Germany 914 Update, Might be really bad news... Options

[stephenaki]

OK, so I got back last week Friday from my trip to the states and finally was able to call and talk to Christoph today. Well, the conversation did not go quite as planned.

Christoph sent me an email but it evidently didn't reach me, not sure why as his other emails have gotten to me in the past. Bottom line up front, he is not sure that it is worth the expense to fix the car and thinks I might be better off selling it then getting a new one. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

Soooo, I will link up with him tomorrow and find out the gory details then give everyone an update. I am not sure what to expect at this point as prior statements of this nature have turned out to be relatively minor issues.

I am hoping to get a complete list of what the issues are and will submit it to the forum for a second assessment once I meet with him. Wish me luck.

[smontanaro]

Sorry to hear about your car's issues. On a positive note, if you sell it in Europe you'll reap the benefit of the dollar/euro exchange rate. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Skip

[So.Cal.914]

...Wish me luck.

Best of.

[SGB]

Well of course it isn't "worth it" from a resale point of view. Thats what brings us together- obsession in the face of logic.

Take notes of all the problems, get the car back, take it to the autoshop on post and start into it! A 914 is really not much more complicated than a shopping cart, and it corners better with a load of dog food too.

[TeenerTim]

I have always been suspicious of Christoph. It seems like he is either inept or a shady character. Maybe both. If he offers to buy it from you or take it as payment for his work so far, get a tow truck and remove it immediately.

Edit: If you let him do the work, demand every old part back so you can examine the condition and determine whether it really needed to be replaced.

[Gustl]

Wish me luck.

good luck !!!









if you really would like to buy another 914 ... I would know a really nice one ... but it's expensive ...

[hcdmueller]

You could easily sell it over here for top dollar. I still shop around over here and I have seen some pretty crappy cars go for a huge amount of euro. East coast people in the states wouldn't even touch some of the cars I have seen for sale over here. If it does turn out to be bad I am sure you could find a buyer, agree on a price, then write up the bill of sale for a non running vehicle to save you both some money for the import taxes.

Honestly, I am willing to bet your car is better off than this guy is claiming. I would say work on it yourself but I know exactly the type of situation you are in. I am hardly ever at home to work on my car. When I am home the wife wants to spend time with me (how crazy is that?).

Good luck with the whole situation.

[SirAndy]

he is not sure that it is worth the expense to fix the car and thinks I might be better off selling it then getting a new one.

sounds fishy ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) Andy

[r_towle]

Well of course it isn't "worth it" from a resale point of view. Thats what brings us together- obsession in the face of logic.

Take notes of all the problems, get the car back, take it to the autoshop on post and start into it! A 914 is really not much more complicated than a shopping cart, and it corners better with a load of dog food too.

Damn, you are in top form...

Thats what brings us together- obsession in the face of logic.

Awesome saying...should go on the main page.

Rich

[SirAndy]

Thats what brings us together- obsession in the face of logic.

Awesome saying...should go on the main page.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) this should be our official motto on the homepage:


914-O-World - Obsession in the face of logic


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Andy

[GringoLoco]

I second the motion...

[Rotary'14]

Thats what brings us together- obsession in the face of logic.

Awesome saying...should go on the main page.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) this should be our official motto on the homepage:


914-O-World - Obsession in the face of logic


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Andy

I agree with the guy who agrees with that guy.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[beech4rd]

Thats what brings us together- obsession in the face of logic.

Awesome saying...should go on the main page.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) this should be our official motto on the homepage:


914-O-World - Obsession in the face of logic


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) Andy

I agree with the guy who agrees with that guy.

I'd like to second that
Chris

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[stephenaki]

OK, did a 120 miles on my bike this morning; there was construction on the 27 heading out to Dotternhausen and I wound up having to take a rather long detour to get there! I have some serious monkey butt! Needless to say I did get to Christophs place about 20 minutes later than planned.

First off, I forgot to ask him the particulars of the one piston, I will call him in a few minutes to follow up so keep that in mind.

Bottom line, no, HE doesn't want to buy it. He does want to do a partial rebuild and work on the rest of the cylinders and both heads. His assessment is as follows.

Cylinders need work, hone, replace rings on pistons and clean them up.
Both heads have some small cracks and possible cracks in the valve seats.
He wants to pull both heads, weld, machine, redo the seats and replace the valve guides.
So this would mean new gaskets, rings, etc.

My thougts at this point, if the offending piston and cylinder can be repaired, is to fix the cylinder, get it running and sell it on the economy. Buy another one when I get back stateside.

The problem I face is I can't just replace the one cylinder assembly because the PO before the PO I bought it from bored out the cylinders and dropped in 2.0 liter jugs. If I decide to replace the assembly I will have to replace all 4. Once I get a hold of Christoph again I will find out the specifics of the one cylinder and piston. I was a little frazzled this morning due to the rather long detour and limited number of signs telling me which way to go so, I forgot to ask.

Any thoughts from the group? Newly suggested Motto not-withstanding...

[stephenaki]

Update to the update to the update. They didn't drop the engine, they used a scope and found signifcant corrosion in the cylinder. No holes in the piston that they could see. This leads me to believe that they are 'assuming' that there are cracks in the heads.

Here's my question, mind you, I am completely unfamiliar with the 914 engine set up, can I pull the offending cylinder WITHOUT dropping the engine or is there not enough room in the bay to do this?

I think you can do this with a VW bug but not so sure on the 914 and I am inclined to say no based on my initial observation of the working room, or lack there of, on the 914s.

Still looking for recomendations.

[SGB]

No, you can't, but dropping the engine is ALOT easier than it sounds. Shops make easy money on the "engine drop" part.
Still, that may be premature.
Is there low/ no compression on the offending cylinder? Are the valves for that jug OK?

[r_towle]

I would start with a few overall questions.

How is the body? Is there alot of rust and structural work needed?
How is the market for these cars over there? Can you get decent money for a car that is not running?

Can you afford to fix this (rebuilt the motor) at this time?
Can you buy a used motor in Germany?

Rich

[DEC]

Cylinders need work, hone, replace rings on pistons and clean them up.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

If the cylinders are honed you need a set of pistons in the next
oversize

[TeenerTim]

Cylinders need work, hone, replace rings on pistons and clean them up.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

If the cylinders are honed you need a set of pistons in the next
oversize

I don't believe you need an oversize piston nor could you get one that size. Honing only knocks the glaze off of the cylinder wall so the rings will seat properly. Honing doesn't remove enough material to require a larger piston. Boring is a different process and would require a new piston.

[stephenaki]

Cylinders need work, hone, replace rings on pistons and clean them up.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)

If the cylinders are honed you need a set of pistons in the next
oversize

I don't believe you need an oversize piston nor could you get one that size. Honing only knocks the glaze off of the cylinder wall so the rings will seat properly. Honing doesn't remove enough material to require a larger piston. Boring is a different process and would require a new piston.

Concur, honed not bored. If the piston is still good then new rings and cleaning up of the pistons will work. If the piston is bad, I can replace the piston wtith the same size piston but still use the cylinder. At this point it is imperative that the correct ring size be used to ensure no damage to the newly honed cylinder.

Real question is the extent of the corrossion; if it is too bad then I will have to replace the entire assembly.

Someone enlighten me, I recall reading that the cylinder is aluminum however, it has a steel sleeve. Yes, no? How well do they stand up over time? Just trying to get an idea of how badly the corrosion will affect the cylinder.