FIX THE BLACK HEATER FOAM PROBLEM in your Porsche the EASY way

FIX THE BLACK HEATER FOAM PROBLEM in your Porsche the EASY way - without cutting your vents!

Рет қаралды 36,683

3 жыл бұрын

This is the DIY fix for eliminating the black foam that comes out of Porsche heater vents. It had been originally posted on the Rennlist Forum, and wanted to make a video that showed my process in the hopes that you may be able to benefit from my experience. This should apply to Porsche models 996, 986, 997, and 987.
Here's the original link to the instructions on Rennlist:
rennlist.com/forums/996-forum...
The two products I used to make the repair:
Duct Seal:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00689V41G/
Foam Tape:
www.amazon.com/dp/B07WTPVPKK/
I'm not an experienced mechanic, but enjoy learning about my cars and slowly trying to fix more things on my own. This was a beginning step in that direction, and I believe doing it myself probably saved me $1000 in repair costs.
Many thanks to Joe Tegtmeyer for creating the original post on Rennlist that was clear, accurate, succinct, and thorough.

Пікірлер: 87

@garagelife8764 Жыл бұрын

14:10 - Someone on the Forum created a 3D printed cap file to cover the blend door pivot point. Looks good! www.thingiverse.com/thing:5762502

@garagelife8764 Жыл бұрын

A friend printed one out, and I can confirm the cap fits perfectly.

@grc0456 3 жыл бұрын

Nice vid. I did this same process on my 986 when I purchased it 6 years ago. I got my instructions from a user on the 986Forum named Meier. I used a weather strip material to replace the foam. The blowing foam has been eliminated and more importantly - I live in New England - I have "hot" heat. Why they designed the mixer door with large foam covered holes - only God and Dr. Porsche know!

@Martine500 2 жыл бұрын

I had the exact same problem with the lower plug as far as getting it out as I was struggling to get it loose. Your pictures allowed me to understand exactly what I was dealing with which made a huge difference. Turns out that bottom plug under the dash has to come out. After a bit of a struggle trying to get that bottom plug out with various tools, I screwed the screw back in half way then used needle nose pliers to grab the screw and pull it straight down and presto! Once it was out there was no issue getting the vent out. You just need to make sure that when you put the plug back in that it lines up with the vent pivot slot.

@garagelife8764 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your note! Hope your winter drives are now nice and warm!

@warrenlucier5796 5 ай бұрын

If in the future I need to do this repair, I'll use a paint marker to put a couple of dots for the realignment of the lower pivot, and may not need to cut the top off the upper pivot; we will see.

@richardmoist95 Жыл бұрын

Had a friend help me with project. We are ###### impressed with you doing this single handed and do the camera work. My hat is off to you. We had an issue that you did not have, we have a subwoofer on the right side of the console. It had two screws to hold it in. One was hidden under the carpet. Don't know how Porschhe put it together. Without your video we could not have done it. Thanks so much!

@mmiskoe 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for initiating this. I would not have known to go in that way to fix this issue. Applied it to my wife's 996, took about 3-1/2 hours. Hard part was getting the pivot arm back together w/o a helper to hold the mixing door in place.

@juliank911 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting this, I followed this to do my 987.1 Boxster on the weekend, when i removed the flap there was 0 foam left!

@BuckMcAntlerson 2 жыл бұрын

Fantastic! My 997 needs this. My wife gets tired of dressing up for a night out only to have this nice 911 spit black crap onto her clothes 😖

@jasonmx5 Жыл бұрын

This definitely seems like a better way to deal with the issue than the more traumatic cutting of the air duct. I will be doing this soon.

@garagelife8764 Жыл бұрын

Good luck with the project!

@Sam-uq9pi 2 жыл бұрын

Did the fix over the weekend. No more foam coming out and my heater works again. Once i had access to the heater core box, I couldn't get the metal flap out until i read a comment to pull the plug under the glove box down/outwith some plyers (reinstall the screw) . On the reinstall i needed a second person to hold down the flap to install the plug back in. Thanks for the video and great fix!

@garagelife8764 2 жыл бұрын

That’s great. I love that it allows you to get into the heater core and really clean it out. I’m glad this was helpful. ✌🏻

@mohanprabhu8562 2 жыл бұрын

Great step by step video, I am having this same issue and need to work on my 997. Thanks & much appreciated!

@garagelife8764 2 жыл бұрын

Good luck! It’s pretty easy, I was just being overly cautious.

@N911GT2 8 ай бұрын

Thank you for this, this was a great help!

@jdkroh 3 жыл бұрын

Genius!!!! I like this much better than slicing up the duct from the passenger compartment.

@garagelife8764 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, that looked like a really messy solution. It was great to find this workaround explained so well on Rennlist. Thank you Internet!

@ProjectBiehlmeister 2 жыл бұрын

As others have said, this only fixes 1 of the 2 flaps. This flap diverts to the heater core when heat is needed. The other flap diverts air between the dash, defroster, and floor. You need to remove the radio and cut open the plastic air duct. That method seems much easier to me. I was able to get to both flaps after only 20 minutes of disassembly.

@bloodystinktube321 2 жыл бұрын

After watching a video showing that method, this is most definitely NOT the easy way.

@ShamileII 2 жыл бұрын

Ah, didn't know that this video method only accesses one vent. Looks like the "help me diy" video is the one to go with....from the dash.

@ProjectBiehlmeister 2 жыл бұрын

You can also use the “plug” method. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/kM92ec-dqODQqJc.html

@bloodystinktube321 2 жыл бұрын

@@ProjectBiehlmeister that's a nice alternative!

@MrGreencheetah 2 жыл бұрын

I have a 2003 Boxster S which has a somewhat different center a/c vent, etc. configuration than the earlier model, as shown in the "Help me DIY" video. I am considering going through the inside of cab to get to the blend doors, and wondering what year your car was -- any major difference between the earlier and later models that you know of???

@bankser Жыл бұрын

Great video. Will be doing mine using your vid as a guide. Thanks!

@garagelife8764 Жыл бұрын

Just take your time. Piece of cake!

@TheEddysGarage 3 жыл бұрын

Great job. Need to do mine too

@pjay3028 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant video, thanks very much for doing this.

@garagelife8764 2 жыл бұрын

I hope it helps. If you have questions, just holler.

@porceder 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for clear instructions & a clean job. Porsche / VW has been using this poor design foam system for a long time. I did my '93 Eurovan blend doors when replacing the heater core - dash out job. Using the 3M silver aluminum hi-temp duct foil tape on both sides after cleaning with brake clean allows the tapes to adhere to each other. Seems like a permanent solution. Now to do the 986 & 2 more VWs. Stupid blend door design...

@hqs9585 9 ай бұрын

Great video , thanks!

@ShamileII 2 жыл бұрын

Great video! Thanks. There's another video where they go through the dash and cut the plastic vent tube. While efficient in getting the job done, I prefer your method because it doesn't "hack" anything up.

@amoret6108 2 жыл бұрын

That only works for 986 versions the 987 is different

@DjAlmanza88 2 ай бұрын

Awesome video

@pyronitro Жыл бұрын

That Air Flap looks exactly like the one in a 2002 Jetta. similar mechanism also. in my case, foam was also blowing out of the vents. i just had to remove the radio and console and glove compartment then pull on the front plastic piece to access the flaps. used aluminum tape and that was it. works and seals 90%. if i had foam it probably would have sealed up 100%

@nathandavis1639 2 ай бұрын

Years ago, I cut open my vent duct to gain access to the blend door and covered the door in aluminum tape! I then used that same aluminum tape to tape the vent duct back together and I've had heat for several years now! It cost me a roll of tape and an hour of my time!

@johnraisanen5131 2 күн бұрын

You should have used aluminum tape instead of the foam to cover the holes. Just foam the edges for sealing. This is very similar to VW's.

@rv2rdln 2 жыл бұрын

Cap can also be attached with superglue by sprinkling baking soda on the glue

@browncf 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for showing how you did it!

@garagelife8764 3 жыл бұрын

Very welcome. It was really satisfying to do!

@craigrichardson104 3 жыл бұрын

@@garagelife8764 Thanks for putting this together- how many hours in total did it take? I have the same model/year btw.

@craigrichardson104 3 жыл бұрын

I have a question- do you have any idea why there is foam in the first place, covering holes? Why not have a solid piece of metal instead? The other fix- going through the dash, involved taping up the holes. Did you consider using furnace tape instead of foam? I'm just not sure what the foam is doing.

@garagelife8764 3 жыл бұрын

@@craigrichardson104 I’m not exactly certain why they use foam. I used the foam tape for a couple reasons: the tutorial on Rennlist was done by someone who’d done tons of these fixes, so I relied on his experience. Also, the foam keeps the metal from rattling in place. It’s lightweight and may even have some insulating properties. I saw other mods where they used the silver heater tape, but I chose to go this route. Timewise, it took me about 4 hours because I was being so careful not to brake anything as I disassembled. I’m by no means a professional mechanic, so I was really slow. I cleaned everything I took off, and filmed the process which added time as well. I could probably do it in 2 hours now. Hope this helps!

@craigrichardson104 3 жыл бұрын

@@garagelife8764 Thanks for your reply! I thought you did a great and careful job. The foam makes sense.. though you wouldn't need the holes in the sheet metal. BTW, you could make money doing this I bet. A lot of Porsche owners having the same problem. I'm not sure I am as confident as you to get this done. Also one more question- it wasn't clear why you sawed off that top piece. What was the goal there? Thanks again for taking the time to help us Boxster owners!

@dalpert9765 Жыл бұрын

I can't free the lower pin that anchors the mixing door. Understand it has to come out and I did try pulling it straight down (Martine500 suggestion) after I screwed the screw back in half way. It seems to held up by some locking mechanism. Any suggestions welcome.

@dalpert9765 Жыл бұрын

Problem solved ... Regarding the removal of the lower anchor pin via the passenger footwell. I COULD NOT free it from below by pulling on it per Martine500 suggestion. But, from above, looking down into the area where the heater core would sit you can see the top of the lower anchor pin. With a long screwdriver I tapped the top of the pin lightly once and it popped out.

@garagelife8764 Жыл бұрын

Just seeing your comments. I’m glad to see you solved the issue!

@onethirdmayo8556 6 ай бұрын

Great video giving instructions on how to get the metal piece out! My car is currently having a heater core change DIY so I`m thinking of getting this foam issue addressed as well. I noticed there`s actually another upstream foam door there as well other than the downstream door shown here. Is there an easy way to get that out and patched up?

@garagelife8764 6 ай бұрын

The blend door this repairs is the one that mixes hot and cold, there’s another one behind the stereo that I *believe* is responsible for channeling the airflow to the various vents in the car (windshield/dashboard/footwell). It seems like the vent needs to be cut to do this next fix. There are lots of great tutorials on that. Check Help Me DIY’s video. He’s great. Since the two doors require 2 completely different methods of access, the second door could be a separate operation for another day. It seems pretty straightforward. Good luck! @onethirdmayo8556

@javelinadad 3 жыл бұрын

Nice job! BTW, the Rennlist link is now broken because of the recent reorganization of the 987 thread. Would you mind editing that link for this video? I personally think this is the video I will reference when the various forums have folks asking about this issue. Again, thanks for your efforts. :)

@garagelife8764 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for bringing my attention to this. I revised link in the description.

@javelinadad 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the updated link!

@cparks325 2 жыл бұрын

Great video, gonna be doing it on my 987s boxster soon. It looks like it may be possible to get to the flaps then put foil duct tape over the holes without cutting anything.. Do you think that's possible?

@garagelife8764 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. I don’t think the long side of the metal piece will be accessible without removing it. I’m saying this from memory and rewatching this video. The incision I made for the top of that pivot was really minimal, so if you can’t reach the rest of the panel, maybe be prepared to cut the pivot point loose like I did. In retrospect, I think I did it this way so I could do it in a really tidy way, learn about my car, survey the inner working of a car that I didn’t know it’s maintenance history, and meticulously clean everything in the heater core. I also find this type of work extremely relaxing, so the amount of gain from all this tedious work may not be commensurate with the time and attention I gave it. Good luck with the fix!

@sunset986S 3 жыл бұрын

Looks like the thinner foam strips you used is actually a better alternative than the thicker factory stuff which breaks down easier.

@garagelife8764 3 жыл бұрын

I sure hope so. This stuff was pretty dense too. Seemed like it may have good longevity. I was considering using the reflective heat tape, but thought this may also keep the mechanism quieter.

@esti5506 2 күн бұрын

What happens if you reassemble without the foam, just bare clean metal? I don't drive the car when its cold out any way so I have no use for a heater.

@johnmacphail2640 3 жыл бұрын

i have a 2002 996 that needs this done but it's RHD (im in Australia). I wonder how hard it's going to be to get access to the lower pivot from what is the driver's side??

@garagelife8764 3 жыл бұрын

That’s a good question. I’m totally unfamiliar with the right hand drive construction behind the dash. Please leave a message here once you’ve located the lower pivot!

@glennhand4053 Жыл бұрын

I'm in Sydney and have a 2003 Boxster S that had the same issue when I bought it last year. I was advised by a well-known Porsche specialist that once you've blown it all out of the system, there is no need to replace the foam. It could be that the slight reduction in heater effectiveness is not an issue in Australia. I personally have not noticed any problems with heating or with any of the venting settings now that all of the foam is gone.

@ToulKorkMan 3 ай бұрын

Is it possible to do it without lifting the flap out?

@patrickbarrera3377 3 жыл бұрын

There are two metal flaps. What about the small one closer to the radio? I have an Audi TT and had to remove the entire dash, because there was no tutorial, but it looks like the exact same design.

@StephenSchauer 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting - I didn't know there was another flap. I suspect that would actually require going in through the dash. If you have more info on that, please post a link on this thread.

@patrickbarrera3377 3 жыл бұрын

With the core out you could maybe do both from that end, but you see them in this vid: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aph5jZOdx5mXc2w.html

@craigkellum 10 ай бұрын

Just about to embark on this on my 1999 c2. Can I check did anyone swap out the heat exchanger (matrix) while doing it? Or are these generally in good condition even after a number of years?

@Hoster987 10 ай бұрын

a good question as I was wondering the same about my 987.1 Boxster. I was planning to clean thoroughly and 're-use' as there are no moving parts. On Pelican, looks like the OEM is over $600 but an aftermarket is like $125 so may be worthwhile...when I get to this project, I will ask on the planet 9 forum.

@craigkellum 10 ай бұрын

@@Hoster987 I carried out the work yesterday. The heater was in great condition so I didn't replace it. The job itself was a bit of a nightmare. Trying to move the air con pipe work out the way was extremely difficult and getting the bottom flap pivot clip out took an hour on its own. All done though so I'm pleased with that.

@gabryp17 Жыл бұрын

Is possibile just to cover the holes with other metal stuff??

@garagelife8764 Жыл бұрын

Sure. I think the silver metallic tape is another popular option for this purpose.

@jazzpianoonline 3 жыл бұрын

It seems to me that cutting the vent as done by Help Me DIY is a far simpler solution.

@randominternetuser2888 2 жыл бұрын

And messy and you have to reach in blindly instead of having the blend door in your hand. You're wrong.

@hqs9585 9 ай бұрын

why did you have to make that cut, could you not just clean the panel and tape without removal?

@garagelife8764 9 ай бұрын

Hi, it was a while ago, so I’ve forgotten some of the specifics of the process. The blend chamber is really hard to reach/see. Maybe knowing what I know now it could be possible to cover the blend door, but I can’t be sure. If that was your goal, it’d be very helpful to have a fiber optic camera to be able to see what’s down there. I think putting tape on the flap in a clean-ish way would be hard. You can’t see what you’re doing in there if your hand is in there. If you try it, I’d be I retested to hear how it went. Worst case, you get in there and see it’s not really doable, then you just cut the top and pull the blend door out. Good luck!

@sgttombailes3380 2 жыл бұрын

BS on the replace the foam! Just another problem in the future. Do it right ! Weld some sheet metal over the flaps. Done deal, forever~~!No more problems ~!

@BuckMcAntlerson 2 жыл бұрын

Relax, Sargeant. Do you have a link to your tutorial video on how to do this whole process? No? Hmmmm....

@twntaiwan2022 Жыл бұрын

the person(s) who designed to use bio-degradable foam on this flap is totally the stupidest person in the world. I mean people still go replace with non-biodegradable materials afterwards. Why causing this trouble to the owner?