Today, I found out that the rubber air duct for the engine cooling fan on my 1997, 993 Turbo has a huge hole, in fact it has almost disintegrated. My car is due for servicing next week, and I need to get a replacement for that part.
Does anyone know whether this part is identical to the air duct for the normally aspirated engines, or is it different on the Turbo engines? Pelican Parts' website shows that part only for the Carrera and Carrera 4.
Anybody has an idea why the air duct has disintegrated? Is it a common occurence? The car has only 35,000 miles.
Is it OK to drive the car as it is for 50 miles or so, not exceeding 100 miles per hour, with air temperature in the 70 °s? What do you think?

 

common failure after this many years. The material gets brittle with age. I've seen it more on the NA cars but there are more of them out there so...
I wouldn't drive it. These motors need all of the cooling they can get.

Not sure if the part is the same, no access to PET right now.
hope that helps a little.

 

forgive me, but I"m trying to visualize where this rubber air duct is located.....can you please describe it's location

thanks, Jaime

 

Thank you Mark, it does help. Pelican Parts told me: " The factory does not list one (air duct) in the diagrams for the 993 Turbo. Only the 993 N/A cars". Can I safely assume that it is the same part?

Thanks,

Thierry

 

see this thread in the NA forum

 

Hi Jaime, this rubber duct is attached to the engine cooling fan, immediately behind it.

 

Hi Doug, that's a very useful thread. Jaime, go to this thread, you'll see excellent photos.
I still don't know whether this part is the same for the Turbo cars as for the normally aspirated ones. Does anybody know?

 

There is a different part # for the RS, but the turbo is the same.

 

Thank you for the information 911/Q45, that's what I needed to know to order the part.
Thanks for your help,

Thierry

 

Sounds like (from the thread) you can use duct or gaffers (cooler) tape to drive it for service.
tomorrow I will check mine. never even heard of this before. anybody know the price for one?

 

PET lists two part numbers:

964 106 403 02 for the M64.05/06, M64.07/08 and M64.20 M003 engines (non varioram and RS clubsport) and 993 106 403 00 for the M64.21/22 and M64.23/24 engines (varioram). No mention of which one the turbo might use but I'm almost certain it's the latter.

 

Wow, those are gaping. Will check mine out tomorrow.

Jaime

 

Mine was even worse than the photos in the thread. BTW, I had the yearly servicing done by the one and only official Porsche workshop on my South Pacific Island 2 months ago, and they did not tell me anything about it! Guys, I really need all the help that I can get from you: these folks did not even know that the camshafts/cylinder head covers on our cars are made of plastic; when I told them, they said it was not possible.
TurboDan, you can get the part from Pelican for $45; that one won't break the bank.
Phelix you are right, it's the latter part that the Turbo cars use.
Sometimes, this sort of things makes me wonder whether Porsche's reputation for reliability and build quality is entirely deserved.

 

Ok,

I'll bite - What SPI are you on? I'm on the biggest one

And dont confuse - poor service technicians with the Porsche reliability issues....

Simon.

 

Biggest SPI: do you consider Australia an island?
I live in New Caledonia.