[cm0435152]

On July 4th, I purchased my 1975 1.8 ltr Porsche 914. While I knew there were some flaws with the machine, it is just the right color to take to the football games on Saturdays in the fall and there is plenty of room for the tailgating stuff.

Jerry who is my mechanic is a former VW and Porsche guy, and after I got the car, he completed a thorough tune up (about $700) and it runs like a dream. I also have a 1973 Karmann Ghia and you can imagine my delight stepping from the Ghia to the Porsche. However, there remains one major problem.
About every two weeks, it will decide not to start. When that happens, the engine will fire and then die with no possibility of starting again using the key and starter. I do have roadside assistance through my insurance company but they are getting tired of getting behind the Porsche and pushing me so I can “pop the clutch”. Also, the balloon of smoke in which they are engulfed has made them a little reluctant to take the service call. There is no question that the engine becomes flooded when this happens, as the smell of fuel is prominent.

This “push start” process has always worked and after it has been started that way, I am good for a key start for another two or three weeks. I have tried finding parking places on a hill but sometimes those are not available.
In addition to the tune-up (new plugs, wires, clean the injectors, set the timing, new points) my latest effort to fix this has included a rebuilt starter and a voltage regulator since Jerry thought the old starter might have been drawing too many amps. However, the day after the rebuilt starter was installed, I came out of the office and you guessed it. It fired then died and then my call to the towing company. They pushed and we started again.
I wonder if anyone else has had this problem and can help identify what next to replace or investigate. I have discussed replacement spark plugs but Jerry isn’t confident that hotter spark plugs will help either.

I am confident that Jerry has checked all of the normal culprits in his troubleshooting but surely there is a simple reason for this. It seems like a math problem where we are forgetting to carry the one.

Any ideas?

Chucke1