Driver Side AC Vent Doesn't Blow Air

[boreo]

Hi,

just bought a 2003 Boxster, it's blowing ice-cold ac aside from the driver vent. The vents by the windshield work but I get zero air from the driver side vent at all. I've checked under the dash and all the ducting looks to be in good shape. What other reasons could there be for no air?

[KevinH1990]

Because you recently bought the car, you don't know what a previous owner might have done. I suggest that you consider two possibilities.

(1) A common failure point on 986's is the ignition switch. To replace the ignition switch usually requires the removal of the duct that supplies the driver's side air vent. It's possible that that someone replaced the ignition switch and failed to reinstall the duct correctly. It is fairly easy to remove the duct by compressing the bellows-like part of the tube near the end. You might find that the duct was oriented incorrectly.

(2) A second problem with the 986 is that Porsche covered the dampers that control air flow with a foam substance that deteriorates over time. Most long-term owners have experienced detached foam flying out of the vents at some point in their stewardship. You can find several videos on YouTube showing techniques for replacing the foam on the dampers. It's possible that a substantial amount of detached foam is preventing the free flow of air to the vent in question or that a previous owner didn't remove the old foam properly or otherwise bungled the repair causing a blockage.

Good luck with your research and I hope one of these suggestions helps.

[dghii]

What he said...
Also, just because the duct looks ok, make sure it is actually securely connected. The ductwork just slides in place so it may be ajar at some point. You could take it loose and feel for cold air coming out to duct behind center console and add the ductwork to the vent.

[boreo]

The ductwork seems to be solid, doesn't seem loose or anything. My headlight switch died recently so I had to take out the driver side vent in order to replace and everything seemed to have been original and orientated correctly. I think it may just be a large amount of foam blocking the ductwork. Will try to clean it out and see what happens.

EDIT: Had some foam in it and made sure it was installed correctly again, it's working well now.