HVAC Blower Motor
Total credit for this posting from www.ppbb.com go to Chris from NH so ask him questions there. All I did is host it.
I noticed that my MY97's blower fan was operating intermittently. as the weather is getting colder, I found that i really needed the blower working, period. the current part # for all 986s is 996-624-107-01, but you will want to double-check.
It is surprisingly easy to access. here's what the front of the blower fan looks like. it is commonly referred to as a 'squirrel cage' fan. The Boxster's is made by Valeo.
WARNING: This procedure could be very dangerous. As when working with all fans, make sure that you are wearing appropriate clothing (no ties, no dangling jewelry, no loose-fitting clothing, etc.) and eye protection. This fan is capable of spinning at very high speeds (when powered) and could cause serious injury if fingers/other body parts or debris contact the spinning 'cage', blades and/or hub. The fan is powered via 'switched' power (i.e. ignition key must be turned). Since testing (powering) the fan outside of its designated location may be required, be sure that appropriate clothing and protections are worn, make sure that the area is clear of ALL debris, and (if testing inside the car) that the fan speed controller (climate control unit) is set to OFF before applying power to the fan.
1. Remove the two plastic screw-tops that fasten the foam liner under the passenger side dash. Put them in a sandwich bag, label them and draw a picture of where they go (not that *these* covers are that important; just the habit of bagging, labeling and drawing is incredibly helpful; I have learned from experience. I use a Sharpie marker that will write on a plastic bag. always bag, label, draw.
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2. Remove the passenger's side air duct underneath the dash. It just pulls out with some force. It is at the very top of this picture. it is a black plastic tube with accordion folds in the middle. When I say 'some force' I mean 'a lot'. You can try squeezing the accordion folds to shorten the length of the tube, but you'll also find that there's not a lot of room to get both of your arms up in there. there's nothing that you can really *break* by just pulling very hard, so eventually that's what I did. If there is a trick to removing/installing these vent tubes, someone please clue me in.
The 'Made in Spain' Audi/VW part below the accordion tube is the blower fan's bottom cover, also seen in step 5.
3. Disconnect the wires from the wire-holder/clip on the rear of the blower fan. (see pic in step #6)
4. Reach up into the dashboard and disconnect the wiring plug from the blower fan's side. considering all the fancy connectors that Porsche uses, this one was actually pretty simple to remove. you just squeeze the tabs on each side of the connector and pull it out. notice the silver female clips inside the two pegs.
5. Remove the two (Phillips) screws of the blower fan bottom cover (only one screw visible in this pic). Support the blower fan as you do this. I believe this cover actually holds the fan in place.
6. Gently lower the blower fan out. it has an incredibly sticky brown foam cover on the back which is held on by 3 Phillips screws as seen here, so you may actually have to pull/maneuver it down and out of the dashboard.
Here's the rear of the blower with the sticky brown rear cover removed.
I noticed there is only one screw, but 4 holes. the other holes are not threaded, so I'm pretty sure I'm not missing any screws.
You'll also notice my wire-extension hack. I checked the wires with a multimeter and the connector itself didn't seem to be the problem. i was getting power, but it wasn't making it to the blower. I think there might be a bad solder point *inside* the blower's ABS plastic housing. Here's where the (OEM) power connector connects to the blower. You can see one of the male spades inside.
I wasn't about to try to take it apart (I really don't think that you can) so I made an extension using spade connectors and made sure that the female spades that connect to the blower's internal male spades (above) were affixed securely. The male spades on the other side of the extension (red=pos, blue/black=neg) connect directly into the blower connection plug's female clips (see pic in step 4 above).
So those are the basics. you'll want to feel around up in the dash to make sure there is no dash-foam-come-loose or debris in there. You can feel the underside of the cabin filter through the hole where the business-end of the fan connects.
As I mentioned, I think there is either a bad solder point inside the blower's housing - OR - the power connector's female clip is not making secure contact with the blower's male spade. but, it all works now!
Here's a diagram of the whole system. part #8 is the blower, and part #9 is the bottom cover. the blower fan goes for about $350 new. ouch! Wrecking yards may have some.
Thanks Chris