Non running 914
 

My son's 914 quit running last week on the highway (I mentioned this in a request for help for my 914). At first I thought it was a bad wire from the coil to the distributor and replaced that. It would start and run a very short time,now nothing. I pulled a plug and it does spark but not real big. There is a strong smell of fuel in the engine compartment. He had it towed to a generic import garage. They say they have tested for vacuum leaks and found none. Claim that compression is only 20-30% and they think the problem is fuel related but can't figure it out. This is a '74 1.8. It does not leak and I did not notice it smoking. I don't know whether or not this mechanic knows what he is doing. Thoughts? Thanks for the help.

Dave

Take it to somebody who knows what they are doing. 914's are quirky compared to other cars. Ask around, try porsche club of america, try anything, but do not let a hack work on your car. I am sure these mechanics are great when it comes to working on Nissans....you get the idea. Have you tried new spark plug wires? Maybe a leaky injector?

Mine did that. I replaced the condensor and, while I had the dizzy cap off, replaced the points, rotor & cap. I went ahead and put new plugs in 'cause I had 'em... Took right off. I set the dwell and timed it. Power up da butt now! It could be just your condensor so start there first. Also, while I was trying to start it and it wouldn't run I had a gas smell in the engine bay too but no leaks. I figured it was the fuel pump & injectors working. Never did find a leak and the smell went away once it started.
Good luck.
bruceSmileWavy

do the 1.8's have the fi trigger points in the base of the dist?

You don't say what kind of injection it is. If it's a 2.0 then it's D Jetronic (which i have, so I can speak with some backround)
I'll assume it's an injection problem since you have some spark, though weak.

Sounds like it's getting way too much gas (fuel smell, dies after a short while). Does it blow black smoke when it does run? could be a cold start injector stuck open, or trigger contact points that are misfiring. If it doesn't blow black smoke, then is your fuel pressure dropping off, maybe plugged fuel filter or fuel pump malfunction.

When it is running, is it hitting on all four cleanly, or idling rough like it's missing on a couple of cyl's. Does your tach behave strangely? that would mean it's an ignition problem.

As to the compression, you can hear a cylilnder that's low on crompression by listening to the engine as the starter spins it. a healthy one will go
na na na na na na na na na
when it's low in one cylinder it would sound like
na na NEH na na na NEH na na na Neh
LoL I hope that 's clear, but it's hard to put into phonics.

I'd get the car away from the shop. You've got 2 914's you better learn how to work on them (your son too) Or if that's not an option, get it to a Porsche or VW specialist. At least there they won't be learning about your car on your nickel.

PD

and if it's a 1.8 it's got L jetronic, disregard the fuel injection stuff. Someone else can give advice on that one.

Good Luck.

PD:)

If it has points, check them for pitting or contamination.

Check for unplugged wires and hoses.

Those are two of the most common "now it doesn't run right" causes.

--DD

Dave,

I'm with the others suggesting you start with basic ignition items first, then move on from there. My 2.0 quite on the highway recently for no apparent reason. Once I got it towed home and checked things out, it was the phenolic rib on the new set of points that had worn down or fell apart within two days (even though I lubed it). This meant I was getting spark to only #1 cyl.

A quick test is to remove the cap and rotor. If you don't want the fuel smell, unplug the fuel pump connector from the underside of the pump. Have someone crank the engine while you watch the points to see if they open and close. If not - there you go, replace the points. If so, then replace cap & rotor and pull plugs. Crank the engine again to see if you're getting spark to all four plugs(make sure the plugs are grounded to -touching- the case). Just work it from there, one thing at a time.

Good luck,