engine compartment lining

[yngwie1]

As you can see from the pic, the lining in the engine compartment has seen better days. It is falling apart slowly and I wonder if I should attempt to replace it or just throw it away. Does it do any good? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Patrick

[Wickd89]

Patrick,
I have the same issue and it needs to go. The foam flakes and any vibration can cause it to spread around the engine compartment.

The original one seems poorly designed. I have been looking at new upgraded engine pads that are nicely stitched along the edges.

This week I will be picking up a silver foiled engine pad with a red border. My '89 has the same view as yours and it is so crowded that I thought something silver would brighten it up a little. Red trim was to match my eventual powdercoating of the fan.

Note: Engine needs to be dropped when this happens so need to wait till a major service.

later, Luis

[randywebb]

cover all openings in the engine; tear it out and use a shop-vac in there.

a partial engine drop will help

it may or may not be louder -- next time you drop the engine put the new, improved Porsche one in with 3m adhesive (do a search)

if you want to reflect heat back onto the engine for some perverse reason, then use a foil one...

[yngwie1]

Thanks for the responses. I'll add this to my list. hehe

[Wickd89]

Hi There,
Anyone out there that have tried a "foil" engine pad?
Would love to get your comments (performance, heat discipation, looks, etc.
Thanks, luis

[ThePointman]

I have. I bought a $14 hot water tank pad and manufactured my own pad to replace the stock one. Looks great works just fine and it was $14. The upper corners were the only challenge. I made mine in two pieces with the silver tape that came with the tank pad joining the two pieces. I would give it a go if I were you. There have been many threads about this. As much as I hate to say it "Search is your friend" :-)

As soon as I get my alternator back in I will add a pic. Should be later this week.

[Fishcop]

I made up my own foil pad also - I used a marine grade stuff used in vessel installations.

Frankly I didn't notice anything different and ended up removing the whole thing when the engine was out later on. I prefer the look of a nice painted engine bay and the noise of my engine

[sweet97m3]

Replaced my disintegrating original pad with the reflective pad and it works just fine. I did it with the engine in and aside from some scuffed knuckles it took about 30 minutes. Cleans things up quite a bit. Have not noticed any additional engine temperature issues but that is an interesting point and will keep an eye on it when the summer months come. I actually prefer the motor sounds with the pad, it isn't like you can't hear it and with the cab top down one gets even more of the note than I ever had with my Targa. To each his own I suppose.

[JeremyD]

I replaced mine with the appbiz one with the stitched seam.

Looks better, doesn't crumble, etc.

[randywebb]

"I didn't notice anything different..."

- Once the stock pad deteriorates it will not dampen noise anymore. The inards turn to dust before you notice anything wrong except at the very edge.

The newer stock pads are said to be better made and to save about 4l bs. over the older stock pads.

If you put a shiny metallic pad in, you gain that beloved blingy look, and you are doing an experiment on adding heat to the engine. The amt. of heat added may or may not be significant, but my feeling (besides the nasty bling issue) is: "why do I want to add ANY heat to the engine?"

So, do whatever .... but those are the issues - one is subjective and the other objective and of unknown quantity.

[sweet97m3]

Must be missing something relative to the "bling" with the reflective pad...mine looks like wrinklled aluminium foil...not exactly something sexy in my book. That said it looks lots better than the cumbled POS I replaced...

[sweet97m3]

JeremyD, nice looking engine compartment...would look sweet on my Guards Red cab. You do that yourself?

[JeremyD]

I think Randy is saying that the stock pad absorbs heat; the foil one reflects heat back to the engine. this could increase engine temperatures - although I believe this potential increase in engine temperatures would be negligible.

Now, in my case, I think this one should cool better than the crumbling saggy mess I had in there before. Hard to cool the engine without airflow around it.

And yes, sweet97m3 I did all this bling…

[Wickd89]

JeremyD,
I totally agree. I think it is totally neglibible. If anything, it will insure that the heat gets reflected and discippated out the vent in the rear deck lid instead of through the car's interior.
Having taken thermo dymanics in undergrad helps me easily understand the properties of aluminum, but I guess we all learned the same rule when we buy fast food!

Thanks for the discussion.

[Par911]

FWIW, I just tossed mine out.

[randywebb]

My PhD concerns heat transfer and I also used to (before retiring from the professoriat) grant PhDs to others. Re-read what I said above.... It might be negligible - it may well not be. As Clint said "Do you feel lucky today?"

I prefer to conduct my experiments on things other than my own spendy engine...

[bell]

roninlb did something slick, gotta find the picture though....maybe he'll post it

[jtratza]

The stock one fell apart in 1998. I replaced it a few months ago with a new stock one. I notice a slight differance in sound because I don't hear the air intake (hot wire mass air flow) as much now as before but since I opened the stock muffler up with a second outlet I don't hear the radio as much as before either. I replaced it to keep the heat from migrating as quickly into the cabin as before.

Randywebb correct me if I'm wrong (since I probably am and you know far more about this than I ever will) but the stock type pad only slows the migration of heat into the cabin versus the foil type that reflects the heat back into the engine. IMHO I question how much heat we're adding to the engine we with if any heat shield. I think its more of a sound and heat shield for the cabin.

[dorschman]

Put the foil in mine without dropping the engine. Managed to knock off a plug on the left side of the engine compartment (fuel injector regulator maybe?) that left the engine huting up and down at idle until I found it. The 3m weather strip adhesive worked great. Just take a look around after cursing and sweating to make sure you have not disrupted anything before you fire her back up.

[randywebb]

"the stock type pad only slows the migration of heat into the cabin versus the foil type that reflects the heat back into the engine."

- Here is what is happening: You have to consider the different modes of heat exchange. The surface of the foil reflects almost all the heat that radiates onto it right back onto the engine. The surface of the stock (dark) pad will absorb virtually all the heat radiated onto it. So it is about 100% vs. 0% for radiation. Heat will also be transferred by convection, but that will probably be much less. The pads may or may not differ much in how they are convectively coupled.