[Sazerac]

Hello Everyone

After the recent number of fuel dampers that have failed, left and right, it seems, a thread about dampers could be useful. Feel free to post anything about fuel dampers here. OEM, aftermarket alternatives, etc.

Right now, I happen to be in the middle of an engine refresh on my 90 GT with Dave C. This will involve lots of replating, etc., and given the fact that my current dampers are original, I bought a new damper for the front in anticipation of a failure and to keep the cosmetics of the engine bay coherent.

Well, here's what I got:


Production date 01.2021, and now, no part number stampings on the housings (stickers instead) and poor plating. (I'll be replating it anyway, but for others that could be irksome.) All this at Porsche Classic prices... At least still made in Germany... The lack of part number stampings remind me of my questionable cylinder head bolts procured also from Porsche.

My 91 GT had the back damper fail rather suddenly making the car hardly startable last year and the replacement was still a real Bosch part with stampings and good plating, but made in 2016. Completely different part appearance. Are the new ones still made by Bosch?

[ROG100]

Bosch stopped making the dampers and regulators. Porsche superseded most of the numbers and they are now made by an unknown company.
I suspect the plating is not gold like in the past as it is a process that is not used anymore on a mass production basis.
Below is a list of the later 87 to 95 dampers and regulators that I sell. Including original Bosch numbers and the latest supersession.
By far the biggest seller are the NLA products Billet regulator & dampers. Especially the FPR which is used on the 964 Carrera (89 to 94) - We can't make these fast enough.

Fuel Pressure Regulator 88 to 95 - was 928 110 198 04 – Bosch 0280 160 297 928 110 198 25
Also used on the 964 89 to 94 928 110 198 25
PR299 - 3.5bar - Aftermarket 928 110 198 04A
Fuel Pressure Regulator 88 to 95 - Aftermarket – NLA Products Billet 928 110 198 25AM
Front Fuel Pressure Damper 87 to 95 - was 928 110 202 01 – Bosch 0280 161 034 928 110 202 22
Front Fuel Pressure Damper 87 to 95 – Aftermarket – NLA Products Billet 928 110 202 22AM
Rear Fuel Pressure Damper 87 to 95 – Bosch 0280 161 035 930 110 602 01
Rear Fuel Pressure Damper 87 to 95 – Aftermarket – NLA Products Billet 930 110 602 01AM
Fuel Pressure Regulator 87 – Bosch 0280 160 262 928 110 198 02

[checkmate1996]

I'm on pins and needles waiting for the OB regulators to come to fruition!!

[worf]

I suspect the plating is not gold like in the past as it is a process that is not used anymore on a mass production basis.

The color of the new not-Bosch bits is similar-ish to that of the originals. The supplier at least made a half-hearted attempt to chromate some super-thin zinc electroplating. If installed it will look - for a year or three - correct.

They were, of course, never “gold” in material terms and aren’t now. Platers call it “yellow” so as to disambiguate from actual gold plating.

At least it wasn’t totally unplated and rusted in the bag like some Porsche-bagged parts I’ve received in the past.

[milrad]

I’ve just been down this road. I bought an OEM rear damper about a year ago, and had a front one on back order since then that came in recently. A full year. I also needed a FPR, and bought one of the new aluminum aftermarket ones from Roger.

In an effort to keep originality, I spent stupid money, waited forever, and got one OEM damper with a big scratch in the mating surface that leaked upon reassembly. Not pleased. If I did it again, I’d just buy the all aluminum ones from Roger. Even if aluminum on steel isn’t the best, you can buy 2 of them for every shitty OEM damper. Plus they look cool.

[worf]

The color of the new not-Bosch bits is similar-ish to that of the originals. The supplier at least made a half-hearted attempt to chromate some super-thin zinc electroplating. If installed it will look - for a year or three - correct.

It looks like I was overly optimistic about how long the “Porsche Classic” zinc plating would last.

Here’s s pic of an FPR, installed less than a month ago, with maybe 10 hours of run-time:

[Bertrand Daoust]

Sad...

[checkmate1996]

Ouch! Im wondering what was actually used. Even basic zinc plating I’ve used has held up well …

[worf]

Ouch! Im wondering what was actually used. Even basic zinc plating I’ve used has held up well …

Yup.

[Sazerac]

So they rust that quickly?

What happens when water laden ethanol gas (only North American problem I guess) sits in them for a half year? Do they start rusting inside as well? Does the rust make it to the injectors and plug them?

Honestly, I am pissed about this. We pay a bunch of money to Porsche for classic parts program and they lower the quality. When I need a damper/FPR for the rear, I will consider alternate sources. All the alternatives I have seen are just too unsightly to use in the place of the front damper so far.

[worf]

So they rust that quickly?

This one did. From the time I unboxed it to the picture was about 6 weeks. The 928 in question was in my shop - and you know the conditions in my shop - for more than than 4 weeks after the unit was installed. As of the date of the picture the unit had maybe 5 hours of operation and 2-ish weeks “outside.”

What happens when water laden ethanol gas (only North American problem I guess) sits in them for a half year? Do they start rusting inside as well? Does the rust make it to the injectors and plug them?

<shrug> I’m on the fence as to how much of a problem is rust on the inside of the fuel system provided that system (or component) isn’t emptied of fuel and allowed to sit “open” in air. There’s some rust on the inside of every 928’s fuel system and it appears to be rarely a problem. I have in mind one (very recent and not from one “of mine”) example of where fuel system rust was the culprit for dead injectors.

That written my newest SOP is to seal these damper/regulator units as soon as they are disconnected and to also seal open lines.

Bottom line: the quality of some of these new Porsche Classic parts is very disappointing or very different, but I’m not yet willing to declare that the sky is falling.

Honestly, I am pissed about this. We pay a bunch of money to Porsche for classic parts program and they lower the quality.

*That* is the really vexing part of this story.

On the other hand, I just today, read a post where the author decided to get rid of his valuable, rare 2016 Viper because all Viper parts are becoming scarce(*)

Dodge produced about half as many Vipers as did PAG the 928. However, consider how screwed we’d be if by 2003 928 parts had been scarce?

(*) One internet anecdote is not data.

[maddog2020]

MY cousin dumped his 1st gen viper last year, after it sat at the dealer waiting for some obscure part for 6 months. I'd ask him what it was waiting for except he gets pissed anytime the viper gets mentioned. He was the original owner for it.