Finally got one! And engine sound pad question?
 

Hey all!
After years of looking, dreaming and trying to convince the wife a 21 year old car is a good idea, I picked up a 1987 coupe last night! I'll take pics today but I have a question regarding the sound pad. I saw it drooping over the MAF & airbox when I saw the car. The PPI mechanic said if it were him, he'd pull it out and wait for the next time that the engine's out to replace it. What do you guys think? Is there some type of spray adhesive that's strong enough to hold it? And lastly if removal is the best option, whats the best way to go about it? I will include some pics of the engine bay so you can see what I'm talking about.

This will be the first of many Noob questions I will have for you guys in the near future I'm sure!

Thanks in advance,
Michael

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I would just remove it, the glue will not stick to the foam because its crumbling, watch your temps, if it runs on the hot side you may have some of the foam sucked on top of the cylinders and oil cooler that should be cleaned out too.

Pull it out - the only place that crap will go is where you don't want it.

My '87 had a droopy, disintegrating sound pad that was about 5 times better than yours. Pull it out and don't think twice about it. It's not doing anything but clogging up your air filter and worse. Be prepared for a bit more mechanical noise--fan and trans noise etc. The racket is part of the air-cooled experience. I may not put a new one in when the engine eventually comes out cause I like it so much.

Oh, and cover the engine while you pull it and then use a shop vac to get all the bits out of the places you can see.

I removed mine 4 years ago...no more mess.

Or just bend open the clamps across the top, push it back where it's supposed to go, and then pinch the clamps back down around the sound mat. It ain't going anywhere.

-Troy

Remove it. It does leave a rather ugly firewall however. It is supposed to be possible to replace it with the engine in place but I would not want to try that.

Michael:

Maybe just cut away the part that's hanging down? Looking forward to more pictures!

Cheers,

Paul.

Try that, I did, but mine just fell apart when I tried it.

Pull it out. Wear a mask when you do, disintegrated foam dust is not good for you.

Agree on the vacuum idea, use a mirror to make sure there's not a piece covering the oil cooler (R side, on the front of the engine).

Someone here (I think it was here) said he had put a new one on without dropping the motor.

Anyone know if it's possible?

Michael, welcome to the 911 experience! ;) Post more pictures of your new baby.

As for the sound pad, I've never had one in my car and I don't miss it (I didn't replace it when I had the engine out either). You'll hear the engine a little better; and we all know that the air cooled 911 engine is pure musical bliss.

Keep an eye out for organized drives/get-togethers that occur here in SoCal. Dave B. at TRE runs a couple of them each year and they are great fun.

Join the Porsche Owner's Club (POC) too. http://www.porscheclub.com/

I put a new one in without dropping the engine. It just depends on how much of a contorsionist your are, your tolerance for getting into tight places and skinning knuckles, and your patience. There's not much to it: take out the old and pick up the debris, fit the new one, and then glue it in. Your milage may vary according to what's already in the way from the engine and associated parts. Get rid of what's there, and be a little obsessive about it. That small crumbly stuff has a knack of finding it's way to where it should not be. If after it is removed, and you've tried a trial fit, you may decide to wait until you drop the engine. I was going to wait for an engine drop, but I got tired of waiting, and just went for it.

Good Luck :-)

John.

Here is a thread on how to install a new one without dropping the engine. tedious work but not hard. Also, when pulling out the old make sure you keep as much of the old pad off the engine as possible. It makes a real mess.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/392190-engine-pad-installed.html?highlight=deshetlr

Thanks for all the info guys! I think removing the pad will be tonight's project!

I was just at TRE getting a case of Brad Penn (boy that stuffs expensive for dino-juice!) and was talking to Dave about gatherings and drives. He gave me the flyer on the Ventura Show but I already knew about it. Has anyone organized a drive up to it yet?

I will post more pictures tonight as soon as I get home and can take some!
Thanks again,
Michael

I pulled the pad out when I got my car , it was in very bad shape., that was almost 5 years ago. The sound back there is music to my ears !!

Congratulations on your new toy. Mine looked exactly the same. As everyone said remove carefully and vacuum up the mess. Make sure you get a copy of Wayne's 101 projects and if you do nothing else learn how to check the oil. engine warm, on a flat surface with it running. I hate to say it but the mat is likely not the only rubber on the car that needs some attention. If you want the list I would be happy to post it but perhaps not knowing is somehow better.

Removing the drooping engine mat is just like spraying water on a nice dry hillside. As soon as you touch that mat you begin the slippery slope. No longer will the question be should I remove the mat but the question will be should I put on fiberglass or metal flares. At that point the slope becomes a cliff and just like lemmings it seems we all eventually just dive off the edge. Welcome to the air cooled brotherhood and may the gods have mercy on your checkbook.

No really they are great cars a blast to drive and no matter how old the looker is they still turn heads. Back to original subject matter... If you can hear the difference between a sound pad and no pad you need a louder muffler.......

Disclaimer - The entire message above is based on C.R.A.P. (cabriolet racing and performance) so probably does not apply to a coupe.

"Don't press the enter key David, Don't press the enter key, Do'ah"

Yes it is... I did mine first year of ownership, you slide it in. Reach around the entire area first to get a idea how to get your hands down to the back firewall where the padding gets tucked in, make sure you remove all the old padding in that area for the new padding to slide in.
Good luck

:P Put your 911 on a diet, remove the thing ;).

As indicated earlier, disintigrating foam goes EVERYWHERE. There is no way the old liner can be put back. Pull the padding and drive. Consider replacing when the time is appropriate. There are literally hundereds (see Wayne's book) of things to do before you worry about this pad. I guarentee it's blocking noise you wanna hear!