Erratic idling on 1968 912

[M637and912]

My 912 is running rough as guts. It sounds really rough.

• Difficult to start.
• Idles usually 2,200-2,400 rpm
• Idle sometimes (but rarely when hot) drifts down slowly to below 1,000 rpm
• Not overly keen to pick up if revs are low

I'd guess it was my carbs somehow. Anybody got any ideas?

[JT912]

Have you started with the basics? Check valves, make sure plug wires are on correctly, check timing. Sounds more electrical than a gas issue to me.

[C. Clark]

The car needs a tune up. Adjust valves, set the timing and service the distributor, adjust the carburetors. Change plugs, points, check the plug wires......it's a process.
It sounds like a worn out distributor but diagnosing this stuff online is **** in the wind.
As mentioned by j912 start with basics, if you're not mechanically inclined take it to a qualified mechanic, fiddling without knowing can make things much worse.

[Jerry1]

Can you give us some history. Did the problems just start, has the car been sitting a long time. Old fuel can make these cars run like crap. Leaking carb base gaskets can mess with the idle. More info would be nice to help find the problem

[M637and912]

FIRSTLY: With regards to the last question - it's an interesting issue. The engine was running not too bad but I had a problem with my syncro in first so I put it into the Porsche shop and said "fix syncro and the oil leaks". Everything was ripped apart and rebuilt. When I got back to the shop they were buggering about with retard springs saying that the car was running not so good. So...that could be the source of the problem. The Porsche shop is pretty good so valves etc should be ok. I even got new rings fitted.

BUT

SECONDLY: I've just looked under the boot and I have a 022 distributor fitted. Now if I read the forums I should have a 031 fitted to a 1968 912. Is this correct.

I'm guessing that my dizzy is the problem and the rebuild and buggering about has ended it's days - as well as potentially being the wrong one.

So...is a 031 the right one and where can I get one?

[JT912]

022 and 031 should both work as well as the 061. The 061 did use a vacuum line so maybe there is an open line hanging out somewhere?

[Jaems]

The 061 is the one that came with the car. It had a vacuum hose that retard the timing as per emission regulations for 68. However, the 022 or 031 did not have a vacuum hose and will work just find. The 022 was the first distributor for the 912 the 061 was the last one for the US cars. The 031 was the last distributor for the Euro cars and also could be purchased, in the US, as a option kit for racing. The 061 can be rebuilt as a 031 and no longer need a vacuum line.

The 022 may be just worn out and needs to be rebuilt back to original spec. The best one for this passed away a couple of years ago. However, there are a couple of rebuilders out there - that some claim are very good.

As far as the 031 there are three versions out there. The first two - type one and two are really good ones. If they are in good condition. The type three or the newest version is crape. If it is claimed to be new in the original box then it is most likely the third type.

So the best stock distributor is the 031 type one or Two, then the 022, and finally the 061. There is the RS0012 that is a recurved 009 that is curved by John Benton enterprises this one is also very good for the 912 and much cheaper that the originals stock distributors. Many have sworn that it is the best one out there. However, I tried one and it never worked well with my engine. So I had the 031 rebuilt and matched to my "R" engine.

The worst ones for the 912 are the 050 and the 009. These are really curved for the VW engines. The 050 will work in a pinch. But the power will be down compared to the 022, 031 and 061.

So now you have more information that you wanted to know. Just rebuild the 022 and you are good to go or you can purchase the RS0012 from Will at Custom Speed and Parts here in the US.

[Jerry1]

I would take it back to the shop and have them fix it just because they were messing with the distributor doesn't nessisarly mean its the problem. If they put new rings in what about compression there could be a combination of thing going on. If you start working on it they can you caused the problem