Q – I noticed little bits of foam rubber in the engine compartment of my 1988 Targa and it looks as if the pad above the engine is falling apart. What is the pad for and how hard is it to change it? Jim
A – I call that the sound pad and it insulates the engine from the body and soaks up sound as well as heat. It is not a critical component in my view. It becomes a liability when it starts to shred and gets sucked into the cooling fan where it gets embedded in the cooling fins. I would remove it before it gets worse.
The part is not very expensive so cost would not be a factor in my decision. Labor to change it is a whole other matter. When the car was built, before the powertrain was installed, that pad was glued into the engine compartment and neatly tucked into the corners. With nothing in the way, you can do a very nice job. With the engine installed, I have never seen it done well and I have seen a few feeble and ugly attempts. I won’t do it and I don’t recommend it.
The problem is two fold. 1) It is glued in with contact cement and to get it to stick well, you need to remove all the old glue. That is near impossible if you are working around the engine. And once you get all the old glue off, you have to re-spray the glue while keeping it off your engine (and your body) 2) After you spray the glue onto the engine compartment and the pad, then the trick is sticking the pad on centered, without wrinkles, and even front to back…Good Luck. At least with the engine removed you have a fighting chance.
When you open the engine lid on my Carrera you will notice the pad is missing. I can hear my engine better and I like that. I also like the shiny red paint. Once I got the glue off, I thought it looked pretty. It might be a little hotter inside the car but I know what I am up against. Someday when I pull the engine (and I hope that is a long time from now) I will probably install a new pad while taking my time to do a factory quality job. In your case, get that nasty stuff out of there and listen to the sweet sounds of a flat six at full tilt. You will probably like it too. – MC