Carpokes Porsche Forum

I was going to remove my blower motor cover, or cowl or whatever you call it, but it started falling apart. I see that you can still buy them new. Does anyone know what they are like new? I mean I'm hoping that the reason mine is so brittle is just age/heat cycles, and that a new one will be better. But if a new one is going to be just as easy to break, I might just try and fix the one I have.

johnb wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:14 pm I was going to remove my blower motor cover, or cowl or whatever you call it, but it started falling apart. I see that you can still buy them new. Does anyone know what they are like new? I mean I'm hoping that the reason mine is so brittle is just age/heat cycles, and that a new one will be better. But if a new one is going to be just as easy to break, I might just try and fix the one I have.

You mean the cowl piece that runs along the foot of the windshield (with holes with the windshield washer)? I replaced that with a new one and it was surprisingly flimsy but not brittle. Or do you mean that hard plastic upper piece of the blower itself?

Tom wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:47 pm

johnb wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:14 pm I was going to remove my blower motor cover, or cowl or whatever you call it, but it started falling apart. I see that you can still buy them new. Does anyone know what they are like new? I mean I'm hoping that the reason mine is so brittle is just age/heat cycles, and that a new one will be better. But if a new one is going to be just as easy to break, I might just try and fix the one I have.

You mean the cowl piece that runs along the foot of the windshield (with holes with the windshield washer)? I replaced that with a new one and it was surprisingly flimsy but not brittle. Or do you mean that hard plastic upper piece of the blower itself?

The first one. Mine is starting to crack when I try to pull the rubber seal up, so I think I'll get a new one. I just hope it's good for a few removal/re-installation cycles!

johnb wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 2:03 pm

Tom wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:47 pm

johnb wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:14 pm I was going to remove my blower motor cover, or cowl or whatever you call it, but it started falling apart. I see that you can still buy them new. Does anyone know what they are like new? I mean I'm hoping that the reason mine is so brittle is just age/heat cycles, and that a new one will be better. But if a new one is going to be just as easy to break, I might just try and fix the one I have.

You mean the cowl piece that runs along the foot of the windshield (with holes with the windshield washer)? I replaced that with a new one and it was surprisingly flimsy but not brittle. Or do you mean that hard plastic upper piece of the blower itself?

The first one. Mine is starting to crack when I try to pull the rubber seal up, so I think I'll get a new one. I just hope it's good for a few removal/re-installation cycles!

Yeah, it should be. I've had mine on and off dozens of times.

johnb wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 2:03 pm

Tom wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:47 pm

johnb wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:14 pm I was going to remove my blower motor cover, or cowl or whatever you call it, but it started falling apart. I see that you can still buy them new. Does anyone know what they are like new? I mean I'm hoping that the reason mine is so brittle is just age/heat cycles, and that a new one will be better. But if a new one is going to be just as easy to break, I might just try and fix the one I have.

You mean the cowl piece that runs along the foot of the windshield (with holes with the windshield washer)? I replaced that with a new one and it was surprisingly flimsy but not brittle. Or do you mean that hard plastic upper piece of the blower itself?

The first one. Mine is starting to crack when I try to pull the rubber seal up, so I think I'll get a new one. I just hope it's good for a few removal/re-installation cycles!

A new one will be pretty flexible. I replaced mine. Only difference you’ll notice is a crease in the new one where it folds for shipping I’m guessing.

Darwin wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 7:32 am

johnb wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 2:03 pm

Tom wrote: Sun May 15, 2022 1:47 pm

You mean the cowl piece that runs along the foot of the windshield (with holes with the windshield washer)? I replaced that with a new one and it was surprisingly flimsy but not brittle. Or do you mean that hard plastic upper piece of the blower itself?

The first one. Mine is starting to crack when I try to pull the rubber seal up, so I think I'll get a new one. I just hope it's good for a few removal/re-installation cycles!

A new one will be pretty flexible. I replaced mine. Only difference you’ll notice is a crease in the new one where it folds for shipping I’m guessing.

Yeah I got the new one and I thought that crease was weird...but it matches up to the old one so it should be fine.

Unfortunately, when I snipped the resistor wires back, they were still in bad shape no matter how far back I went. I cut them back as close as I dared to where the harness merges and disappears behind the dash, but there was still a lot of that greenish mold. So I cleaned them up as best I could and crimped on new wires and connectors. I cleaned up the tabs on the resistors, and now the fans are working now at low speed. But next time I pull the dash I think I'll replace all that
wire.

This is what they looked like even after taking 8 or 10 inches off the end:

Sorry to see those wires have the dreaded green creeping death going on where the copper strand core corrodes even though it is still inside the wire insulation sheath. Usually you will just keep chasing it further and further into the harness and never find good clean wire. Hopefully you can get a decent enough connection to your new wire that it will work, but eventually the original corroded wire will turn to green dust and the only real way to fix it is to replace the harness with a new one.

355 wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 11:49 am Sorry to see those wires have the dreaded green creeping death going on where the copper strand core corrodes even though it is still inside the wire insulation sheath. Usually you will just keep chasing it further and further into the harness and never find good clean wire. Hopefully you can get a decent enough connection to your new wire that it will work, but eventually the original corroded wire will turn to green dust and the only real way to fix it is to replace the harness with a new one.

Yeah when I saw this I started thinking about my engine harness too. I think there's a Kroon engine harness in my near future. It won't include these resistor wires but the the temporary fix is ok for now until I pull the dash and do it properly.

Darwin wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 7:32 am A new one will be pretty flexible. I replaced mine. Only difference you’ll notice is a crease in the new one where it folds for shipping I’m guessing.

I received two new cowl covers from Sunset today, one for the S2 and one for the 951. They were NOT folded and did not have a crease as they came in a long box; they look the same as the old ones.

Good to know. I'll probably be ordering one shortly, mine is in survivable condition currently. I lined the back of it with black gorilla tape; added a little reinforcement and some weight.
As far as the fan wiring, I had the same issue on my '86, only difference is the resistor pack is under the dash. Mine was corroded from the relay in the fuse block as well as on the fan end. I repinned the fuse block with new wires, cut the dead ones and left them in the harness, and just ran new wire all the way to the resistors. There was no pulling the old wires out unless I removed the HVAC box (not happening...).