Some more Q's (Updates), Backfires and spitting through carb on 1 side Options

[Moneypit]

Thanks guys! I was thinking the same the more I read.

Here's our 914 revival parts list:

1x Weber Syncrometer ($55)
1x can Carb Cleaner
1x tube gasket seal
1x Horn Return Spring ($14)
1x set key tumblers ($28)


Pretty good ways down from full rebuild kits, venturis, new lines, etc. In the meantime, I'm going to have them go and get some 30 day temp plates from the DMV. That way we can do some street testing before we go get an inspection. The Tx safety inspection is basically horn, signals, headlights, seatbelts, brakes, muffler, and maybe having bumpers? It was stupid simple like 10 years ago, and now the car is over 40 years old (10/1973 manufacture).

[Moneypit]

does the engine smooth out when you increase the rpm to around 3k?

Somewhat. If I hold around 3k I still get a "miss", ie I hear the motor stutter on one cylinder and the tach bounces. It definitely is smoother in general above 3k, but since the motor was a fresh rebuild before it sat for a long time, I'm keeping the revs down for now. I know that it's going to be "meh" below 3k due to carbs + 009 dizzy, but for now the car needs to at least be drivable without stalling, overheating, or exploding.

[stugray]

How much are motor mount bars going for?

You need to specify if you have a tail shift or side shift tranny.
The engine mount bars are different.

I have an engine mount bar for a tail shift I would part with.
And I have a set of 2.0L SS HEs & a bursch exhaust for sale

[r_towle]

Clean
Your
Jets

[rhodyguy]

aircooled.net sells the STE synchronizing tool for $45. $55 @ the bird. get one now or later. now is the best advise i can give at this point. you're going to need one. when you pull your idle jets, each jet port has a small o-ring. make sure they in place and not cracked.

[stugray]

Missing at higher RPMs can also mean that your dizzy needs new bearings.
Take off the cap and see if you can wiggle the rotor.
If it moves more that a barely perceptible amount, you might want to look into that.

[Moneypit]

aircooled.net sells the STE synchronizing tool for $45. $55 @ the bird. get one now or later. now is the best advise i can give at this point. you're going to need one. when you pull your idle jets, each jet port has a small o-ring. make sure they in place and not cracked.

I was going to order from the bird since we need the horn spring too. First thing we do when I get some time will be to get in there and clean the jets out nice and good, maybe some gunk got in there. It could be lots of factors, but the sync and a good cleaning should narrow it down.

[bdstone914]

If you have a side shift engine bar they are easily straightened. More often the bolts and brackets that attach the bar to the body bend. The brackets can be straightened too if they are not damaged too badly.

[Moneypit]

If you have a side shift engine bar they are easily straightened. More often the bolts and brackets that attach the bar to the body bend. The brackets can be straightened too if they are not damaged too badly.

Yep, sideshift.

Again, I've got some replacement engine mounts and bolts, so if I can do it right I should be agle to pull the engine bar, keep the motor supported with a jack, some stands, or maybe a cradle? Until the folks can get a second vehicle sorted out we can't afford to do another drivetrain drop. The 914 needs to serve as an around town shuttle if needed until the Astro gets fixed. Then I might be able to just abduct it and do some super cereal work at our house.

[ThePaintedMan]

It sounds like you have your hands full. Not trying to offend you, but it also appears that you're trying to think about too many things at once. Carbs are very simple and can be easy to work with, but you need to understand the principles of how they work first, then take things one step at a time.

Start with a valve adjustment. Then verify timing. Then ensure there are no leaks around the carbs or manifolds. Then synch them with a good quality syncrometer. Move on to the air bypass screws based on the lowest "pulling" throttle body. Recheck the overall synch. Then adjust mixture screws. Finally, adjust the idle back down and verify the synch once again.

All of this is much easier and more accurate using Chris's cable linkage. There are many more variables and problems with the hex bar setup. The geometry of the whole setup is very important and some people never get them to work right.

As Rich and Kevin have suggested, make sure the jets are clean and the o-rings are sealing. With an unknown set of carbs, it would be better to rebuild them for piece of mind. But for now, your biggest problem is not having a synchrometer. Otherwise you're basically shooting in the dark.

[Moneypit]

It sounds like you have your hands full. Not trying to offend you, but it also appears that you're trying to think about too many things at once. Carbs are very simple and can be easy to work with, but you need to understand the principles of how they work first, then take things one step at a time.

Start with a valve adjustment. Then verify timing. Then ensure there are no leaks around the carbs or manifolds. Then synch them with a good quality syncrometer. Move on to the air bypass screws based on the lowest "pulling" throttle body. Recheck the overall synch. Then adjust mixture screws. Finally, adjust the idle back down and verify the synch once again.

All of this is much easier and more accurate using Chris's cable linkage. There are many more variables and problems with the hex bar setup. The geometry of the whole setup is very important and some people never get them to work right.

As Rich and Kevin have suggested, make sure the jets are clean and the o-rings are sealing. With an unknown set of carbs, it would be better to rebuild them for piece of mind. But for now, your biggest problem is not having a synchrometer. Otherwise you're basically shooting in the dark.

Yes, part of the issue is that I don't have 24/7 access to the car right now. I'm trying to do what I can in the tiny windows that I'm over there each week with some daylight. I'm trying to keep the list short as possible right now so that the car at least has tags on it, and moves under its own power. Once that's tackled, and I'm not moving houses or attending birthday bashes for the soon-to-be-1-year-old or my mom, I can set a major part of a weekend out just to get the 914 sorted. In the mean time I plan to replace the horn button and re-key the locks, since we can do those during the evenings while we sit and watch TV at their place. We also have to wait until the munchkin is down as juggling an 11 month old while trying to rebuild a carb or rekey a lock doesn't sound like fun to me.

Regarding the motor itself and timing, the motor was rebuilt in 2004, timed, and set to 32* advance, then went into storage until at least 2007, maybe longer. Since then the only times the engine was really run would have been when the shop in Phoenix put it back together and did all the carb and fuel line stuff, and the maybe 5 times since then its been run. It hasn't been "on the road" in any capacity since the motor rebuild other than whatever around the block testing the shop may have done. It basically drove onto a trailer to Tx, and was driven off into the garage. That was last August some time, so it's been a while. I'll add a timing light to the list since it would be a good idea to verify where the timing was set in case the Stuttgart Southwest team adjusted it after DC Racing built it.