914 serial no, and eng. size
 

Is it possible to link the serial no. of a 914 to the size of its engine?e.g. s/n 4732901017 has a 2 litre motor.Is there anything in that code that reveals the engine size? Also when I am looking at photos of a car some have a plastic PORSCHE plate on the rear vertical(above the bumper)Often these cars are 1.7 or 1.8 litre.Most 2 litre cars if not all, have 914 2.0 on the rear vertical panel?I am trying to buy a 2.0 and I tend to dismiss cars with the plastic plate because they are generally 1.8. Please advise? Geoff

Try these pages.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/technical_specs/914_chassis_info.htm

http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/914tech_specs.htm

having a rear reflector that says "PORSCHE" doesn't mean anything other than someone installed one. Mine has one and the PO drilled huge holes to fit it so it is staying.
All 2.0l cars had the 2.0l badge.

There is nothing in the VIN which denotes what engine came with the car originally. If the emissions stickers are still present on the car, they will tell you which engine was originally fitted. But those won't tell you what engine is in the car now...

Probably the easiest way to tell if an engine has 914 2.0 heads is to check where the intake runner pipes bolt up to the heads. The 2.0 914 heads have three bolts, one up on each side of the pipes, and one down in the middle in between them. The 1.7 and 1.8 heads, and the heads from the 2.0 VW Buses, have four bolts--one on each side, and two down in the middle.

An engine with 2.0 heads is likely to be a 2.0 motor. One without is unlikely to be a 2.0 914 motor.

--DD

There are a few cars around that are being sold as 2 litre cars but in reality have 1.7/1.8 motors rebored to 2.0.Not real original and I guess not as valuable???

Generally, yes. Plus you don't get to a "2.0" displacement (the stock 2.0 displacement is 1971cc) just by increasing the bore. Going to 96mm bore (you usually don't want to go higher with regular cast-iron cylinders) with the 1.7/1.8's 66mm stroke only gets you 1911cc, more of a "1.9" than a "2.0". The 2.0 had a 94mm bore and a 71mm stroke, which means different crank and rods from the 1.7 or 1.8 engines.

The Bus 2.0s are the same displacement as the 914 version, but the Bus heads are not very good. The 2.0 914 heads are the best stock ones for making power, so a motor built to "2.0" specs but without 2.0 heads will not make as much power as the "real thing" will.

Cars with modifications are often not worth any more than unmodified cars--in some cases, they are even worth less than a stock one! That can, depending on a lot of factors, even sometimes include cars with "over-bored" engines. I personally would not value a 1911cc more than a 1.7 engine unless I knew and respected the engine builder.

--DD

Thanks Dave ,I am glad I asked that question.Keep away from rebored motors huh! One more:do the bus engines have a particular numbering that sets them apart from the 2.0 real deal engines.When I am looking at a car I try and get the owner to tell me the eng. no. and where it is.Most dont have a clue and I send them Pelicans pic.Thanks Geoff

The rebored engines aren't bad, necessarily, but I don't personally feel they're worth paying a premium for.

A real 2.0 motor will have the engine number in front of the oil filler (you often have to move some hoses and clean some grime to see it!), and the engine number will start with "GA", "GB", or "GC". The "GA" is from the 73-74 2.0, the "GC" from the 75-76. The "GB" motors are from Europe and are very unusual here in the US.

--DD

Here's some more information for you http://tunacan.net/t4/reference/case.htm .

Bees knees,nine one 4 Thanks

No problem and ... 23 skidoo! :)

Yep, bus 2.0L motors are GD or GE codes and have 67 hp.