Starting a 914 that has sat around forever

[JP Noonan]

First I apologize if this mesage has been sent before but the BBS has been giving me problems.

Has anyone else started a 914 that has sat in a barn for 8 years after becoming a home for several mice. THe story is long and involoves parts from 2 other cars but it says a great deal about how hardy the type-IV engine is and just how cheaply, not correctly mind you, but how cheaply one can get a Type-IV running. I have also found many hoses and other radom parts that are availible locally and are an acceptable subsitute for the German metric parts. By local I mean Pep Boys and NAPA. Pelican is still the best source for parts but if you burn through a line in the middle of Colorado on a Sunday this may help you out.

[Brian R]

Try 15 years! It was in a garage though. I brought it home, replaced the fuel pump and started it up. It needed a few leaky lines replaced, but that was all. I ended up autocrossing it for an entire season untouched.

[JP Noonan]

I wish it was that simple! I thought I was lucky. The 1.7 I started came from a mouse infested 72, it was so bad that while cleaning the engine I found little green pellets under the warm air guide. I assume these were rat poison. The body was so gone that when I opened the trunk I could see the muffler and my feet. When I opened the engine lid, with the help of a pry bar to get it out from under the truck lid, I saw the fuel pump zip tied to a brake line and there again were a pair of size 10 Nike shoes. The engine was so covered in oil and pine needles I didn't dare try to start it. After dismantling the tin ware, cleaning the block, and replacing a few choise seals it is running in a 74 with a 73 2.0 D-Jet. I'm still tunning the motor, but it did make it up and down the steet a few times till the local police took interest in the 96 tag. Oh well no ticket just a friendly warning. Some police must have good taste in cars, either that or pity.

[Wayne 962]

If it's anyone who knows about what us 914 owners go through, then it's definitely pity...

-Wayne

[JP Noonan]

Here is an update if anyone is interested.
Got "Collectable" plates today. It seems anything over 20 years qualifies in Florida, good thing it dosen't matter that my '14 looks like a reject from "Road Warrior". I even have the one seat, passenger side full of parts look. It must be the fact that my car is "happy damit" yellow and instead of a mean old junkyard dog copilot, I've got a white west highland terrior called "Happy" (my mom named her O.K.) Anyway Happpy and I took the 74 with a 114,000 mile 72 1.7 and 73 2.0L D-Jet for a spin. Lots-o-smoke came from the heat exchangers, the privious 1.8 had a loose front main seal so the exchangers are full of oil. The cars pulls hard (for a 914) and revs good.However there are a few problems.
There is a persistant knocking, of coarse the deck lid and rear window are not installed so it is a little easier to hear. It might be the valves, I adjusted them a little loose because the adjustment lugs were so pitted. Also I haven't had any luck using my dwell meter, and without the dwell set the timing will be off.
Also the car shudders horriblly off idle in first gear, I have heard that Porsche cutches need more gas off idle and I'm not real good at manual trans cars anyway. The other reason could be the fact that the flywheel and pressure plate had rust and were used but hey it work don't it?

[JP Noonan]

Wayne notified me that my E-mail was entered wrong. Gee could it be that I can't even spell my own name? This should instil confidence in all those I have given advise to, right?
Anyway the e-mail should work now if anyone wants to get ahold of me. Its not like I sit around the computer all day, loging on checking mail or anything. No I have a life, really I do, it is called a Porsche 914.

[JP Noonan]

Just another update if anyone else is starting an old motor. The oil FINALLY burned out of the heat exchangers (nice SS ones so the oil couldn't just leak out). The clutch is getting better, either that or I'm getting better at the clutch. The disc was pretty new from the 74 1.8 but the pressure plate was not indexed or rebuilt at the time of disc replacement. Add to this the P.O. had left them out in the rain so I needed to use a gasket sraper and Scotch Brite pads on them. I think the clutch is burning itself to an early grave because the mis-match of parts (the flywheel was not resurfaced from the 72) I smell it every time after I drive. I'm waiting untill I put in the 2.0 crank then I'll buy a new clutch package from Pelican.
The injection is apart right now because of a weird misfire/stumble proplem that I think can be traced to rust in the dist. on the cam lobes and advance weights. Never would of thought of this one because I rebuilt the dist. about 3 weeks ago when I put in the motor, but I just happened to take off the cap for more clearence and spotted the rust. As Dave Darling (and just about everyone else) says START WITH THE IGNITION!
While everythings apart I'll replace the rest of the seals I didn't before. The vaccuum leak must be in the air distribution box, the intake runner boots, or the throttle body gasket. Everything else is new, but after the distributor thing I'm going to see if everything is installed properly.

P.S. Talked to Wayne today, its nice to have a parts dealer call you back. It's even better when they call you back and know what the hell they're talking about. Wayne takes the time to get it right, and if he needs to check on something he does. I've found in the past with other companies (I used to work for a NAPA in Ohio) that having a counterman who knows about your car and his parts makes all the difference. Wayne knows his stuff. (So what if Wayne promised to give me a 916, if he didn't I would still say nice things.)