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Posted by: rcautox Apr 21 2021, 03:13 PM

Hi! I’m trying to get a 75 914 I recently purchased running again. The previous owner said the car ran fine years ago but believes an electrical problem sidelined it. I’ve taken care of the basics:
Drained & cleaned the fuel tank
Replace fuel filter
Replaced air filter
Change oil
New plugs & wires (forward driver side plug is a PITA!)
Will change tranny fluid

Prior owner left 3(!) Haynes manuals but I’m having trouble identifying a couple of unplugged items.
What does this blue plug connect to?
What does this semi-hard white tube connect to?
Assume I should have a hose going into the air box (arrow)?
Why do I have 2 ground connections going to the battery?

Funny enough the car was in the garage of a house we ended up purchasing. Made an offer on the house and on a lark offered for the 914 plus a 72 914 parts car. I have a 91 VW Vanagon. Hated the VW engine so much I replaced it with a Subie engine and here I am back with a small VW engine...guess I’m a glutton for punishment!


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Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 21 2021, 03:29 PM

It's an '75 Ljet 1.8

first pic, not sure but cold start valve?" It should plug into something close by.
2nd/ pic, vacuum off the dizzy.
3rd not sure
4th WTF....obviously having ground issues

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 21 2021, 03:40 PM

Ok so you have a 1.8 L jetronic FI
Ljet hates vacuum leaks so every hose, injector seals, gaskets, the oil cap seals.... everything has to be perfect or you're spinning your wheels.

Clean all your grounds , make sure you have a transmission to body ground strap, battery connection and at the body, under relay console, etc. Get rid of the extra ground cable crap, I wouldn't be surprised if the old OE cable has a dead short and needs replacing. Where that attaches to the body clean real good to bare metal.

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 21 2021, 03:49 PM

Pic #2 big red hose is kinked, I don't remember device that from my '74 1.8, part of a smog pump?

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 21 2021, 03:54 PM

Pic #2 circled goes to charcoal evaporative canister

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 21 2021, 04:01 PM

Pic #3 see the funky hoses going into the Y looking thing and into the big black intake hose, that will never ever work with an Ljet system.
I mean it, the Ljet system has to be like a frogs asshole...watertight.... okay airtight.

Posted by: rcautox Apr 21 2021, 07:56 PM

Thanks for the help.

The Y into the air box is in fact loose as can be. I can throw a 1" worm clamp on the 2 hoses but what can I do to secure the Y fitting at the intake hose?

It looks like the PO bypassed the cold start. Fair enough but he pulled the valve w/o plugging it. I found the valve in the box 'o spares. I'll reinstall since everything I've read indicates this is not likely to be the source of any issues and living in AK I imagine I'll need its assistance someday...

I also found the charcoal evaporative canister in a box of spares. I'll look at reinstalling it after refilling.

Good catch on the kinked red hose. I'm moving it to follow the lower red hose to eliminate the kink.

I'm going to run a new ground from tranny to battery and another run from chassis to battery eliminating the weird setup the PO setup.

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Apr 21 2021, 08:09 PM

If you want to sell it someone on here is looking for a palma green 914. What is the paint code from the square plate at the front drivers door jamb?

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 21 2021, 09:10 PM

The transmission strap, there's a M8 lug on the bottom of the trunk just above the transmission, it's just a short strap that bolts to the top of the nosecone.

I can see that one hose is dry rotted, the red hoses are wrong, etc.
It's going to cost a few bucks but just get the correct new hoses, oil cap seals (inner and outer), injector seals.
Ljet is a great system, but I'm not kidding about the vacuum leaks, save yourself the aggravation and do it right.

Posted by: rcautox Apr 21 2021, 09:15 PM

L 95 K -yep Palma green

Feel free to have whoever is interested shoot me a PM keeping in mind I'm in Alaska.

Posted by: rcautox Apr 21 2021, 09:17 PM

Yes, I'd rather spend a bit upfront on new hoses rather than worry which one is causing an issue. I was just looking at AA's hose kit but looks like mixed reviews on getting the correct lengths?

Posted by: JeffBowlsby Apr 21 2021, 09:30 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=7797

Posted by: Spoke Apr 22 2021, 03:55 AM

In the last picture with the battery cables, it looks like a side mount battery was used and the original top clamp ground cable was not used. The positive cable looks to be modified for a side mount battery.

In the first picture, is there a wire going to the bottom of the distributor? Should be a connector with 3-4 wires for the contacts for the injectors. How many connections are on that connector?

Oh, BTW, all 914's were running before being parked....

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 22 2021, 06:25 AM

I don't think so '75 only has the 2.0 Djet or the 1.8 Ljet, that looks like an Ljet plenum.
Ljet dizzy doesn't have FI trigger points.

Posted by: ejm Apr 22 2021, 07:35 AM

The hard plastic hose in pic 2 goes to a fitting on the charcoal canister. Same for the fitting on the air filter housing in pic 3. There should be a fitting on the fan housing or engine tin for the third port on the charcoal canister.

The kinked red hose goes to the decel valve and shouldn't affect starting or running.

That engine also has an EGR valve and was likely a California emissions car. Check the door jam or engine compartment label for the compliance statement.

Posted by: ndfrigi Apr 22 2021, 08:57 AM

addition to Mark’s response.

1. looks like cold start valve was bypass. white tube connected the fuel line instead passing the cold start valve. Wire plug is for the cold start valve.

2. check diagram (edited: ooopps! yup didn’t notice line coming from engine which is evap line)

3. charcoal canister line

4. additional extension from body ground could be all the way to the transmission? if yes, need good ground from top of tranny to rear trunk floor.

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 22 2021, 09:33 AM

I was wrong about #2, it does happen...often.

#2 is the line from the gas tank to the EVAP canister, you can tell if you follow the line to the bottom where it exits below the right console.

#3 makes sense because #2 is disconnected and the OP says the EVAP canister is in a box of parts.

Posted by: rcautox Apr 22 2021, 02:10 PM

Thanks for all of the help folks! This is far more fun than finishing my taxes.

I think the angle is making it look like a side mount. PO had a Walmart special w/top terminals. I recycled it for an Odyssey 925. Do I need to run the ground from chassis and transmission or can I simply run from tranny to battery?

I cannot easily see the bottom of the distributor but at a quick glance I see a black and red wire plugged in near the base with the wires going to the coil. Looking at the Hot Spark instructions left behind I'm fairly certain that explains those wires. I see 2 black wires and 1 red going from coil to what I imagine are the injectors? Side note-why combine the 2 black wires on 1 female spade when there is room on the coil for separate connections?

I'm including an annotated photo and a simplified diagram of the distributor & coil wiring.

Logically I get that all old VW/Porsche were running but sometimes I wonder!

Posted by: rcautox Apr 22 2021, 02:21 PM

I don't see any compliance statement on the door jam. I'll look around the engine compartment for one. I'd like to steam the engine to clear the dust but nervous about water egress and this stage.

Posted by: rcautox Apr 22 2021, 02:31 PM

I'm assuming, given the need for an air tight system, I need to reconnect the EVAP & cold start? The former looks easy enough (famous last words) but the latter appears to have suffered heat/fire along lower half of the hose connections!?


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Posted by: rbzymek Apr 22 2021, 03:02 PM

You will need to make or buy a gasket for the cold start valve and mount it to the plenum. That will seal the plenum from a very large leak. You should be able to start it without a functioning CSV but plan on replacing the melted one. It will be OK as a temporary plug.

Posted by: rcautox Apr 22 2021, 04:48 PM

Can I just get some gasket maker, plug the CSV back in and reconnect hoses for now? The electrical connections look ok, it's the male hose connections that appear to have had an issue.

Posted by: Mark Henry Apr 22 2021, 04:59 PM

That's not how that hooks up, the part on the left is the fuel pressure regulator.

Ljet fuel in goes to the 3/4 fuel rail then to the CSV, then to the fuel rail 1/2 side then the presurre regulator (that's bolted to the tin upright just past #1 and a hose across the back to the return line.

Add to your list all new fuel hose 5/16" (close enough to 8mm), minimum rating SAE 30R9 FI hose.
Since the CSV is part of the fuel line I wouldn't connect it till you have a better part.

Posted by: ejm Apr 22 2021, 05:36 PM

And not the correct regulator for L-jet. That's a D-jet part. The L-jet regulator is not adjustable and has a small vacuum hose running to it. Yours should be in the left rear corner near cyl 1

Posted by: 930cabman Apr 22 2021, 06:21 PM

Watching closely, it looks as though there is a mix of D jet and L jet parts.

Posted by: rcautox Apr 22 2021, 06:59 PM

That’s just a photo from my parts shelf. The D jet regulator likely came off the 72 914 I have waiting to be transformed into a rally variant.

That’s not say the PO didn’t throw the wrong part on my 75 so please let me know if something in the engine looks like it belongs back on the 72