Had the 914 at a local shop for a week to have the following done.
1.Replace alternator it was putting out zero voltage.
2.Install new plug wires.
3.Adjust valves
4.Repair wiring to oil pressure gauge

That was pretty much the list there were a few other small issues. Car ran good when dropped off. The shop decided to drop the engine to do the alternator replacement and valve adjustment. All the items on the list were repaired but when I went to pick up the car it ran like crap. I called the mechanic over and we pulled the idle jets on the Weber carbs ( engine is a 3.0 ) and a couple of them had junk or what looked like yellow paint flecks in them. We cleaned them out and reinstalled with new o-rings and ran a little bit better but still like crap. I had to get the car home so I limped it home. I stopped for fresh gas and that didn't help. Fuel tank was pulled last year while I was completing the restoration and cleaned. I cleaned it not a pro. It was clean looking with minimal rust inside and a new fuel tank sleeve filter was installed on the outlet nipple. New SS fuel line from tank to engine bay with all brand new rubber connecting lines. New fuel pump with new fuel filter before the pump and a new fuel filter in the engine bay. I do not have fuel filters right before the carb's. I know carb's are finicky when it comes to dirt,dust or foreign objects so it appears I need to clean all jets. Does this sound like the right way to go ? Should I install a fuel filter at each carb ? I'm hoping this is all it is and I can get away with just cleaning the jets but what if the goop,gunk is IN the carb bodies ? I plan on converting this engine to EFI but need to get it running properly for the rest of the summer. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

I would double check the firing order with those new plug wires.

Check the timing. Was a new cap and rotor installed?

As they said and also try to find Ethanol-Free Gas to run thru your Carbs ALL the Time. Ethanol + Carbs are a Bad Combo

Who did the work, I hope it wasn't AA

I will check the firing order of the plug wires. A new distributor cap and rotor was NOT installed because they were relatively new. The shop name will be with held until I figure out what the problem is. Thanks guys.

Check each plug wire too: Just spent all day with a similar crappy running car that had new plug wires. One wire was NO good.

How did you figure out the plug wire was bad ? These are brand new Clewett wires I purchased from Pelican.

Used the OHM meter

what does teh shop say baout it all

Check for continuity with the buzzer. The wires should conduct. Had one wire that was a conductor when cold, became an insulator after 5 minutes of running.

As I stated they helped with the quick idle jet cleaning but other than that they seemed happy with their work.

Call them back, talk to the boss!
See if that helps.

....Take it back fast!
( I'd leave it there till it runs right!)

Duuuuuuuude, never take a car from a shop that isn't better than it was when you dropped it off.

You should have left it there and told them to get it running back the way it was.

Any respectable shop would have happily agreed.




Others have metioned already, check everything that could have been touched, plug wires, cap/rotor etc.

Valve lash? Oh man, get that wrong on a six and that'll do all sorts of bad things.

Keep us posted.

Update- Today when I got home from work I pulled all six idle jets. They all looked clean but I took them apart and sprayed each with fuel injection/carb cleaner. Also sprayed some into the carb bodies. Put it all back together and didn't make any difference that I could tell. The shop set the valve lash when the engine was out. I called the shop and voiced my displeasure with how it's running. They said bring it back and they'll make it run right. I'm afraid to drive it because not knowing what's wrong I don't want to damage the engine. I do have a car trailer so I'll go that way. Tomorrow I'm going to ohm out the plug wires to see if I have a bad one/two. Yes in hindsight I should have left the car with them but my wife had already left with the grandchildren. Oh well we'll get this right ( I hope ).

They pulled the motor...let me count the ways they could fuckitup....ah...forget that. Start pulling plug wires while it's running...one at a time (wear thick gloves). If the idle doesen't drop, put that one back on & move to the next. I would bet they have two (or more) crossed at the cap.

Not your fault, the shop should have known better than to have it listed as "ready for pickup". They are willing to take it back which is good. Hopefully they just take care of you and make things right.

Good on you for trailering it back. Don't risk them being able to say "If only you hadn't driven it...."

Funny you say that because I did pull the plug wires while it was running and I really couldn't hear much of a difference on ANY of them as I pulled them off. Is it possible that all of them could be off by one position but still start/run ?

Since you have 6 cyl, the poles on the cap are 60 degrees apart ... I don't think the engine would run 60 degrees retarded or advanced.

If the firing order was out of kilter by switching a couple, you should notice a miss.

If miss timed (to retarded) it would run like shit. To far advanced would make it very hard to start and you would have a high idle.

If the valves were set to tight you should possibly get popping out of the exhaust or backfiring through the carbs.

New or not, I would check the ohm resistance on the spark plug wires if all else fails.

Loaded the car on the trailer today after work and dropped it off to the shop. Had a good chat with the mechanic and made it clear don't call me until she runs like it should. We'll see.

Good move.

If it's a 3.0, you could have a bad distributor lead, also known as the "green wire".

Green wire was replaced by Jerry Woods last year when I sent him the distributor for a full rebuild. So I don't think it is that but who knows. We'll see what the shop comes up with.

Received an email at work today from the shop. They spent two hours tuning the car ( mostly carbs ) and was told it is running great. The exact words were " near perfection ". It apparently is pulling so strong that on the test drive the drivers axle broke at the transmission side . Hopefully picking up the car tomorrow. No mention of $$$ yet.

What shop is this? You can PM me if you want.

Phillip

That is one of those good new bad news emails.

Glad to hear it was simple tuning.

rich

When an axle breaks on a test drive...is that the testers problem?????

Sorry but I can see them now test driving the car. Red-line and hammering the clutch. Braking parts during a test drive sounds real bad to me. You know there not being paid any more here. The tech surely pushed the car hard, rev-tuning only brakes things. I would get it back and if it runs poor take it to someone who knows what there doing. Sorry for your trouble for sure ! Afterward small claims court. They can be nice guys with a ton of initiative but if they don't have the correct training or experience the result will not change.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

There is no reason to pound on a car to find if it is running properly.
The breakage is probably a CV....they go long before an axle.
Just be thankful it wasn't the cantilevered first gear.
If the fix is not free, find another shop.....come to think of it, find another shop anyway.

You obviously don't want toflame this shop here in this forum but, come on! You have to tell us who you are dealing with! this is getting scarey!!

The car is done and I'm picking it up after work. Supposedly running great. They are not charging me for the 2 hours of tuning because they admit they never should have handed over the car running like it was. They are however charging me $396.97 for a new axle. I mis-spoke when I said the axle broke it was in fact the CV joint. For all I know it was on the verge of breaking OR they did it but without proof who knows. If the car truly runs good I'll walk away as this being another learning experience.

A suggestion. Take it for a drive, WITH the tech who worked on it, BEFORE you pay.

dishonest shops suck

but if your in marrieta . georgia , [as listed under your location avatar [

then why are you not taking it to " 914 disneyland ." auto atlanta

IIRC they work on vw/ porsche there ?


?



not that i take my own advice , i'm less then 20 miles from ottos in venice and

tre motorsports van nuys , and I take my stock 73 to a sandrail / vw / river rat

place where they have a single port 35hp motor cut in half on displays but

whom ever's the most honest right !

Yeah, you could have mickey mouse or goofy work on it.

PM sent.

Well the saga is over. I went to pick up the car after work. I walked up to the car and looked it over REAL good just to make sure it was clean and no damage. Looked under the car and a new axle was installed. Car was clean. I then walked up to the head mechanic and asked for them to start the car for me. They obliged and came out to start the car.........no dice . WTF ????? Then one of the mechanics stated they left the car outside last night and we had one hell of a rain storm so my K&N billet carb housings did little to stop water from getting into the carbs. So they pulled all six plugs and turned the car over for a few seconds to pump out the water. Installed the plugs and she fired right up. Ran rough for a few minutes but as it warmed up and water was displaced it ran better. I took it for a test drive and after the motor was warm got on it pretty hard and she pulled fine. Still had a few pops and spits on the drive home but nothing I can't handle. I was not happy they left the car outside but to be honest I did ask before bringing my car over if they had indoor storage and was told no so I knew better. I payed for the axle replacement and went on my way. They did bring me the broken axle cage assembly to see that it just came apart. The mechanic that had the axle cage snap on him during the test ride said he was just making a turn with the clutch in, let the clutch out and got on the gas and she just snapped. Both mechanics apologized several times for the inconvenience they caused me. I will continue to look for another shop because even though I am a DIYer there are times I either don't have time or I just don't want to do the job so I need to find someone I can trust. I'm not into public bashing so I'm done with this story. Thanks to all for your suggestions.

change your oil now!!!!!!

if water blew out of the cylinders its in tha crank case and has contaminated the oil

......Ya dig!!!.....you deserve to be satisfied

......Ya dig!!!.....you deserve to be satisfied

Post edited by Zach.
I'm sure many of us are thinking it, by let's not speculate.

If I ran my shop like that, I would have to kick my own ass.

Yes, change your oil in a hurry....

I will go ahead and change the oil. Thanks guys.

That's how I've broken TWO CV joints on my car. Turning right, let on the power and pop, no more go. Sometimes that just happens without abuse.

Glad to hear it sounds like it's all worked out.

914 out side in a rain storm .


talk about auto abuse . aka AA

Sounds like you're already going to do that anyway. But just another reminder.

OP,
You might want to read this thread...several shops in your area are discussed.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911...nd-atlanta.html

Thank you.

Just be Aware Rick, that thread is very old & you need to read through it as some of the Shops have changed hands etc. At least you know who not to go to

......not only changed hands......maybe changed lands
(as in run for the border! LOL)