about to execute my 914

[eric_ciampa]

Ok so maybe execute is a strong word... I do love her but i bought a "great running" 74 1.8L and I have ony had her for about 2 1/2 months and she has spend more time broken then driving. so i am very frustrated.
Ok i posted the "help 1.8L fuel problems" last week. See the thread for more backround info on my problems. Basically my car idles unevenly, cuts out, backfires, basically like shes chocking to death. My fuel pump works but it makes noises sometimes. gets louder and eventually slows down. a few times after i "though" i fixed the problem i tried to drive it and broke down yet again not 2 miles from home. here are the repairs i have made so far.

because of my kinds of problems i was having and the fact that my fuel pump was making noises (which led me to believe that the problem was before the pump) i concentrated my efforts before the pump. so far i have...replaced the fuel filter....replaced all the fuel lines from the fire wall and around fuel pump... I have checked for kinked lines and found none. cleaned my air filter and checked for vacume leaks...replaced hoses by my fuel rails...pulled and cleaned my gas tank and replaced those lines. AND I STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM! Right now i am thinking that my pump is on the way out...could it be electrical and if so where...i have thought about the fact that my injectors could be clogged but all off them? All four cylnders seem to be effected. CAN anyone help me. i think i have covered pretty much the whole FI system and i am lost. If you guys can assist that would be great because im in a bind

[brain009]

Not too sure about fuel pumps, maybe someone else can answer that part for you. Here's a few things that I did to get mine running good. Checked the points, dwell, and timing - my timing was off quite a bit. Replaced the cylinder head temp sensor, after taking out the old one I found some exposed wire on the lead - if this is loose it can cause "sputtering" and misfiring. Replaced all of the vacuum lines, even the ones that "looked" good, actually had two of them snap in half while I was removing them. Also, checked all of the "T" fittings while I was at it (had to replace one of those with a crack in it). Take a look at this thread as well, it helped me along with a lot of the problems I was having. HELP with 1.8 FI

[Zeke]

Replaced all of the vacuum lines, even the ones that "looked" good, actually had two of them snap in half while I was removing them. Also, checked all of the "T" fittings while I was at it (had to replace one of those with a crack in it).

Excellent advice. And make sure you use the metric ones. This is a routine maintenance item that should probably be done every five years or so. Then check the grounds of all the wiring and all connectors. With all the little things in order, you then can reliably check FI components.

[SummerSledSix]

Eric, I had issues with my fuel pump too, turned out the ground wire wasn't. I have a '76 with the fuel pump located under the gas tank up front. Don't know what model year they moved it there, but when they did, the quick connect clip they used to connect the ground wire to the chassis is a major hack. The clip corrodes over time and the ground connection gets very iffy, resulting in flaky fuel pump operation. I ran a dedicated ground wire back to a ground on the fuse panel, and haven't had a problem (with the fuel pump) since.

Your fuel pump could be getting tired, but check that your electrical connections and wires are in good shape. Also, when you cleaned the tank, did you clean / replace the little fuel strainer screen?

[dave blackburn]

I have a 75 1.8L. My fuel pump makes wierd noises also but it runs great. A few of the thigs I had to do to get it running good was replace the air bypass valve (check this by clamping the hose shut from the air box after its been running for a few minutes) replace all the vacume lines and check the timing and dwell. I have found that a multi meter for checking voltage and continuity is invaluble. Check your fuel pump by disconecting the ground wire from the pump and check the resistance from the wire to a good ground. Any more than a few ohms resistance meens you have a bad ground. You can check the positive side by disconecting the + wire from the pump and measure the amps drawn when the pump is on. If it fluctuates lots check the fuel pump relay, fuse and the air flow meter (this turns the pump on when air passes the meter and makes the air flap move turning on the fuel pump relay). Hope this helps a little. Good luck, Dave

[Joe Bob]

One thing I remember about "L Jet" fuel injection....the gasket in the oil cap needs to seal correctly. The FI likes pressure in the crankcase....

[mike95125]

Dont forget to check your fuel pressure at the rail. If your pressure is good then your car should run. If there is a significant drop in pressure when crancking then you know in which direction to look. You can adjust the pressure at the regulator. If pressure is good, and you are quite certain that the injectors may be clogged, remove one bank of injectors at a time and crank your engine with the injectors aiming into a suitable container. Repeat on other side. If you get juice then your next bet would be the FI points, etc. I personally would check the spark, timing, dwell angle, and definetly the CHT sensor because if it goes out it will cause your mixture to go very rich, enough so that if intermittent it will kill your engine. Try Brad Anders web page for the particulars. It is cheap and relatively easy to do all of these checks and with the results you will be able to narrow down at least which system is causing the head ach. Good luck!
Mike

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Mikes advice is great for D-jet EFI, not the L-jet that Eric's car has. A bit less than half of it applies to L-jet. (Brad Anders' page, for instance, is about D-jet only.)

There are L-jet tech articles in a number of places. Some of the VW Buses (2.0 ones, I think) used L-jet. There are tech articles on http://www.type2.com , and elsewhere.

--DD

[24flys]

You might want to check the dwell angle. I don't know anything about 1.8's but my 1.7 was doing the same thing and my points were way off. just a thought


scott

[eric_ciampa]

Thanks for your guys responce... I guess i will start on this list that you guys have given me. I am doing these repairs in my driveway with the limmited tools that i have. I am new to the 914's but i am also reletively new to automotive work as well. I actually like working on her. Thats one of the reasons i bought the 914. My problem is that i lack the experience and the means( like A inline fuel pressure gauge) Plus my other car ( 760 volvo) is also sick and in the shop so all my vehicals are down and i am pulling my hair out. but i will see what i can get done. Thanks guys your ideas are pricless

[rfoulds]

I have the same car, same engine, same problems. If you are new to 914's and relatively new to wrenching, try these 2 EASY things that will most likely make a difference:

As MikeZ said, Replace oil filler gasket. It sounds stupid but, if that doesn't seal well, the car runs like crap. its a thick gasket right under the oil filler cap assembly. The whole thing is held on by a bale wire and has to hold on TIGHT!(why did they use those things? What's wrong with bolting something on?) Pull back the bale wire and remove the assembly. BE CAREFUL to not let anything fall down into the crank case, inlcuding pieces of the old gasket!

Replace the Temp Sensor II. this is one of those little $20 parts that is a cheap and easy thing to change out and can solve a lot of crap. Its available here at Pelican (link below). I paid $35 for mine elsewhere, stupid me.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/9144/por_9144_fuelij_main.htm

[bowlsby]

Where in Nor Cal are you Eric, there is may be someone nearby who might be willing to stop by.

[Peter_Hinkle]

Don't know if you have checked this yet and it may sound far fetched but it solved my problem. I had a situation where my car would run ok sometimes and then out of nowhere, it would idle like cr@p and eventually quit altogether. It turned out that the fuel pump relay was intermittantly failing. The best way to check to see if this is your problem is tto pull the actual cap off of the relay on the relay boar d and using a insulated plastic object, push down on the top of the relay's contacts (basically just push down on the top of it with the cap off). When I tried this, my car would not even start and as soon as i pushed on the relay, it fired up immediately and ran perfect. As soon a I let off of it, it continued to run but horribly. I replaced the relay and never had another problem with it... HTH peter

[eric_ciampa]

Thanks guys...I am still working on the problem. Sometimes she fires and runns like a champ. Until about the time i think i solved the problem them back to the same old routine. Anyways... I am working on those suggestions you guys gave me. here are some things that i should mention...
1st. i am not sure whats going on, but after i cleaned the tank and put it back in the car fuel lines are breaking everywhere! Even places i have never touched. From the lines to my fuel pump to the line going into my fuel rail. they just keep blowing.
2nd. My good old father was helping me and he wanted to adjust my air/fuel mixture. ( the screw by the airflow meeter) anyways he forgot how far he went and just generally screwed it up. How do i know about where to place the screw. how manny turns and so on.
My normal mechanic was busy and couldnt get to my car for over two weeks and so i called another place to get an estimate on a Diagnostic and/ or tune up. He said it would be $125 for a diagnostic and over $400 for a quick tune up. Is it just me or is that kinda steap! anyways so it doent look like shes going to any shop soon
Oh ya and the guestion was asked where i lived. I live up the hill from Sacramento. By Placerville ...just in case you were wondering. thanks guys... one day she might run

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Replace the fuel hoses. All of them. Now. I mean it--fuel spraying out at 30+ PSI is a bad, bad thing! The hoses should be replaced every couple-few years regardless.

I don't think there's a really good "rule of thumb" as to where to put the idle mixture adjustment screw. You might see what setting it to "about the middle of the range of adjustment" does... The best way to tell is probably on a CO tester.

$400 for a tune-up could be rather high, or could be just fine. Depends on what a "tune-up" includes, which varies depending on who is doing the work...

BTW, the last time I went through Placerville was in about April. In a tow truck, with the roommie's dead Toyota 4x4 being dragged behind. Heck of a way to end a ski weekend, with a ~200 mile tow...

--DD

[tracer]

Eric, When I get my rig back on the road I would be able to compare some notes on our cars. Both are 1.8 and I live about 15 miles from you. If you can, get all the vacuum and fuel hoses ordered from Pelican and replace them all, then you will know what it isn't. You will not be chasing a bunch of problems down for nothing. My cyl head temp sensor went wacky and was really causing mine to run really bad, replaced it and fixed 3 different problems.

[eric_ciampa]

Ok guys... We have narrowed down the problem. this only happends after the car has warmed up to just over 120F. Then whe sputters and dies. Its not my cold start valve because we tried it with it in and out and no difference. We checked (with a voltage meeter) my condencer and bunches of other things. We immediatly thought it was a heat temp sensor but it tested out ok. Im now thinking abotu my thermo-time switch. so thats the update. tonight i will try to test that and we will go from there. thanks eric

[tracer]

Eric,

Mine did the same thing after it warmed up, cyl head temp sensor tested fine also, but with a new one have not had any more problems.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The only function of the thermo-time switch is to turn the cold-start valve on and off. It almost certainly isn't the problem.

--DD

[rfoulds]

Replace the head temp sensor anyway. Cheap fix, and a good chance it will solve it. Remember, I replaced mine twice in one year, before it solved the problem.