9x6/7 foam in vents - alternate/best fix - this guy's on of us

[masraum]

This video popped up. It said it was a less invasive fix than the usual which involves pulling the head unit and cutting a hole in the HVAC plenum.

I've seen another fix that this fix includes which is getting to the hot/cold blend door from the frunk, but this one fixes the holes in both doors (hot/cold and floor/dash/windshield). It looks pretty easy. This guy may not be on the board, but he's clearly one of us in spirit. He 3d-printed plugs for the holes and used a borescope.

This seems like the best fix so far without paying some one a crap ton of money to remove the whole dash and replace the whole plenum.

[masraum]

Same guy lives rurally in Canada, and has a short series of videos on a manual tire mount/dismount machine to mount his own tires and even balances them (static balance).

dismount


mount & balance


He's go a couple of others too.

[look 171]

I read about the foam situation, Steve. Have your gone bad already? You have little miles on the car? Garaged? I am dreading it but knock on wood, no foam coming out of the vents yet.

[911 Rod]

I'm amazed my 996 doesn't have any foam problems.
200,000 km and 25 years old.

[rfuerst911sc]

I have purchased two sets of the 3D printed plugs for the 986 and 996 . I haven't tackled either yet . While I like the washer/magnet way of setting the plugs I wish I could find something like a vacuum pen . Or some other clever way of getting them in place .

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

I read about the foam situation, Steve. Have your gone bad already? You have little miles on the car? Garaged? I am dreading it but knock on wood, no foam coming out of the vents yet.

Oh yeah, it's bad. It probably started 8-10 years ago, down around 50k miles. But, I think it had a catalyst. Two or three years prior, we got into the car and were leaving a parking lot when it looked like a smoke bomb went off. Some valve in the AC went out, and I had "smoke" pour out of the AC vents and from under the frunk. I suspect the chemicals from that (the smoke smelled and "tasted" awful), took many years off of the life of the foam in my car. I get cold air in the summer, and hot air in the winter, but the buttons for floor/dash/windshield only have a very small effect on where the air goes.

I've had my car 14 years and it only had 20k miles then. The first 6-7 years, I only put about 3500 miles per year on it, but these days, I'm putting 600-800 miles per week on it. I'm up over 112k miles now.

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

I'm amazed my 996 doesn't have any foam problems.
200,000 km and 25 years old.

How long have you had it? Since new?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

I have purchased two sets of the 3D printed plugs for the 986 and 996 . I haven't tackled either yet . While I like the washer/magnet way of setting the plugs I wish I could find something like a vacuum pen . Or some other clever way of getting them in place .

Nice. This "project" seems like a PITA, but it would be nice to have it fixed, and I like this method, including his printed "cap" for the top of the blend-door pivot.

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by masraum

How long have you had it? Since new?

13 years / 65,000 km

[peppy]

My 99 boxster has the issue I just pick it out and vacuum it up. I don't see a difference with HVAC. My vw jetta had the same issue.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by peppy

My 99 boxster has the issue I just pick it out and vacuum it up. I don't see a difference with HVAC. My vw jetta had the same issue.

Before I had the issue, I could put the air to defrost/windshield, and that was the ONLY place that the air came out. Now if I put it on that setting (or any other combination of vent settings) the air always comes out of all 3 locations (floor, dash, windshield). For instance, if I put on the defroster in the morning, I close the dash vents or I get blasted in the face by hot air from the dash (that wouldn't have happened before the foam issue).

Instead of
dash setting
98% air from dash, maybe 1% each from floor and windshield

Now for the same setting it's more like
50% air from dash and 25% each from floor and windshield.

[look 171]

Knock on wood. Everything still functions like it should. 09 139,000 miles.

[masraum]

Very nice. 139k miles is awesome! Another guy on FB commented earlier that he's got 200k km on his 987.

The other morning, driving to work, 4am, semi headlights in my eyes, dark road (no streetlights), I ran over 4 huge pieces of semi tire from a blow-out. It tore the fender liner out completely as well as the little spoiler in front of the back tire, ripped out the stud that the liner connects to at the top, broke the brake line heat shield, broke the bracket for the TPMS antenna, etc... But, no major damage. I got the liner and heat shield off of ebay for $69 including shipping and tax, TPMS antenna bracket for $7. Will buy the spoiler new for ~$60, and will then have to rig a few of the connection points (stud, hole where a screw goes, etc.... Could have been worse (no flats, no body damage, etc...), but was super irritating.

[look 171]

Dang, sorry to hear that, Steve.

Do you have HIDs on your car? I switched over to a slightly whiter bulbs and it made visibility SO much better. I know, the yellower light and bla, bla, bla from Daniel Stern is the word of gods but from my personal experiences, the Morimoto bulbs are light years ahead of the stock Osram bulbs. I can see and it isn't blue or purple, about 4500 Calvin.

[look 171]

Dang, sorry to hear that, Steve. That happened to my S2000 but it was from a fender liner I ran over on the dark fwy. By the time I saw it, it was too late hauling ass at 80.

Do you have HIDs on your car? I switched over to a slightly whiter bulbs and it made visibility SO much better. I know, the yellower light and bla, bla, bla from Daniel Stern is the word of gods but from my personal experiences, the Morimoto bulbs are light years ahead of the stock Osram bulbs. I can see and it isn't blue or purple, about 4500 Calvin.

[masraum]

Yep. I have the hid/xenon lights. And usually I’m very happy with the light they provide but they are doing a bunch of construction on the interstate. When it happened (literally within a mile), I thought, “maybe I should get those bulbs that Jeff recommends.”

[look 171]

I have the Morimoto XB-D series and would never go back to stock.

Get them from Morimoto instead of Amazon. I no longer trust the fake crap out there.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

I have the Morimoto XB-D series and would never go back to stock.

Get them from Morimoto instead of Amazon. I no longer trust the fake crap out there.

You once posted these (I saved them for later). You’ve replaced them with the Morimotos? (I’m much more likely to trust a Japanese product than a modern Chinese product).

Wait, it sounds like you’re just using new hid bulbs, not LEDs. At least that’s what I see on the morimoto website.

[look 171]

Morimoto is an American company by a Japanese American, I think?

I like those LED bulbs from above, but they lack a tiny bit of distance on high beam compared to the Morimoto that I can tell. The Morimoto are better at that. The spread of the LEDs are a bit better, more full in the areas where you need light in front and it casts a slightly wider, more even light compared to the morimotos. There are a couple ramps or bridges on my way home where it is pitch black. I am hauling ass at 80 into these dark areas, I found the Morimoto's beam is better at reaching further then the LEDs above. I like the LEDs for regular city driving. The Morimotos aran't bad, with a couple % lost in light fullness in the very front (15'). Not sure how else to describe it.

[look 171]

I think Moromotos are all made in China also

[masraum]

Originally Posted by look 171

I think Moromotos are all made in China also

Most things are these days. But at least the company is not Chinese. I think those are often the worst because they cut corners to cut price. But when a better company is doing it they may require thing to be made to a higher quality