Weber Carbs, Converting a '73 914-4 2L FI to Carbs Options

[Joe Owensby]

I am planning on putting this in the classifieds, but since you are looking: I have a pair of Dellortos 40's with all the associated hardware that I plan to sell. These were rebuilt by Art from ACE at a cost to me of $500. I am selling the complete carb works, as I have gone back to FI. I have the carbs, the intakes, a CB performance fuel pump with filter, a synchro meter, an accelerator cable linkage rod, new filters, a Dellorto repair manual, a gasket set, and a few sizes of jets. Selling the complete bunch, all you need is a little hose. I put this on a rebuilt 2056, and it ran well for about 5,000 miles before I changed to a SDS fuel injection system. $500.00

PM me if you are interested. JoeO

[Jake Raby]

Jake, people seem to value your experience and opinions. What do you think of all this?

Thats because this engine is pretty much all we do here :-)

How much of the EFI do you have?? Stock FI is great if you are willing to accept a 110HP threshold of maximum performance (safely).

I tend to like carbs.. Thats because I really understand them and can tune them like a MOFO.
Carbs have never left me on the side of the road, stock FI has on a 914.

[Rand]

Some of you are suggesting I should simply keep my D-JET FI. Well, it is something I might reconsider, since choosing proper carbs may not be as easy and as cheap as I thought it would be. However, I am worried about all the FI parts that are bound to fail soon or later, especilly the ones that are no longer available or very expensive:

• Auxiliary Air Regulator
• Intake Air Temperature Sensor
• Thermo Switch
• Deceleration Valve
• Throttle Switch
• ECU

And this is not to mention my MPS, which seems to have a cracked diaphragm. It goes from 20 in. Hg to 5 in. Hg in 25 seconds on a vacuum test. Where is the best place to find a used MPS (Part #0 280 100 037)? And how much will it cost? Is it really worth buying a used one, since it will eventually break too? And this is probably sooner than later.

Let go of your paranoia. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Those FI parts you are worried about failing really don't fail at such a high rate.
You can run fine without the aar and decel valve. The other items are just not high-failure parts. And by chance you need to replace one, it's no big. They are available used and cheap.

If you want to build a performance motor with a different cam, then by all means go to appropriate carbs. But until then keep it simple, put your fears to rest, relax about the FI parts problem that is really no issue, and enjoy the benefits of FI.

[velum]

Thats because this engine is pretty much all we do here :-)

How much of the EFI do you have?? Stock FI is great if you are willing to accept a 110HP threshold of maximum performance (safely).

I tend to like carbs.. Thats because I really understand them and can tune them like a MOFO.
Carbs have never left me on the side of the road, stock FI has on a 914.

Hi Jake!

My car is a '73 914 2.0L FI, except for the body which is a '72. I have had it for 13 years and it has been running fine with its FI system until this Summer. I'd say that most of the car is OEM. So I have all of the EFI to answer your question. I came to want to put carbs because I have had troubles with the car recently. I had to get it towed. Now, I know that my MPS is leaking, but I am not sure if this is the only reason I got stranded, or if there are other parts of the EFI that are getting too old. I have been told I should change the points too.

You say that you tend to like carbs, but on another forum (www.914club.com), you wrote:

I crush or fill with bullet holes EVERY single carb that I can find. They are THE WORST thing that can be installed onto these engines. Period.

I don't get it!

Cheers!

JF

[IronHillRestorations]

He's talking about the single progressive that you find too often on these cars.

[velum]

He's talking about the single progressive that you find too often on these cars.

Thanks for that clarification! I had understood it as "every single" carb instead of every "single carb"... lol

[Jake Raby]

The single carb is a totally different beast compared to a set of dual carbs.

[flipb]

I just bought my first 914 and it's got the much-despised single 2bbl Weber carb setup with the long intake runners. It's a 2.0 that was converted back in the day by a PO. It definitely runs rich - easy to tell by the smell and by frequent popping, especially when you lift off throttle. Other than that, it drives strong - never noticed any hesitation, but I've only been driving it a couple days.

Had I known when I bought it what I know now... aw, heck, I still would've bought it. Who am I kidding?

My questions are:
1. How much damage am I doing driving it this way? Just might foul a spark plug occasionally, or worse?
2. Is there a good remedy for less than $500? I'd probably need help with installation.

I plan to keep the current setup for a little while and get a good feel for the car before I spend more on it. I'm only driving it occasionally, will probably keep to <2500 miles/yr.

[IronHillRestorations]

I've always wondered about the dual 2bbl progressives. I thought they looked kinda hokey, but do the perform or flow well?

[dr914@autoatlanta.com]

we have a new 037 on the shelf if you want to purchase.

Hi!

I took the decision to convert my '73 914-4 2L FI to Carburetors. My MPS is broken, new ones are not available anymore and from what I read, rebuilds are not as good as original ones. Moreover, rebuilds are not cheap either, and other parts of my 914 fuel injection system are bound to fail in the near future. Many of these parts are no longer available or are very expensive. Hence my decision.

Now, my question: Which carbs? I think I will go with Weber carburetors. I know that some people prefer Dellorto, but they are hard to find and you cannot buy them new. Plus, they are a bit expensive. I am not racing with my car. I am mainly using it to go to the country side during the weekends. So, I am not looking for performance parts. I am just looking for something with which my car will run fine, and economically.

I was hesitating between these two models:

http://www.webercarbsdirect.com/ProductDet...97&CartID=2
http://www.webercarbsdirect.com/product_p/wk412.htm

But Webcarbsdirect does not ship to Canada, and am in Montréal. However, I found similar parts at Carbs Unlimited:

http://www.carburetion.com/weber/Dataresul...912%20,%20914-4
http://www.carburetion.com/weber/Dataresul...912%20,%20914-4

The K297 would be easier to maintain. However, someone told me that a 2L 914 won't run very well with them. That the gas will mix with the oil. I did not understand the whole explaination. I am not sure if this is true. The K1412 would give better performance, but they are a bit more trouble to adjust and have no choke.

Is any one using these carbs on a 2L 914?

Cheers!

JF

[Cevan]

I just bought my first 914 and it's got the much-despised single 2bbl Weber carb setup with the long intake runners. It's a 2.0 that was converted back in the day by a PO. It definitely runs rich - easy to tell by the smell and by frequent popping, especially when you lift off throttle. Other than that, it drives strong - never noticed any hesitation, but I've only been driving it a couple days.

Had I known when I bought it what I know now... aw, heck, I still would've bought it. Who am I kidding?

My questions are:
1. How much damage am I doing driving it this way? Just might foul a spark plug occasionally, or worse?
2. Is there a good remedy for less than $500? I'd probably need help with installation.

I plan to keep the current setup for a little while and get a good feel for the car before I spend more on it. I'm only driving it occasionally, will probably keep to <2500 miles/yr.

For less than $500 you could get the D-Jet FI back on the car (one is for sale in the classifieds right now) or a pair of used webers.