Worst Problem Areas of a 914?

[73ess]

I'm considering purchasing a '73 or '74 2.0 liter 914 and am curious what you all would consider the worst traits of a 914? I've read the old reviews on them. Noisy, lots of oversteer, poor interior, not up to normal Porsche standards, etc... But that was when they were new. Now, I'll bet there are lots of ways to improve a 914's problem areas, eh?

Anyway, would like to hear from you all what you'd consider to be the worst traits of a 914.

[Alfred1]

-- Rust in the "hell hole" area

-- Poor shifting

-- Trying to tune the old d-jet and l-jet sytems


Ways to fix the problems:

-- The Pelican catalog or Restoration Design web site

-- Rennshifter

-- Kit Carlson's new Engine Management System or if you want to retain the d-jet, Brad Anders' web page

The cars with factory sway bars handle very well with some mild understeer when pushed.

[mike mueller]

worst traits of a 914???

the PO, or previous owner

like Alfred mentioned, rust under the battery area can be a problem, and so can the passangers side inside trailing arm mount....

luckly for you, being in the Bay Area, plenty of fine examples still exist....

a perfectly tuned and correct running 914 is pleasure to drive, there are plenty of times that i wish I was driving my 914 instead of my 911, they can be just as much fun or even better at times

[Alfred1]

Oh, and modern seats like Koenig to keep your butt from sliding around when doing what the 914 does best.

[73ess]

Why are the fuel injection systems a pain to tune? They sound pretty simplistic.

[Alfred1]

He really is a 914 newbie! Why are they hard to tune? For the d-jet system, the MPS probably has a lot to do with it. Geoff Bleyseng can probably adjust one for you and it wouldn't hurt to have a troubleshooting guide and VW 1218 tester to help you diagnose problems with the system. The VW 1218s come up on ebay fairly regularly and you might be able to get one for $200 or so.

[jamcleod]

alfred, any way we can see the inside pages of the troubleshooting guide ?

[Biggy72]

you know I bought a book once comparing the 914 to a 240z because I've got a 914 and my step brother's got a 240 and the review basically said teh 240 was hands down a better car, but now that I've driven both I think the 914 is by far a superior car. Once you get used to shifting and put a little sound deadening stuff on the fire wall it's not too bad as long as everything's in good shape and it handles amazing even with just stock stuff for suspension.

[Bleyseng]

A 914 2.0l thats been maintained is a joy to drive compared to a 240Z. My brother had a sweet 72 Z and it was fun going straight but didn' turn worth a damn.

Worst problem area; the battery tray/long/engine shelf- Why? the battery drips acid onto the surrounding metal which slowly rusts weakening the suspension points underneath it. Nickname:hellhole

Tuning a djet car isn't easy but it can be done. Djet is not programable EFI but was set up by the factory.

Geoff

[norustscott]

Tune a d-jet...? It was never ment to be tuned...new part + new part+ new part = Tuned car....

I think the actual tunable points on the D jet system are....hmmmm...fuel pressure, throttle possiton sensor and well nothing. YES, you could tune/adjust the MPS....but why do you think they have that resin plug on the end....

BTW, the tester is to tell you what part to replace....

[SGB]

Hidden rust is not to be taken lightly, and until you remove the rocker panal on the passenger side, poke at the metal around the p side rear suspension attachment point, and look at the floor and firewall on that side from in the car you will just not know. On a 914, the body is the frame, and bondo just ain't structurely sound enough.

[SteveStromberg]

The battery area is the problem in most 914's. replace the wet battery with a Optima.

Lots of info here its a Bus site but good tech info on the Type 4

http://www.ratwell.com/

[Alfred1]

Originally posted by jamcleod
alfred, any way we can see the inside pages of the troubleshooting guide ?

Try this link http://www.seanster.com/vw/VW_MPC_Troubleshooting_Guide.zip but the download is a little slow. The print manual is easier to use because you can see exactly where all the cross referencing lines go ...

[calbrat]

I am moving my battery... that's it. Didn't need to see that picture although mine is 10% of that is. Anyone ever design a plastic battery cover to prevent leakage from running down that side.

[Bleyseng]

Get a Optima as it won't spill acid all over as its sealed

[Alfred1]

My car was originally from California and the hell hole area and the back of the rear trunk are the only real rust problem areas - the driver's side of the engine compartment looks like new. If the previous owner(s) would have just hosed down the hell hole area a couple of times a year with some baking soda, my car would be really solid.

[pbanders]

Originally posted by 73ess
Why are the fuel injection systems a pain to tune? They sound pretty simplistic.

They actually aren't that hard to tune, as there's almost nothing to adjust. The problem with them is that almost any car you get will have D or L-Jet parts that are a mix of new, old, and improper parts, attached to a motor with unknown rebuild specs, ignited by a 35 year old distributor. And when you go out and try to find new or quality rebuilt parts, you'll find they are either NLA, extremely expensive, or junk.

Getting the whole system back to the way the factory delivered it can be expensive and time-consuming. Many owners recently have been going the motor conversion route - putting in a modern motor with modern engine management. It has its advantages.

If you want to stick with D-Jet (on a 1.7 or 2.0L), my web pages should help in getting the FI sorted out. But it won't do any good unless the motor is in stock or near stock configuration, in good to excellent mechanical condition, and if you have a fully restored and operating ignition system.

BTW, carbs are not a panacea for FI problems. They come with their own set of issues, and a good setup isn't cheap, either. For best performance, they generally require a rebuilt to optimize the motor for their characteristics.