Help,

Picking up 914 at airport, no one there to go over everything, could someone tell me where all the levers, switches gas tank nozzle, and oil dip stick is located? Sounds stupid, but I've never sat in one before. Thanks,

Paul

I made this for anothe rpost, but it shows the gas tank

Ok, Front trunk/hood release is on the drivers side just above the speaker and just forward of the door.
Once you pull it the gas tank will reveal itself. The engine lid pull is just inboard of the drivers door at the
base of the back pad. The rest is self explanatory.

Bold move Paul. I hope you enjoy it!

On the front trunk/hood release, after you pull it, push it back in again. If you don't, the hood won't latch. And yes, you open the hood to put gas in the car.

To pop the engine lid, there's a knob down near the base of the driver's seat, on the back wall. Pull out to pop the lid. The oil filler is the black cap in the center of the engine. The dipstick to just to the driver's side of that cap.

If your seat still has a loop-like lever under your right thigh, you pull up on that to adjust the seat fore and aft. These break off easily, so you may have to feel underneath for the stub. The lever on the outboard side of the seat allows the seat to rock, which is the only way to adjust the back of the seat.

A Haynes manual will cover the maintenance items mentioned in the owner's manual.

also, unless the PO retrofitted your car with a electrical washer pump, you need to make sure your spare tire has mucho AIR in it and is hooked up to the washer bottle.

otherwise, it'll stay dry ...
Andy

there's a red little lever on the center tunnel right in front of the shifter.
that's your heater lever!

the 3 knobs on the dash control how fresh/hot air is distributed.

- the top lever is for the fresh air fan (pray that it works), and moves fresh air only!
lever to the left means no fan, lever to the right means fan speed 1-2-3

- the middle lever is for directing air, either hot or cold.
lever to the left means all air goes down to the foot-area.
lever to the right, all air goes to the windshield (and sidewindow-vents if the car is '73 or later)

- lower lever is for how much hot air you want in the car.
lever to the left, no hot air. lever to the right, sauna.

disclaimer: hot air is only available if the heater boxes are not rusted shut and the cables haven't been ripped into pieces (cause the boxes were rusted shut) and the hoses are still attached and not ripped, both from the heater-boxes to the longs as well as inside the engine bay. it also helps a lot if your car is equipped with a additional air-fan in the engine-comp that funnels air through your heat-exchangers!


have fun with your car
Andy

There are three pedals under the steering wheel. (thats the round thing in front of the left seat.)

The left pedal is used to change gears.

The middle pedal is used to slow down.

The right pedal is....well it makes it go a little faster than the middle pedal.

The stick coming out of the floor is loosely connected to the transaxle.

Welcome, have fun.

Paul

Actually that lever is BEHIND the shifter.

You have to excuse Andy, he is German. He comes from the same place that decided it was a good idea to use the spare tire to drive the washer system, designed that cryptic lever system in the dash, and put jellow somewhere between the shifter knob and the transmission.

I guess it's beat up on Andy day

The middle lever directs FRESH air up -right- (to the defrost and dash vents) or down to your feet -left-.

The lower lever directs HOT air up -right- (to the defrost and dash vents) or down to your feet -left-.

You mean those levers on the dash really do something?

You gotta be kidding!

Paul

LMFAO! Good one Paul!

Shift pattern!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a FIVE speed.....1st gear is over to the left and BACK......Reverse is Over to the left and FORWARD.....

Second is up at the top of the "H" pattern, 3rd is back, fourth is over to the right and up, fifth is over to the right and back.....

Best to find first when fully stopped until you know how the trans synchros are.....shifting to second is best done by using the shifter with a LOOSE grip and sending it in the general vicinity of second.....most of the time you will get it....

Ocassionally you WILL nick reverse....but it's most likely you were trying too hard..... , the trans is a finesse shifter.....not a speed shifter.....

Also the bushing may be for shit....and no matter what ya do, gears will be missed or reverse will be nicked on the upshift....


Good Luck...

Depending on the year and model, there may also be a second small lever on the floor near the shifter that is a fast idle adjuster, for those chokeless cars.

Flashback to that great movie "Vacation" where Chevy Chase "Clark/Sparky" rips off the license plate because he can't find the tank...

Seriously though... Check the Thermostat wire and make sure when the car heats up the flaps open. Or just undo it till you can make sure its okay. When I got my car they were wired shut, and since the thermostat was broken, it never opened and almost fried my engine.



[EDIT: I stole the picture of someones engine bay... Dammmnnn that's nice and clean.... I wish mine looked like that.]

Only on the 914/6, all years. The 914/4 was either fuel injected or (Euro 1.8 only) had carbs with automatic chokes on them. The 914/6 lever was also a hand throttle, clamping the accelerator cable, which allowed you to hold the engine at a fast idle after you pushed the pedal, and functioned as a crude cruise control.

not on my car!

middle lever directs air up or down, no matter if hot or cold.

lower lever is amount og hot that get's into the system,
to the left = no hot, to the right = lots-o-hot ...

btw., i had the assembly apart (the vents that is). more than once. don't ask me why. but i know. i'm certain. really.

Andy

let's see. i'm sitting in the car, grabbing for the shifter.
oh, forgot to turn on the heat!

so i grab the little red heater lever that is IN FRONT of the shifter ...


Andy

(why does everyone always pick on the little ones?)

seriously, if the lower dash lever (the red one) is to the left, i do not get ANY warm air. neither down or up ...
but if it's to the right i get plenty of warm air which i can direct either down or up using the middle lever.

anyone else?
Andy

I mastered it a long time ago. I use the lever on the door. Roll it one way I get lots of air, roll it the other no air. July the air is hot, January its cold....

Simple... The dash levers never seem to do anything worthwhile. For defrost I have a cool passenger side airbag. She holds a towel and wipes the windshield off when needed....

Welcome to the club pman!

Looks like there is already plenty of activity here to get you started on the right path.

Rockaria,

You figured it out.
My car's air vents use to work the same way.
My air was very humid for some reason.

Paul

Lower lever to the left= heat to floor
lower lever to the right=heat to the windshield
middle lever left=fresh air to floor
middle lever middle= fresh air to floor,side and top
middle lever right= fresh air to top only.

interesting

sooo, what's wrong with my car then?
Andy

Sounds like the lower and center cables are switched.

BTW, I've found that maximum defrost is all three levers to the right. I know it's not what it says on the hearter control panel, but that's the way it works best.

OK Andy, I concede. And I will admit that the steering wheel is in front of everything else in the car because it is the first thing I see sitting in the driver's seat.

But from a vehicle designer's/engineer's perspective, front (fore, forward) is the end with the headlights, and the rear (aft, back) is the end the stinky dinosaurs come out of. Parts are spatially oriented based on this convention.

I see your point, but I disagree and think it is confusing.

I learned the vent control operation from the 914 owners manual, and it matches how all of my 914s have operated, so I think it is correct.

could very well be. i had all that stuff apart, put in new cables and all (PO had cut them) ...

probably hooked them up wrong

i remember, there was a setting on the vent flap when the heater input side was completetly closed and that's where i put it when i attached the cable.
i assume it needed to be in a different position.

Andy

from an engeneering point of view, i absolutely agree with you!

i'm just trying to help a guy who never sat in a 914 before.

if i told him the steering wheel was behind the dash, he might never get into the car in first place ...

Andy

I like this one! Laughing my ass off

Talking about "Behind and in front"... I have been building a 914 TIV engine and all the manuals talk about the front main seal. Surprise Surprise its not the one at the Fan side. It's the seal at the Tranny Side. Silly 914 and it's engine in backwards...