D-Jet or Carbs (good ones)

silver2.0 · silver2.0's Garage

Ok, I am curious how many people are for d-jet, and how many are for the carb set up on a stock 914!

Jason Porter · 02-16-2004, 03:36 PM

See, there's only 8 people online in this forum, and 3 voted already...This is going to be good...

no substitute · 02-16-2004, 04:54 PM

I voted D-jet, but mine came with dual Webers, and I was never happy with the linkage. Tore the whole car apart shortly thereafter.

bowlsby · 02-16-2004, 05:07 PM

A carb swap needs a cam swap to do it right.

SGB · SGB's Garage

Get yer clubs and knives ready- I prefer my carbs. If the FI was reliable (I know it CAN work well- but it has too many weak points), I would rather have FI, but the 914 system was too failure prone. My SAAB had Bosch "Motoronic" and it was a great FI system. Maybe if retrofitted (Maga-squirt?) to a 914. I like the tunability of my Webers, but the linkage is where most error comes in. It is Weltmeister, but the fittings are getting a little loose. The carbs are always fun to mess with. If the car isn't right, mess with the carbs and make it better. If the car is right, mess with the carbs and make it, well....

tat2dphreak · tat2dphreak's Garage

I prefer carbs... but it's b/c that's what I know... if you know FI... that will be the way to go... go wit' what you know... either can work fine!

914Ghost · 02-17-2004, 06:46 AM

I agree, the F/I at best is 30 YEARS OLD!!
I don't know If I want to bet EVERYTHING every time I drive on a big pile 30 year old relays and resistors that had flaws when it was new.
BUT the F/I is smoother from the get go, touch teh gas and your off, I've never driven a car with carbs that comes close to F/I drivability.
But at the first sign of trouble I'd toss it- I can (and have) fixed a sticking float on a long trip...but if the AAR fails or the _____...?
What can break on a carb that you cant fix in a few minutes.
I'll take the Carbs.

pbanders · pbanders's Garage

The poll questions are too simplistic. Both systems have their place, read the article on my web page.

Jason Porter · 02-17-2004, 07:26 AM

This poll was started strictly for the entertainment value of seeing a gutter war. I think it's great. This is always one of the funniest discussions...

gopack · 02-17-2004, 08:15 AM

Well i felt the need to weigh in. I've got carbs (dellortos) that the PO put on, and i need to learn carbs. I have very little experience with vintage FI, but i have to beleive that well jetted carbs are easier to maintain and tune. THe right answer is a modern Fi set up properly! i would go for that right off. be much easier for all involved!
Just my $0.02.

jamcleod · jamcleod's Garage

both cars i own/have owned were FI and i got them to run OK. don't know much about carbs and like the stock equipment better. (hey, what are you doing with that einstein avatar!?)

Jake Raby · 02-17-2004, 11:29 AM

Remove the D- Jet and throw it as far as you can... Never look back.

If you want EFI- use something else!

Jason Porter · 02-17-2004, 11:47 AM

LOL...this thread is great!

Jason Porter · 02-18-2004, 12:08 PM

bump

lapuwali · 02-18-2004, 10:43 PM

I have yet to drive a 914 with D-Jet, or EFI of any kind, after having owned two. The first had a 2.4 911 engine installed, using CIS (not Electronic!), and it was great as long as I kept pouring oil into tank to keep up with the supertanker class leaks. The second (current) has a PO-supplied progressive Weber on it that will soon be replaced by a pair of IDFs, as I don't have all of the parts required to refit D-Jet, and this way I don't have to re-replumb all of the fuel lines.

I'm generally very much in favor of EFI, though, and a Megasquirt ECU with D-Jet manifolds and injectors may end up on this car eventually. Depends mostly on how well the IDFs work.

Clay Perrine · 02-19-2004, 04:29 AM

Ok... Here is my .02
Over the 18+ years that I have owned and enjoyed 914s, I have run everything from stock D-Jet on a sotck 2.0 to carbs to a custom built and programmed FI system.

For a COMPLETELY STOCK engine, the factory fuel injection will be the best thing for that engine. It will work better than ANY carburetor setup that you can fit on the engine. Please note that I said "COMPLETELY STOCK". The minute you start making internal engine mods the FI calibration becomes wrong and you need something different.

Dual Carburetors work great IF you have the engineering ability to make the missing cable brackets. ANY carburetor is a compromise on an engine. They are never able to duplicate the power and fuel economy of a MODERN Computer Controlled Fuel Injection system.

Personal opinion.... Get the Dellortto throttle bodies that replace the carbs, and install an aftermarket programmable FI system like the Megasquirt or, if you have the cash, a pre-assembled FI like a Haltech system.

D7N7MASTER · D7N7MASTER's Garage

When we first bought our '73 2.0 F.I. it barely ran. No power, but it would idle like a champ. Got it home & found that the F.I. wiring harness was so brittle that the insulation would fall in my hands as I was attempting to apply electrical tape to repair. I found this BBS & asked for help. Got plenty - thank you... Ordered a new F.I. harness from BOWLSBY (this bbs), installed the harness. What a difference. No more stuttering. Smooth idle. 1000% improved driveability. Always starts right up when cold. I'll keep my F.I. d-jet components & replace the brain with megasquirt in the near future. As a comparison; I had Kadrons on my 1776 type 1. Used mercury gages to synchronize. Ran great for ohhhh I'd say maybe a day or two. Repeat to maintain. Over & over...

Alfred1 · 02-19-2004, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Clay Perrine
Ok... Here is my .02
Over the 18+ years that I have owned and enjoyed 914s, I have run everything from stock D-Jet on a sotck 2.0 to carbs to a custom built and programmed FI system.

For a COMPLETELY STOCK engine, the factory fuel injection will be the best thing for that engine. It will work better than ANY carburetor setup that you can fit on the engine. Please note that I said "COMPLETELY STOCK". The minute you start making internal engine mods the FI calibration becomes wrong and you need something different.

Clay, some people have slightly modified motors that they say run fine with the tweaked d-jet. For example, check out Geoff Bleyseng's motor's specs in this thread.

dmenche914 · 02-21-2004, 03:58 PM

the stock FI is great, once i went thrut he wires (and soldered all the connectors back to the wire strands) and made sure i had good injectors, good pressure, and took care of vacuum leaks to the sensor, the D-jet ran better than any carb car i have ever owned, added a Pertronix electronic "points", and other than valve adj, and oil change, the engine was maint free for 60000 miles till the car was crushed by an SUV.

friend had several carb converision 1.7 engines, all ran like crap, always tweeking them, finally converted back to FI,a nd no problems.

Remember 34 year old electrical needs to be gone thru, as do vacuum hoses, but then they run great, just like new again.

Many poeple have also said that carbs do not work well with the FI cam installed. Some european 914-4's were sold with strock carbs, I believe they had a different cams, probably solexs I believe, carbs can be made to run right, with right cam and such. But FI is less trouble prone if the electrical is made reliable as when new.

Also I have never heard from friends getting anywhere as good milage with carbs as with FI, again probably a function of wrong cam for carbs being used.

D-jet is nice.

dave