 88 Carrera.
What sort of difference does it make soundwise, from the interior that is?

Thanks.

[einreb]

when i bought my '88, the sound pad was falling off. i pulled it out and scraped off the residue. i drove it around for a few weeks prior to installing the new one. there was a difference in the sound. i think it could be described as hearing more of the high pitched tingy ( for lack of a better word) noises.

i installed the new pad and have been quite happy that I did it. the weight of the new pad is minimal, it cleans up the back of the engine bay quite nicely, and i prefer the slighyly lower sound level in the cabin.

[David]

It weighs almost nothing, so why remove it?

[ludovicbreger]

It's falling apart. I have heard that it is a good idea to remove it so the old crumbling foam does not end up pilling up around the heads and preventing appropriate cooling. The engine's currently out of the car so it is a good time to deal with this problem.

BTW, how hard is it to put a new pad when the engine is in???

Thanks.

[einreb]

There's several threads on the subject if you search. i replaced it while the engine was in. not that big of a deal. 3m adhesive... remove the air filter. glue the bottom half of the pad and work it into place then spray the top half and stick it up. its tight working back there and i recall scuffing some knuckles and swearing, but its doable.

[MAS956]

What Bernie said.