Need Advice on first 914 from a 912 guy

[Morrie]

Hi Guys,

I am jumping over from the 912 board. My cousin in Minnesota is looking at a 914 and I only know enough to be dangerous. If one of you guys has time, could you look over his notes and share come comments with me?

Thanks fellow Pelican Heads!

Morrie in Texas
67 912
68 912
http://www.texas912.org


From "Cousin Mike":

i drove this car, for 10 minutes... started right up, but hard steering to left, easier to right... brakes worked, but wasnt sure if they were sticking and causing the pulling, or what.... brakes felt like pushing a board against the wheel - no grinding at all.. but zero power steering aid... really unsure.... like no grip--- i would not feel comfortable braking hard... but still, i was babying the car on a first test drive (and trying to find 1st)...

the thing that i most want to know right away is instrument related. the dash picture - what are the light to left of left gage - it was a red lamps about 1 cm wide... and it was ON red and constant during my drive... i think it had a B on it.... and just above it, one of the pie slice shaped lamps inside the instrument on the left...(center was tach, right was speedo, far left was a collection of lamps/idiot lites).... the one that was flashing red was the upper left most pie shaped light... i think it had a G on it (or it had a B and the other light had a G - i dont recall)...

what are these? is it just 'low Gas' or 'Generator' or 'Brakes' (fluid low?)

also... there was blue vapor coming up from UNDER the center of the dash - he said it was just from the heat exchangers sucking smoke from the back end ... been too long since he drove it.....

i plan to test drive this this week... the books all say that ALL 914s have rust...but, this one has very little that i can see.... near spotless trunks (both ends) and only tiny bit on door..... nothing scary... but thats why i want it up on a lift before i get serious at all. right now, its just a LOCAL car thats worth investigating and learning whats what about 914s.. thats all... but it does have the style and options id be interested in..... so, im not writing it off completely.... know what i mean?


its a 1972... so... 80 HP D-Jet FI engine.... 5 speed... and ALL there....

[SGB]

Woah!
Sounds like terminal frame problems to me- almost certainly rust of passenger side rear suspension area- that is a pretty big repair effort.
"B" light is brakes- I bet master cyl is bad
"pie wedge" light is parking brake. Uh, it should go off when brake lever left side of drivers seat is lowered.
"G" is generator. It does not flash, but if it is on then output is inadequate.
Smoke is from oil leaking onto heat exchangers. Seems like more than most though. Mine has smoked once when I didn't get the valve cover on right. Typically, a slight aroma of burnt oil after the car gets warm, but then it goes away. It should only come into the car if the heat is on.
I think I would look carefully at this one. It seems to have more than enough problem areas.
I think you should be wary

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Stock 914s have four lights in the "combo gauge"--the one on the left.

Most 914s have a big red warning light in the top of the combo gauge. This light will blink when either the handbrake handle is up, or when the switch in the master cylinder detects a loss of brake system pressure (like when you bleed the brakes, for instance). Or both. The MC switch will stay "set" until you manually reset it, so the blinking light does not necessarily mean that something is bad now.

There should be a green oil pressure warning light. If this light is on solidly when the car is running, turn the engine off ASAFP.

There is a red light for the charging system. This is not as critical as in a 911 or 912, where the light coming on often means the fan is no longer turning... The 914's fan is bolted directly to the crank, so the red light is not a "will start overheating now" light.

There is also an orange "low fuel" light inside the fuel gauge that is at the bottom of the combo gauge housing.

Rust. Exterior rust doesn't mean a huge amount, except as it indicates the presence of rust below the surface. The important places to look for rust are mostly not easily visible without crawling in/on/around/under the car. Things like the "hell hole" in front of the battery tray, the firewall, the floorpans under the carpet, the longitudinals behind the rocker panels, etc.

The car has some cosmetic issues at the very least. It also has mechanical issues--the steering and the brakes. If the structural parts of the car actually check out solid, this could be an interesting project car to buy for relatively cheap. If the guy wants more than a few grand for it, just walk away. If your cousin wants a driver and not a project, walk away. He should be able to find something nice and solid and running for not much more.

--DD

[Morrie]

Thanks Dave and Scott! I guess the guy is asking 3500 for it, which seems a bit much to me. The guy got the car from an uncle.. who was original owner. ALL The documents, and i mean ALL the documents are in the car... very complete...

I have some pictures, the car looks pretty in the pics, but we all know how that goes. I will be up there from Texas next monday, and may go look at it with Cousin Mike. We'll take it and get it up on a hoist and look it over... any pointers there?

I am 'corrupting' my cousin, who is a dyed in the wool Mopar guy. I think he has the Porsche bug..... poor fella, we gotta feel bad for him!


Morrie

[Alfred1]

Look closely at these areas of the car. Below the battery is the worst place for rust in a 914.

[Morrie]

Thanks Alfred and all, I really appreciate the advice. You guys have me itching to get a 914 now!

Morrie

[lmcchesney]

Morrie, local availability can be a problem. There are a few KNOWN 914's on this and the other 914 board in the classified section available. Yeah, it involves a road trip, but then again, the inspection is already done. Shipping pictures for cosmetics is able to be done. I did this years ago with one of my sons and had a blast, and got a good one. Check this site:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-914-used-parts-sale-wanted/
http://www.914club.com/classifieds/index.php?cat=21
L. McC

[AaronM]

Yeah, if he's willing to make a trip to NW Ohio I've got a '76 2.0 for sale that is in much better shape than the description he gives of this other one. It's listen in the for-sale thread. The thing about my driving back from Pitt and the cost is just to discourage people who are just fantasizing and not really "in the market". Your cousin is quite welcome to come and have a look at my car.

As for his notes, it sounds like the car has some issues. Most all 914's below $5,000 or so will have one or two quibbles, but the things he mentions seem to me to be indicative of more issues than I'd want to deal with.

Aaron