Dellorto Carbs v. FI, 76 2.0 liter: opinions please Options

[orthobiz]

Looking into a well-kept 76 2.0 liter with 130K.
Strong looker with "no rust" but has carbs and I told myself
I really want injection. The injection parts are in a sealed
cardboard box, car has had carbs (almost typed "crabs") for
15 years or more.

Question is, why did I tell myself I want injection? I'm not a real
CW but one of the vendors' site about buying the 914 has the
"beware the carbs" caveat in the article.

More HP out of the engine with carbs? More reliable? Thanks for advice.

biz

[Dave_Darling]

There is the potential for more power with carbs, but it requires that the rest of the engine be modified as well.

In the past, a carb conversion was often a sign that someone didn't want to actually correct a problem with the car, so they went the "easy way" and swapped over to carbs. This often indicates a similarly sloppy attitude toward taking care of other problems with the car.

It is not the case so much these days, as some of the EFI parts get harder to find and much more epxnesive. But it is often enough still an indicator.

That said, if you're more comfortabl emessing with and troubleshooting carbs, go with carbs. If you're more comfortable messing with EFI, go with EFI.

--DD

[Krieger]

I agree with dave. What a deal clean -up the FI. Get some new seals. Test some of the parts-sensors, aux air valve. Put it on and decide for yourself which is better.

[lotus_65]

i agree also, this coming from a guy who put webers on my car.

[Michael J]

has carbs and I told myself
I really want injection

First of all welcome to the forum. This is a great place for info.
If you do a search you will find opinions form one end to the other about carbs vs. FI. If you can get the FI set up right it should work great. Afterall that's what the engineers thought in the 70's. Carbs take some effort to keep running well. If you are a tweaker then leave it. I had the same question about HP and "experts" on the forum pretty much said it was no difference. Or if it's a few hp increase that is still not enough to notice. I have FI and just told myself that I would replace all the seals and hoses and assure that all the sensors and and switches and valves work. I am really happy with the FI.

[dagdal1967]

I have a 1.8 that had a single carb when I bought it. The guy who did it was very good to the car and did so (I believe) because he was more comfortable with carbs than the quirky EFI.

He also kept the original EFI parts in a cardboard box and was very good about keeping "every little piece".

I'm putting the EFI back on. Because the rest of the engine work that Dave eluded to above wasn't done at the same time the carb was put on, I have had real trouble keeping it tuned, have to really baby it at stop lights, and just don't have as much fun driving it as I did my previous (EFI) car.

For me the potential power gains of a carbed car isn't worth it. I'd rather have a fun driver that I'm confident will stay running.

My $0.02

D

[JoeSharp]

Well maybe, but I went through all of the test methods and the damn thing just screwed with me for a year and a half. After replacing the loom, MPS, cleaning the TPS, checking the AAR, and the CHT, replacing all; vacume and fuel lines grounding points and all the related seals. It still would not run very well at all. Linda could not attend any of the events that she wanted to go to. That is what she bought the car for. I loaned her my driver (twin single carbed 75) to go on the Route 66 run. Linda has concourse tendencies and wanted to keep it stock. I had given up on the car and all, the above work was done by me (replaced and checked parts). She took it to 3 different Porsche shops that said they could fix it. Every time it came out it just ran different, not better, just different.
Soo.... Linda spent $2,400 on other shops. Plus MPS, Bolwsby loom, injectors, trigger points, ground straps, relay board, all hose's and seals.
I had had pulled the car to the jump-off at Williamsburg and turned the car over to Linda there and the group took off. I would meet them at the road from Otman.
When Linda got out of the car the first thing out of her mouth was, "I WANT CARBS ON MY CAR."
For less than the MPS, Boiwsby loom and the injectors. We put duel singles Sollex's with a CB Performance fuel pump and linkage with a new distrabutor and coil. We did not change the cam.
The car seemed a little down on power but I thought it was getting good MPG.
Howard went to the next Route 66 with us and tracked MPG. Howard was in the 911 and myself in Beauty. Howard was getting 25, me 27, Linda was getting mid 40's. On the way home we filled in Parker Az. and drove to H.B. and filled it up.
295 miles on 6 gallons of gas. Thats 49.16 MF MPG. With-out trying that car will get over the BIG 50.
There is a reason the parts are in a box and I am not a normal grease monkey, check my blog for the location of the parts if you decide to put the injection back in.
Sorry about the long post, I'm running D-Jet on my race car.
Linda's car


P.S. Sence the carb install Linda has driven her car to the R66, RRC, and the WCC. Her MPG remains in the mid 40's

Sorry: Edited

[jr91472]

I think that both FI and Carbs can provide reliable performance. If I was seaching for a 914, I wouldn't let the fact that it has carbs or FI be an issue. My primary concern would be more of the car's fundamentals (rust, history, has it been wrecked, yada yada). But that is just me. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

If you are set on FI, find out if the car still has the stock cam. Because if it doesn't you probably can never to back to stock FI without re-installing a stock cam.

[Bleyseng]

I don't know why you had soo much problems with the FI Joe. Hell, for that kind of money you could've flown me down to tune it.

I have taken off carbs off a couple of cars now to install the FI, djet and Ljet and its pretty easy.

Yeah, you can soup up the motor too and run djet like I am.

[SLITS]

If Howie got 75 mpg with the 911, he was riding on a flat-bed.

[orthobiz]

Appreciate all the replies. Appreciate the welcome to the group. Even though it's snowing out and I''m stuck in northern Michigan (and loving it!) I miss my 914. I know I'll get one soon...

Anyway, I searched under dellorto here and found a great thread with many of the same answers: in some ways it's a toss up, and many of you have had success with each.

I'm the kind of mechanic who does tuneups and clutches, never really fiddled with the FI, never had problems with FI in my prior three 914's.

The car I'm writing about has carbs on it, I don't think I'd dare to take it apart and throw the FI back on right away if I got it. But who knows, I'm getting pulled back into this 914 thing so strongly that maybe someday I'll be giving out advice!

Remember, my posts are WORTHLESS WITHOUT A PICTURE and that's only because I DON'T HAVE A CAR (sorry to sound so needy!)

biz

[So.Cal.914]

I don't know the smog laws in Mich but in Cali a 76 would not pass smog with

carbs. Here, if it were a 75 you would not have to worry about it. Something to

check on.

I have run carbs on mine for 25 years and I like them, the performance on a

stock engine could be a wash. But alot of us replace the cam and while we are

in there...

What I like the best is the carb noise, along with the exhaust, road noise and

the engine noise (tappits keeping time with the music) it's like a synphony to me.

But Iam weard like that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

[orthobiz]

"I don't know the smog laws in Mich but in Cali a 76 would not pass smog with
carbs."

No problem in MI. You can burn firewood for heat in the car if you want! Where I am they haven't discovered clean energy yet...but thanks for the warning!

I guess I wouldn't worry about buying a car with carbs so much, but I wonder if it lowers the asking price a bit??

biz

[So.Cal.914]

"I don't know the smog laws in Mich but in Cali a 76 would not pass smog with
carbs."

No problem in MI. You can burn firewood for heat in the car if you want! Where I am they haven't discovered clean energy yet...but thanks for the warning!

I guess I wouldn't worry about buying a car with carbs so much, but I wonder if it lowers the asking price a bit??

biz

You should bring up that point with the seller, I would not pay as much for a

stock street 914 with carbs as I would for an all stock street 914. A track car

is a different matter.

[sean_v8_914]

those who can, use FI. those who can't use carbs and excuses

[terrymason]

I purchased all the FI and was going to install it on my car, but remembered how much of a headache it was messing with it on my last car. I purchased two professionally rebuilt Dells off ebay and am realllllly happy I did. I configured them according to the Dellorto superperformance book, and they ran great from the start with hardly any tinkering.

All the FI stuff is on ebay. I love Dellortos.

[sean_v8_914]

...and ebay

[terrymason]

...and ebay

Who pooped in your wheaties?

[army dude]

Now for me back in 1985 when I had an engine fire in my FIRST 914 I decided to have a new motor built with the idea of running 48 delortto's since I picked them up pretty decently priced. The shop that built the engine was a race shop North East of San Diego and when the motor finally was broken in and the carbs synched I had awesome power, mileage and never any stumble or other problem, till I met my ex-wife, thats another story. Anyway, I am two ways of this and see benefits in both. Have fun and keep lots of money handy for that eventual day of repair.

Ian in Iraq...Again

[So.Cal.914]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)