Two more questions

[andreic]

Hello all,

I have two new questions for the list.

First topic. Yesterday I discovered that the previous owner had installed the engine support crossbar backwards. (Duh!) Because of this the shifter linkage did not go through the correct hole, and shifting was difficult. I managed to rotate the crossbar without dropping the engine, but when I reinstalled the shifter bar the cone screws did not go all the way in, no matter how tight I tried to screw them in (I did not want to overdo it, so I stopped at some point). Are their heads supposed to be flush with the mounting surface? I can not remember how they were when I took them out. Right now they protrude about 1-2mm (1/16" or so). If they are supposed to go in all the way, what do I need to do to get them in?

Second topic. Current car is a 1975 914-1.8L, about 95k miles, tired engine which has good oil pressure, but leaks oil, burns oil, and has low compression. I have already acquired a 1.8L engine that is taken apart and cleaned, but the building process has been quite complicated, so I am looking at other options. One option I now have is to buy a complete 1.7L engine (1972) with tins, headers, and exhaust for a very good price ($350 or so).

From a visual perspective the engine looks very good, no rust, turns over freely. The engine supposedly has about 80k miles, and shows no leaks. The history is that it was in a 914 that was sometime in the past converted to carburetors, but later the owner started the process of reinstalling the EFI system. In the middle gave up and needed money, so he sold the car. The new buyer just got a new engine and pulled the old one (the one that's for sale) from the car without trying to get it to run (so no tests, compression, oil pressure, etc.). The previous owner had said the engine had run fine before the conversion process to EFI started. The engine has sat for the past 3 years inside a garage, untouched (since it was pulled). The seller seems very trustworthy, so I am inclined to believe this story.

a) What are the odds this engine can be brought to life with only minimal work? How complicated is the EFI system and how hard is it to get it back to life? Supposedly all the EFI parts are already installed, just not all of it is hooked up and started. The motor comes with a few EFI brains, supposedly all in working order. (I am very good with all things electrical/electronic.)

b) If I get it to run well, and it turns out to have good oil pressure and compression, should I just use it? Will it make similar or better power as my current 1.8L?

c) If I get it to run, and it has good oil pressure, but not good compression, would it make sense to just do a cylinder and head replacement, and put new pistons/cylinders/heads from the 1.8L I already have apart? (I have new 1.9L cylinders, and most of the work on the heads appears to have already been done.) Is the EFI system from a 1.7L compatible with the 1.8L? Or if I go to the 1.8/1.9L, is it easier to just give up on the EFI and just switch to dual carbs?

To explain my train of thought, I know the engine in my car needs to be fixed up sometime, but I don't want to pull it out until I have a working engine to put in, since I love to drive the car around and the car is very much drivable as it is.

Thanks,
Andrei.

[beatnavy]

I offer the following:

1. Can't remember how far my cone screw protrudes from the coupler (or at the shift console), but you can strip the threads if you over-tighten. You probably should order new screws as well. People normally recommend getting new ones, and some people, IIRC, advise using thread lock. Since I'm not about to crawl under my car just now, here's a pic from Pelican tech articles. Looks like it protrudes a bit:



2. 1.7L engines were rated at close to 80HP, and 1.8L EC engines were rated at about 75HP. A mildly tired 1.7 should be at least as strong as a significantly tired 1.8L. I liked my 1.7L D-Jet. But I do like my 2056 better.

3. Getting the FI injection to work again is all dependent upon the shape of the EFI components - and there are quite a few of them. If you include the wiring harness, injectors, fuel pump, MPS, ECU, etc., etc. Assuming yours would all be serviceable, then getting it to run is not too hard. Getting it to run WELL can take weeks (or months in my case) of fiddling. Does the 1.7L come with the dizzy too?

4. EFI on 1.8L used L-Jet. EFI on 1.7L and 2.0L uses D-Jet. They are significantly different in terms of how environmental variables are sensed (different sensors). I'm honestly not sure how hard it is to put a D-Jet on 1.8L or a L-Jet on 1.7 or 2.0L, but it would seem to not even be worth it to try (my guess), although I'm sure someone's done it. Just because they can.

Didn't answer all your questions, but maybe that helps.

[andreic]

Thanks a lot, that helps plenty! Question -- assuming it was well maintained (a big if) is 80k on a type IV motor a lot, or can I hope to get another 20-30k miles out of it? Most helpful answer would break down the answer between the short block and cylinders/heads.

[Tobra]

Cone screws are pretty much one use only, I use blue thread locker on them too

The 1.7 and 2.0 run off trigger points in distributor, the 1.8 is air flow controlled, totally different systems.

Just because the seller "seems" reliable, I would not assume that they are, particularly because they are telling you what the prior owner of the motor told them. The 1.7 is cheap because it is not worth much, even if in excellent shape.