Issue while trying to de-snorkel - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

Overdrive · 04-11-2013, 04:22 PM

Hey, folks. I gave a shot to removing my snorkel this evening, and it's a bit strange...there is this piece of plastic in the way that I have not seen before, stopping me from having access to the snorkel directly.

Anyone else have this or seen it before? It has a hex head screw that I removed, but I can't get the piece out to get at the snorkel...seems bonded in place.

What gives?

Homeboy981 · 04-12-2013, 04:23 AM

They really choked your car off from getting air at the factory.

Fortunately, they make a Dremmel for just such an emergency. Never seen that one before. I'm sure it is for 'back-pressure'!

Or, maybe it is to help act as a speed bump to slow down the 'lazy river' of air. Either way, it would be garage scrap at the end of the day IMHO.

Overdrive · 04-12-2013, 07:11 AM

Yeah, I don't know if this is an early car idea (built July of 97, so it's not a super early one) that they got rid of later, but most folks seem to just have an open hole straight to the snorkel from what I've seen in a lot of removal process pictures. This piece is actually a whole large piece of plastic. It curves around to the right and goes straight back...almost seems to be like a ramp for the air, so it goes off to the right, around to the left, back toward the camera, hits the inside curve of this plastic, and then finally gets pulled in by the snorkel. I'm wondering if anyone else with an early car may have run into this when de-snorkeling...I'm kinda miffed, and hoping there's a way to get this thing out without being destructive.

particlewave · 04-12-2013, 07:35 AM

My '99 has this also...

The Radium King · 04-12-2013, 08:07 AM

it must be clipped/screwed in, as the rubber / plastic liner which joins the engine side of the outlet with the fender side of the outlet removes from the inside (you remove your airbox, undo a couple of bolts and pull it out). it's just a matter of locating the clips.

in reality, it don't see it as much of an impedement to airflow; it doesn't restrict the amount of air into the airbox like the snorkle does. good luck getting the snorkle off without removing it, however.

paintboy · 04-12-2013, 09:43 AM

Sorry to be such a noob but WTF are we talking about? Is this the air supply to the engine? Snorkle....sounds muppet like.

Skrapmot · 04-12-2013, 10:22 AM

That's weird, my 98 was as simple as reaching in and popping it out.
Is this a US model?
I heard that the snorkel was most likely to appease the sound police from varies country of import, or maybe the demographic porsche was aiming the car at. It doesn't seem to change much performance wise, but sounds better with it off.

particlewave · 04-12-2013, 11:14 AM

Correct me if in wrong, but isn't the purpose of the "snorkel" to draw cooler outside air into the intake for combustion?
Wouldn't "de-snorkeling" mean that the engine is now drawing hot air from the engine bay?

This is why I have not done this..

Overdrive · 04-12-2013, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by particlewave

Correct me if in wrong, but isn't the purpose of the "snorkel" to draw cooler outside air into the intake for combustion?
Wouldn't "de-snorkeling" mean that the engine is now drawing hot air from the engine bay?...

I'm going to say no, because that area I have pictured is sealed off from the engine bay as I understand it (there's still plumbing past the snorkel that leads to the airbox), so other than what the surrounding plastic/rubber there allows through for heat, I don't see the snorkel doing much to keep the air cool. It really just deadens some sound and forces the air to come through its smaller, tapered opening before getting to the plumbing for the airbox. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I take away from what I've seen and how the setup has been explained to me. It was not done for performance reasons, at least not to improve performance.

And it's interesting to hear that you've got the same thing. I wonder why some folks have it and others don't? Maybe it was a 97-99 era thing, but then Skrapmot points out that his 98 didn't have it.

And Skrapmot, this is a US car, a 1997 built in summer of 97. Started life out in New Hampshire, currently in CT.

Paintboy, if you look in my pictures you'll see an oval shape tube in the background. That's the "snorkel" as it's been dubbed by the community. It's really nothing more than an air-restricting and sound deadening tube for the intake (driver's side) of the car. If you search the forum you'll find other threads with pictures. Pelican Parts also probably has some pictures in one of their tech articles of the same spot I'm showing in my car with the snorkel exposed and being removed, with no large plastic blocking the way like mine has, but theirs is also a younger car with the 2.7.

As a side note, holy crap that vent area is filthy!!!

My hands came away charcoal black by the time I finally got the vent off of the car, and that was from touching mostly painted surfaces. An air filter never seemed so important to me.

Glasgow 911SC · 04-12-2013, 12:16 PM

I have a '97 with the same part in place. However, I can't even get the outer grill off! Tried using the guide that's around somewhere - pushing on black grill - but nothing shift.

Overdrive · 04-12-2013, 12:21 PM

I had to pull it all out, I couldn't get the vanes to break free of the painted outer portion. The upper and lower tabs are ok, but the long arm of the tab that's toward the front of the vent got pretty bent in a way it wasn't meant to go, so it's not exactly broken, but it's not ok either...it's just there, hanging on by some worn and cracking plastic. I had to pry that one free with a flathead to get it to release from its clip so I could pull the whole vent cover out (watch your paint and where you move the screwdriver if you do so). The vanes just don't separate from the outer part easily, and I'd rather break one of the tabs than break the vanes.

Homeboy981 · 04-14-2013, 05:56 AM

Careful with the tabs on the outer grill…they will break!

Overdrive, if your airbox is making your hands black with soot…just image how your engine feels! Clean it up…all the way into the throttle body and beyond into the manifold. It should clean, clean, clean! In case you are wondering why the car misses or hesitates…that is one place to start!

Also, the side intake port is just a hole, the snorkel is attached to the airbox. De-snorking does not allow warm air from the engine into the airbox. You need to remove the whole assembly for that to occur.

The incoming "air" has to navigate through all this before it gets to the engine. Cut the path, increase the air flow. Simple, just not easy, as you have discovered. Certainly do-able and rewarding.

Skrapmot · 04-14-2013, 06:09 AM

Ditto on the fragile tabs, especially on a 15 year old car, one of mine did just that.
It's freaked me out how dirty it was , I even found 2 cigarette butts in the old snorkel which explains that weird smell I was getting in the cabin. I hope my car didn't get a nicotine addiction.
Make you realize the importance in checking the air filter often, as that intake is low and picks up a lot of stuff that kicked up.

trimer · 11-17-2013, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skrapmot

Ditto on the fragile tabs, especially on a 15 year old car, one of mine did just that.
It's freaked me out how dirty it was , I even found 2 cigarette butts in the old snorkel which explains that weird smell I was getting in the cabin. I hope my car didn't get a nicotine addiction.
Make you realize the importance in checking the air filter often, as that intake is low and picks up a lot of stuff that kicked up.

How did you fix? I a, trying to find this part

particlewave · 11-17-2013, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trimer

How did you fix? I a, trying to find this part

I "stitched" mine back together with a low heat soldering iron. Not ideal, but the part is not seen and has held for 6 months just fine. The key is in after melting it back together, applying heat and gradually cooling the plastic so it will remain softer and flexible instead of brittle

I'm not sure of the part #...sorry

fusionist · 11-18-2013, 06:18 AM

I believe people call that the cup. It's on very early models, possibly because they were afraid water or debris would get in the snorkle. The design was changed very early on.

Sorry I don't have any more info on removal. What is it bonded to? You remove the snorkle by moving the end closest to you all the way to the right and left and it pops out. Perhaps once it pops the cup will be loose.

jel225 · 09-21-2023, 08:57 AM

Hi, sorry to revive an old thread. I searched and also apologize if this has been addressed elsewhere, but was wondering if you were able to figure out how to desnorkel this set-up?

I just purchased a 1997 Boxster and have the same situation.

Thanks!

pilot4fn · 09-21-2023, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jel225

Hi, sorry to revive an old thread. I searched and also apologize if this has been addressed elsewhere, but was wondering if you were able to figure out how to desnorkel this set-up?

I just purchased a 1997 Boxster and have the same situation.

Thanks!

This is a good video showing how to do the de-snorkel on 986:
https://youtu.be/nXqg31GdM-E?si=ePXYrKi7pMNKSBB-

jel225 · 09-22-2023, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilot4fn

This is a good video showing how to do the de-snorkel on 986:
https://youtu.be/nXqg31GdM-E?si=ePXYrKi7pMNKSBB-

Hi! I’m familiar with that video. However, my setup looks like the photos in this thread, not what’s in that video.
The Help Me DIY Boxster videos have been a huge help for other project though.

jel225 · 09-24-2023, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilot4fn

This is a good video showing how to do the de-snorkel on 986:
https://youtu.be/nXqg31GdM-E?si=ePXYrKi7pMNKSBB-

Thanks. I am aware of that video. However, none of the videos that I have seen show the situation presented here in this thread, which is the same as mine.

Help Me DIY is a huge help, love those videos!