Do I have to drop the motor for this?

[JonG]

Hi all,

Thinking I need to do one of two things for my 1975 914 2.0, and I need some advice here.

I am, for all intents and purposes, the original owner; my dad bought this car new, so assume that the car is bone stock.

This car runs hot; flaps are working, ductwork is all there. I unhooked the thermostat, and everything is definitely open. Even driving around like this, it gets hot.

Timing is OK.

I believe that I have two things to look at - whether or not the oil cooler is plugged up, and whether or not there is debris in the ductwork.

So, is it possible to actually remove the oil cooler with the motor still in the car?

Second, is there any way to get access to the ductwork without removing the motor?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks for the advice!

[76-914]

What is overheating? Your oil temp?? I would validate the gage reading before I chased this too far. Yes, you can remove the oil cooler with the engine in place. Would I? Not again. You will find that removing the engine from these cars is both easy and recommended for many repairs. The engine, tranny and exhaust system come out as one unit, in less than 2 hours.

[JonG]

The problem with engine removal is a total lack of space and time, assuming that I have to do it over more than one day. Also I'm a chicken!

What was so bad about doing it with the motor in the frame?

[wndsnd]

Consider that the engine is 37 years old. I bit on the 2 hour change out and found that the CV bolts were strippped and had to be ground off, the Front engine mounts were rusted completely through the bolts and nuts and had to be cut off, and the Shift linkage had to be cut away. 2 hour turned into 2 days. If the engine has been maintained over all those years, (highly unlikely) and you are a decent mechanic the 2 hours can be done. That being said, I would still take it out for what you want to do...

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The oil cooler can be removed without taking the engine out of the car.

You don't want to, though. It's much easier to drop the motor out and deal with it that way. It might take less time, or it might not, but the amount of swearing and aggravation is very much less.

You can remove the engine tin without removing the engine. You have to disassemble the intake, remove the distributor, and take apart pretty much everything on top of the motor. It's a bit difficult to maneuver the two large top pieces of tin around inside the engine bay (the left-side tin in particular I find to be real beast!) because in part of the thermostat wire and the dipstick tube.

Getting the correct-sized screwdriver on the engine tin screws may not be possible with the engine in the car; the only driver I found that fit the screws properly is very large indeed.

I would drop the motor out, or at the very least drop it down out of the engine bay while leaving it under the car. That would give you some room to work.

--DD

[infraredcalvin]

Originally Posted by wndsnd

Consider that the engine is 37 years old. I bit on the 2 hour change out and found that the CV bolts were strippped and had to be ground off, the Front engine mounts were rusted completely through the bolts and nuts and had to be cut off, and the Shift linkage had to be cut away. 2 hour turned into 2 days. If the engine has been maintained over all those years, (highly unlikely) and you are a decent mechanic the 2 hours can be done. That being said, I would still take it out for what you want to do...

Oh do I hear ya brotha, heres the case if you try to do it the "easy way": imagine the engine in, and those nifty nuts for the cooler strip, or the stud breaks, and whatever oil is left in the case is draining while youre underneath trying to rush to get the engine out, you forget the trans strap, tin gets hung up...

Best to do it right and do it once. If stuff breaks on the way out you replace then, they're on borrowed time anyway... My btdt .02.