73 914 2.0 Rebuild Options

[R Dub]

A couple of questions. As I mentions this car does have dual Weber carbs on it. Anyone know of a place that specializes in Weber carbs that I can have them sent to be rebuilt?

Also you have to pump and hold the brake pedal to get any sort of pressure. Once the pressure is there, you can hold the pedal firm, it does not move. However as soon as you release the pedal you have to pump them again to get the pressure back. I know I need to do a complete flush of the fluid since it is 30 years old but anything other ideas what could be causing this?

[R Dub]

Just a quick update, I found a place in CA called JayCee Enterprises that specializes in Weber carbs so I sent them there. I'll update this post later with the quality of their work once I get them back.

Also I flushed the brake fluid out with new stuff and that worked wonders. I now have always have a firm pedal, no more having to pump it.

Once I get the carbs back, I can put them back on the car and hopefully at least drive it around the block. Still a decent ways to go until it is complete but it's getting there, can't wait.

[R Dub]

Haven't posted in a while cause I haven't touched the car up until yesterday when I drove it for the first time ever which was AWESOME (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

Finally got some time so my dad and I got to work on the car. First started out by fixing the one rim that had a slow leak on it. Had to have a shop dismount the tire then take it apart, clean it up and re-silicone it then have it remounted.

Then had to put the carbs back together and put back on the car. Wasn't thrilled with the company I sent them to as they did not do what they said, it took double the amount of time, charged me ~$200 more than quoted and he sent them back in pieces instead of together.

Went to start it only to find out the fuel pump died so had to go buy a new one and spend some time at the hardware store to get the new one plumb like the old one to use the same mounting points, hoses, etc. Once we got all of that figured out, the fuel pump wouldn't turn on with the key for some reason. Will have to look into that more as we are getting 12V to the positive wire and it is grounded. We used a jump box to bypass it and it works so I drove it around the block a couple of times. It was an truly awesome feeling.

Still got a while to go until it is "done" but it's almost road worthy again!

[rjames]

Haven't posted in a while cause I haven't touched the car up until yesterday when I drove it for the first time ever which was AWESOME (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

Finally got some time so my dad and I got to work on the car. First started out by fixing the one rim that had a slow leak on it. Had to have a shop dismount the tire then take it apart, clean it up and re-silicone it then have it remounted.

Then had to put the carbs back together and put back on the car. Wasn't thrilled with the company I sent them to as they did not do what they said, it took double the amount of time, charged me ~$200 more than quoted and he sent them back in pieces instead of together.

Went to start it only to find out the fuel pump died so had to go buy a new one and spend some time at the hardware store to get the new one plumb like the old one to use the same mounting points, hoses, etc. Once we got all of that figured out, the fuel pump wouldn't turn on with the key for some reason. Will have to look into that more as we are getting 12V to the positive wire and it is grounded. We used a jump box to bypass it and it works so I drove it around the block a couple of times. It was an truly awesome feeling.

Still got a while to go until it is "done" but it's almost road worthy again!

Fuel pump- check the relay on the relay board in the engine compartment. All the relays are the same so you can swap the existing ones around to find a good one (assuming there's a good one to be found).

[rhodyguy]

Go to the classic thread forum. The easy method to power your FP is detailed in a thread there. Real easy.

[R Dub]

Got the fuel pump figured out but found out that oil was leaking out of the push rod tubes and 3 of 4 cylinders had low compression. One was as low as 60 psi. So we pulled the engine out and pulled the heads and cylinders off. Found a few issues. First is a couple of the push rods are bent and the second issue is the cylinders have some scoring on them which we believe to be from rust as the car sat for 20 years. Now a few questions (and sorry for being a total nub):

1) Where can I find new push rods. I've searched Google and all I can find is new push rod tubes, which I'll get as well, but not push rods.

2) Anything I can do to a 2.0L to gain some performance? I'm looking for more bolt on stuff, not looking to machine the block or heads or anything like that. I've read something about a 2056? Is this just bolting on bigger cylinders and pistons while leaving the crank, rods and head all stock?

3) I'm going to replace the alternator belt and some grommets while it's out. Anything else I should replace while the engine is out?

[Mblizzard]

Got the fuel pump figured out but found out that oil was leaking out of the push rod tubes and 3 of 4 cylinders had low compression. One was as low as 60 psi. So we pulled the engine out and pulled the heads and cylinders off. Found a few issues. First is a couple of the push rods are bent and the second issue is the cylinders have some scoring on them which we believe to be from rust as the car sat for 20 years. Now a few questions (and sorry for being a total nub):

1) Where can I find new push rods. I've searched Google and all I can find is new push rod tubes, which I'll get as well, but not push rods.

2) Anything I can do to a 2.0L to gain some performance? I'm looking for more bolt on stuff, not looking to machine the block or heads or anything like that. I've read something about a 2056? Is this just bolting on bigger cylinders and pistons while leaving the crank, rods and head all stock?

3) I'm going to replace the alternator belt and some grommets while it's out. Anything else I should replace while the engine is out?

You can go the AA Piston route for P/Cs for about $400. You will see some improvement but unless the cam has been swapped you wont get the most out of the upgrade.

My suggestion is until you are ready to split the case, fix (hone and new rings) the current P/Cs and change to modern FI. You van tune the modern FI to get eh most out of the existing 2.0 and use most of the existing parts.

[R Dub]

You can go the AA Piston route for P/Cs for about $400. You will see some improvement but unless the cam has been swapped you wont get the most out of the upgrade.

My suggestion is until you are ready to split the case, fix (hone and new rings) the current P/Cs and change to modern FI. You van tune the modern FI to get eh most out of the existing 2.0 and use most of the existing parts.

Thanks for the reply. When I was looking for P/C, it looks like AA Pistons was really the only company out there. Does anyone have any experience with them? Are they a good company? Have a good product?

Does the case have to be split to swap the cam? And what cam is recommended if I were to go with 96MM pistons?

I was told the Weber carbs were put on because the FI of the day was bad (Maybe it's just cause no one knew who to work on FI back then (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)) Is there a compnay that makes a modern FI for the 914 or is it all stock stuff

[Tdskip]

Good morning. Not to discourage your asking questions on the forum but there is a TON of good info on your inquires available by searching. They are common topics of discussion and you can review other members builds on other FI systems, troubleshooting the original FI and engine build/part recommendations.

Looks like you are making progress, keep pressing on!

[TheCabinetmaker]

What Td said. Do your search on Google, then add the name of this site.

[Mblizzard]

You can go the AA Piston route for P/Cs for about $400. You will see some improvement but unless the cam has been swapped you wont get the most out of the upgrade.

My suggestion is until you are ready to split the case, fix (hone and new rings) the current P/Cs and change to modern FI. You van tune the modern FI to get eh most out of the existing 2.0 and use most of the existing parts.

Thanks for the reply. When I was looking for P/C, it looks like AA Pistons was really the only company out there. Does anyone have any experience with them? Are they a good company? Have a good product?

Does the case have to be split to swap the cam? And what cam is recommended if I were to go with 96MM pistons?

I was told the Weber carbs were put on because the FI of the day was bad (Maybe it's just cause no one knew who to work on FI back then (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)) Is there a compnay that makes a modern FI for the 914 or is it all stock stuff

Yes the case does have to be split to replaced the cam.

There are others P/Cs out the like the Type 4 Store if you want the best, but AA is a reasonable product that is inexpensive. But you do get what you pay for.

The recommended cam will be based on what you want the car to do. For a good overall street car I would go with the Web cam 86. Also understand that just installing the cam is the beginning, there are a number of other things that must be done to get the best performance like making sure your valve train geometry is correct. Too often people install a cam and don't see all of the performance it has due to incorrect valve train geometry. Do a search it will bring up lots of good reading.

When the FI is replace by carbs it is rare that the cam is changed. So I would guess you have a FI cam in the engine.

I think McMark of Original Customs is still making a turn Key Micro Squirt system.

[bbrock]

And make sure you are settled on your fuel system before you decide on the cam.

I did just as OP mentioned earlier. Got tired of the FI leaving me stranded and wrenching on the car in parking lots and highway shoulders. Didn't have a clue how to properly work on the FI, no Interwebs at the time to teach me how, couldn't afford to have someone else work on it and probably couldn't find a competent mechanic if I did. So I did what all the cool kids were doing and bought a pair of Webers and installed a carb cam. Thirty years later, I still haven't finished the rebuild so the Webers have never been used. I'd kind of like to refurb the stock FI but it isn't worth splitting the case to swap that cam out. So I'll run the Webers and see how I like them and will leave the FI for a future project.

BTW, I really liked my stock 2 liter so went back with OEM 94mm jugs but opted for the higher compression euro spec flat tops just to juice it a little bit.

[R Dub]

I'm going to keep the car with the dual Webers on it. It is currently setup for it and I know it runs with them, not to mention I just spend a decent amount of money to have them rebuilt.

As far was what my plans are for the car, It is going to a street car. Something to take to work on a nice Friday or out to dinner. It might see a rare track day but I own a sport bike that I track sometimes. So I am looking for the car to have decent performance but needs to be reliable. Since I'm already this far into it, I want to do it right the first time and be done with it so I can enjoy it for many years to come.

Since the motor is already out and this far apart, I will split the case to replace the cam to make sure it is right. I will definitely look into Web cam 86. I will also do some research on the valve train geometry to make sure that is correct. I will be back if I have any questions.

I did see that McMark was selling motors for $5K-$5500, not sure if he still is. I'm very tempted to do that but fear the wife might sign the divorce papers as she wasn't happy that I got the car in the first place. I see the type 4 store has a kit but it's $9K. A little out of budget.

I really appreciate all the help guys.

[R Dub]

Engine out

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i582.photobucket.com-21387-1547084992.1.jpg)

Got the engine disassembled down to the case for the most part.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i582.photobucket.com-21387-1547084992.2.jpg)

Noticed that the lifters are bad. One was missing the retainer spring as per the picture below. This just so happens to be the same cylinder that had a bent push rod. Coincidence, I think not.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/i582.photobucket.com-21387-1547084993.3.jpg)

Now I need to buy some parts so I can split the case replace the cam and start the rebuild process. Some questions I was hoping you guys can help with:

1) My dad's cousin (whom I've never met) works on air cool VW for a living. He said to keep the motor at a stock 2.0L. Other than keeping with originality, is their any reason to do this and not increase to a 2056? Cause I can't see one

2) Assuming going with a 2056. I'm thinking about going with Web Cam grind# 86 as I've read that is a good cam to run with carbs. And would then go with hydraulic lifters. Thoughts?

3) Do I need to change out the Cam gear for any reason or can I reuse the old one assuming it is not broke or worn too much?

4) For P&C's, I was thinking about going this route from Fat Performance. Any one have experience with this?

Any other suggestions or advise?

[steuspeed]

No reason to stick with 2.0L. Go for more power. I like your P/C choice, but others with more experience will chime in.

[marksteinhilber]

Looking for some parts advice.

1. Right under the engine hatch there is a black plastic funnel that a house connects to bring water out of the engine bay and under the car. Both the funnel and hose are melted on the drivers side. Any idea where I can get new ones?

2. The car has duel Weber 44 carbs in it. The air filters that were on it looked to have come from a dune buggy as the cover said Claude's Buggies on it. They are oval and measure about 7" long x 4" wide x 3.5" tall. Any idea where I can get new air filters?

Funnels can come from 914rubber, an excellent vendor listed on this site. The air filters for the dual webers are available many places including CB performance, Pierside parts, and other Vdub vendors.

[mgphoto]

Pull the oil pump, look inside, if the cam gear has rivets it is original FI cam, if there are bolts could be aftermarket carb cam.

[mgphoto]

Hydraulic lifters, bad...

[mgphoto]

Got the engine disassembled down to the
Noticed that the lifters are bad. One was missing the retainer spring as per the picture below. This just so happens to be the same cylinder that had a bent push rod. Coincidence, I think not.


Now I need to buy some parts so I can split the case replace the cam and start the rebuild process. Some questions I was hoping you guys can help with:

1) My dad's cousin (whom I've never met) works on air cool VW for a living. He said to keep the motor at a stock 2.0L. Other than keeping with originality, is their any reason to do this and not increase to a 2056? Cause I can't see one

2) Assuming going with a 2056. I'm thinking about going with Web Cam grind# 86 as I've read that is a good cam to run with carbs. And would then go with hydraulic lifters. Thoughts?

3) Do I need to change out the Cam gear for any reason or can I reuse the old one assuming it is not broke or worn too much?

4) For P&C's, I was thinking about going this route from Fat Performance. Any one have experience with this?

Any other suggestions or advise?

1 motor is no longer stock, if it was then yes leave it stock as in D-Jet

2 check the type iv store for cam types

3 yes, riveted gears need some machine work for use with new cam.

4 these are fine, they might transfer heat a little better then the AAs.

Dump the hydraulic lifters...

[R Dub]

1 motor is no longer stock, if it was then yes leave it stock as in D-Jet

2 check the type iv store for cam types

3 yes, riveted gears need some machine work for use with new cam.

4 these are fine, they might transfer heat a little better then the AAs.

Dump the hydraulic lifters...

1. Motor and car are very far from stock so not concerned about originality. I'll build a 2056 then.

2. Will do. Thanks

3. Did not know OE cam gears were riveted. I will check that. Thanks for the info. Is so I will get a new cam gear as well.

4. Thanks for input. I appreciate it.

Why are hydraulic lifters bad? What lifters would you go with?