two questions: sway bar + overheating

[oredith]

part one: i've got the stock sway bar in my 914, would changing them to the weltmesiter be considered an upgrade?.. or is it just a subsitute for the 914s that didn't come with them stock?
part two: i've been running into problems overheating. symptoms: after 15-20 minutes on the freeway, the head temp gets up to about midway on the gauge. car continues to run great if i'm keeping up the speed. Once i get off the freeway or slow down, the car has a huge delay on throttle response, i have to rev it up to about 3000 before i can even let up on the clutch, much less, and the rev drops INSTANTLY and threatens to stall. I've been told to check the thermostat that controls the flaps,but i'm a bit confused on the way the flaps and the thermostat works, when it heats up, does the thermostat expand and let-up on the cable?.. or does it contract and pull on the cable?..
(which way opens the flaps?..)

thanks in advance,

Jeff

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The stock front swaybar is something on the order of 16mm in diameter. The smallest of the Weltmeister bars that I know of is 19mm. That would be considered something of an "upgrade".

The thermostat, when warm, expands. The wire goes slack, and the spring on the flap crossbar twists the crossbar up and forward.

I'd be tempted to check the warm resistance of the head temp sensor, myself...

--DD

[oredith]

thanks for the info dave,
just to clarify, the natural state of the flap, if it isn't held down by the cable, is open? if that's the case, my car's been running with it open all the time, any other ideas about possible cause for my heat? thoughts on the slow throttle response?
thanks again,

Jeff

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

When there is no cable attatched, the spring should hold the flaps open. The lever on the crossbar will swing up and forward. The wire from the thermostat pulls the lever down and aft when the thermostat is cold.

I don't know about the overheating. I don't really even know what kind of temps constitute overheating in the heads. But for the driveability problem, I'd be tempted to see whta the hot resistance of the head temp sensor is.

Of course, that would put it into the category of checking the fuel system, which means you should check out the ignition system first.

--DD

[oredith]

I've varified that the flap IS open all the time when i'm driving (up & forward).. are there adverse effects to that?
I'm not sure i'm clear on what you mean but the "hot resistance of the head temp sensor" and how it relates (please excuse my ignorance, i'm just really glad there are guys like you to direct me)
and finally, i've been trying to upgrade to electronic ignition (allison) for a while, but haven't been able to find that slotted disk for the distributor, any pointers on where to buy one?
thanks again,

Jeff

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The head temp sensor screws into the right-side head near the #3 spark plug wire. That's on a 2.0; on a 1.7 or 1.8, it's probably closer to the intake pipe than the plug.

This sensor tells the FI how hot the motor is; cooler motors need more fuel then warmed up ones.

Unplug the sensor from the wiring harness, and measure with an ohmmeter from the connector to the (-) battery post. The resistance when the engine is cold should be somewhere between 1500 and 2500 ohms. When the engine is warmed up, the resistance should be low--somewhere less than 100, most likely. Too high a resistance will make for too rich a mixture, and the engine will try to die when warm.

Check Kjell Nelin's article on the 914 Fan Page website: http://www.914fan.net . It has a lot of good tests and explanations of the stock D-jet FI system. If you have a 1.8, the Haynes manual has a bunch of tests you can do to the FI parts. If you hvae carbs, check into one of the carb books.

Good luck!

--DD