Heellllllp!!! Motor rebuild???

[JBaez]

Pelicanites,
I am dying here. I just bought a 914 1.8...all stock. The car had about 160k on it. Ran well..not perfect but adjusted valves and ran relatively smooth. Slight oil leak at rear seal. I drove it about 800 miles and BOOM...smoke pours out of the rear end...grey/white smoke...I pull over and check the oil...seems ok. I waited about 10 minutes..car starts fine get up on the road to get it back home and no smoke..seems to be ok for about 10 minutes and then BOOM..again more spoke pouring out the rear from both sides..and more when I touch the gas. I get her home and she is a quart low. Wait until morning and now the engine smokes on startup and chugs..not good.

What might have happened? If I need a rebuild where is the best source for parts. I want to keep this bone stock, no modifications as this car is a no rust car, all original, fuel injection, etc... Is there a VW source for a rebuild kit? I don't need Jake Raby stuff. Perhaps a top end rebuild kit? Anyone have the best cost parts supplier ideas out there? If so, could you please advise or share your experiences? Anyone know of a good running 1.8 available from 1974?

Thanks to all!!

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

What's the compression read now? I wouldn't be surprised if you showed very low on one or more cylinders...

I think we (Pelican) may carry a gasket kit and other stuff that you would need to rebuild the engine.

--DD

[JBaez]

Dave,
I have not tested the compression yet but i think it's probably safe to say that it's down at least once cylinder...do you think the rings compressed if the car had been sitting for many years and suddenly saw a lot of usage?

[rcrgrl]

if compression is low in just one cylinder, i've heard put a little marvel mystery oil in the spark plug hole then redo your compression test - if its just the rings the oil should bring the numbers up. if its more serious than the rings, like a dropped valve, then the compression would remain low.
good news is dropping the engine & redoing the top end only is pretty easy to rebuild (even I can do it !)

[JBaez]

where can I get the best pricing on a top end rebuild kit?

any ideas?

[chibone_914]

You gonna have to do a complete teardown to see what exactly you will need and what happened and go from there.

[911quest]

You possibly have a loose valve guide

[NOTASIX]

I don't need Jake Raby stuff

Why not? We offer quite a few economical parts for guys just like you.

Perhaps a top end rebuild kit?

If the top end is worn, so is the bottom end and equally... Freshening up just the top generally causes issues as you are asking the WORN bottom end parts to cope with the added compression and tighter tolerances of the newer parts- they don't like that and you'll see this more than likely..

Top end rebuilds are not a wise decision, they are a good way to SPEND MORE money that you are attempting to save.

[JBaez]

Jake,
I hold your shop in the highest regard. I just could not find a stock rebuild kit for a 74 1.8 stock motor. I sent a note in a couple of days ago inquiring about it but had not heard back. I know you all are very busy. What would a full rebuild kit cost?

[hardflex]

Try to narrow it down. Worn Valve guides will allow oil in under high vacuum conditions, such as idle, then burn it when you apply the throttle. Worn rings will be more of a constant smoking under load, and you'll probably get lots of crankcase blow-by too. When you say smoke comes out both sides, that sounds like a leak onto the exhaust pipes, maybe leaky valve cover gaskets or pushrod tube seals. I think the chugging is probably a oil fouled plug, take them out and have a look, because you need to know which cyl is causing the problem. Park over a relatively clean piece of road, and look to see where the oil spots happen, if they do.

At any rate, it seems like it is engine temp related, oil heats up, thins out, leaks. Determine if the engine is getting too hot for some reason. But burning oil for any reason is probably a sign of a worn out engine, and 160k is getting up there.

[JBaez]

Thanks for this insight. I am going to pull the plugs today. If one of the plugs is oily, can I safely assume that it is likely valve related? Also, if I decide to move forward, do you know how difficult it would be to convert to hydraulic valves? I don't rev high and just enjoy the car for what it was meant for. My old Carrera gives me all the high rev thrills I need so this one is more of a top off pleasure vehicle. The valve covers are not leaking but maybe the pushrod seals are. I don't have a temp gauge..only an idiot light which has never come on yet. How long does it take to pull the motor? I have never done it before. Doesn't seem to difficult.

[hardflex]

I'd say about 2 hours to pull the engine, if everything goes well.

I wouldn't do the Hydraulic Valves, not worth it IMHO

They used to tell me if you can't pull the dipstick because it's too hot, the engine is running too hot.

[Joe Ricard]

Well we are waiting to learn what you found out. Sun has been up for hours now.

Did this problem coincide with your valve adjustment? I always look to what I did last as the 1st place to look.

[JBaez]

I actually had the valves adjusted by a mechanic..a former old school Mercedes engineer He said he did overfill the oil on purpose..he had some logic behind doing so, but I am not sure if that could have caused this problem?

If you have to pull the engine.

My take, it has 160,000 miles. Pull the engine take off the heads. Then split the case to check bearings and cam. With high mileage not worth just a head patch without checking these other items.

mike

[NOTASIX]

Originally posted by JBaez
Jake,
I hold your shop in the highest regard. I just could not find a stock rebuild kit for a 74 1.8 stock motor. I sent a note in a couple of days ago inquiring about it but had not heard back. I know you all are very busy. What would a full rebuild kit cost?

No problem... I do not offer a "kit" to take the engine back to a 100% stock spec, but I can cook you up one...

I discourage the use of a bone stock cam, I have had one on the shelf for 7 years that needs to go, however :-)

Do searches on the Hydraulic valve train- its certainly NOT an upgrade!!! Never consider it one, in any regard!

[JBaez]

Jake,
thanks for the note. I would be very interested in a bare bones kit to bring to full stock spec. I am running the original fuel injection and want to keep it that way for originality. I think if you were to stock kits you would have a tremendous demand for those not wanting to modify their motors and there are quite a few of us. Can you send a kit price to me and what it will include to johnrbaez@yahoo.com?

I sincerely appreciate it!
John

[anthony]

I'm pretty sure you can use stock fuel injection with one of Jake's 1911 or 2056 kits with the correct cam. Personally, I'd look at this as the golden opportunity to get the car the power it should have come with from the factory.

I've taken a ride in a 914 with one of Jake's 2056 kits using his D-Jet compatible cam. The car was a screamer compared to my stock 2L. This car would scatch the tires at the shift to 2nd. A hot 2056 will make like 30 to 50 more foot pounds of torque compared to a bone stock 1.8L.

[JBaez]

how much are we look at for the kit on the 1911 that would let me run my stock fuel injection and cam?

[blitzer]

I believe you are getting some good advice here, I'll just reiterate what others have stated based on my personal experience.

I had a head problem, which hosed a piston, so I took the opportunity to rebuild the engine. I didn't buy a kit, but purchased various parts from Jake, 96mm P&Cs, 9550 cam, lifters, etc. needed for the job. These parts won't cost you any more than a stock rebuild and will work fine with your stock injection. If you are enjoying your car now you'll be love it afterwards, the extra HP and torque is a blast.

If you're going through the effort of taking your engine apart, get rid of the stock cam.