Door jamb query, What is that hole for? Options

[TonyH]

Good afternoon everyone,

I question if I may. I have just been watching Ian Karr's new video on Youtube on his 914/6 project and it reminded me to ask you good people a question.

Just above the door lock in the door jamb there is a hole/tube, what is that for? It appears to go up into the sail but not into the engine bay.

I have just had a look at my car, shined a torch into the entry hole but there is no light to be seen.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon. - Tony

[StarBear]

Without a pic, I think (?) you mean the large holes. They are air vent passages and usually have a small foam disc and plastic grid cover. Yours might (?) be missing them.

[mepstein]

They didn’t have the vent covers on early cars.
There is a channel from the back of the seat near the window that lets air escape. Without it, it would be hard for fresh air or heated air to enter the cabin.

[SirAndy]

They didn’t have the vent covers on early cars.
There is a channel from the back of the seat near the window that lets air escape. Without it, it would be hard for fresh air or heated air to enter the cabin.

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They allow air to leave the inside of the car even with the doors and windows closed.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

[TonyH]

They didn’t have the vent covers on early cars.
There is a channel from the back of the seat near the window that lets air escape. Without it, it would be hard for fresh air or heated air to enter the cabin.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

They allow air to leave the inside of the car even with the doors and windows closed.
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif)

Very many thanks all, that explains a lot.

[Rob-O]

It’s a little more involved than just letting air out of the cabin. It’s really to equalize the pressure between the cabin and outside the cabin. When you close the door to an well-sealed automobile (and all other windows are closed) you actually produce an sizable amount of pressure inside the vehicle, which can pop windows out of their tracks and cause all kinds of other issues. Automakers have combated this with some type of mechanism to equalize the pressure. Nowadays they usually have a small plastic panel located somewhere behind the left or right side of the read fascia that has a one way seal. When you close the door the pressure gets pushed through this seal, which closes when the pressure equalizes. Some manufacturers (including Porsche) have resorted to a method where when you open the door to your car the driver or passenger window opens slightly (inch or so) and then stays open until you close the door. Once you close the door the open window has allowed the pressure to equalize and the window rolls back up that one inch.

[Jgilliam914]

Here all this time I thought it was to allow moisture in to enhance the rust to gain a foothold under the sail panel (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[StarBear]

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[SirAndy]

It’s a little more involved than just letting air out of the cabin. It’s really to equalize the pressure between the cabin and outside the cabin. When you close the door to an well-sealed automobile (and all other windows are closed) you actually produce an sizable amount of pressure inside the vehicle, which can pop windows out of their tracks and cause all kinds of other issues. Automakers have combated this with some type of mechanism to equalize the pressure. Nowadays they usually have a small plastic panel located somewhere behind the left or right side of the read fascia that has a one way seal. When you close the door the pressure gets pushed through this seal, which closes when the pressure equalizes. Some manufacturers (including Porsche) have resorted to a method where when you open the door to your car the driver or passenger window opens slightly (inch or so) and then stays open until you close the door. Once you close the door the open window has allowed the pressure to equalize and the window rolls back up that one inch.

Isn't equalizing pressure when closing doors still just letting air out of the cabin?
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[davep]

You are correct Andy, the fresh air blower and heat air both introduce air into the cabin. Without the vent the airflow from either source would be negligible unless a window was opened.

[wonkipop]

They didn’t have the vent covers on early cars.
There is a channel from the back of the seat near the window that lets air escape. Without it, it would be hard for fresh air or heated air to enter the cabin.

here is an interesting one for the general rule of early cars don't have the plastic vent covers.

dr. marchart's personal 74 1.8 (german domestic market).
base spec (non appearance group).
held in the porsche museum collection.
said to be not restored. original condition. very low mileage. less than 20,000 kms showing and also quoted by museum director.



i'm not sure what to make of this.
certainly 74 USA spec cars definitely had the plastic vent covers.
mine does. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
i guess they could have been removed from the marchart car.
but it seems unlikely as the rest of the car is in fairly amazing original condition.
right down to retaining mock ups (adhesive stickers) for 75 model year EGR/CAT lights on the instrument binnacle - interesting artefacts from its time as the personal car of a porsche engineer working the development of the 914 as it progressed.

a possibility is that the euro spec cars did not get the covers, at least in base form.
i have seen a 75 german spec car here in aus, appearance group, that is completely intact and original and been owned by the same retired mechanic since the early 80s. it has the plastic covers.

but i dunno. its just of interest that the museum car does not have them and its a late model. another one of those mysteries.

i notice that the original poster tonyh is in france.
could be certain of late year euro cars maybe did not have the covers?
but not enough data/info to really know.

[wonkipop]

for fun - here is the instrument binnacle on the marchart car.
with the EGR light mockup - adhesive sticker (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) .

indication car is pretty original i would say - virtually untouched from its time with marchart and his work at porsche as an engineer. marchart was of course one of the prime managing engineers of the boxster (and as it turns out a big fan of the 914).

engine bay is schmick too - but not restored.
museum director sent me some shots of that for 1.8 research work.