After 4 months of trying to get my 914-6 running with an SDS 6F system, checking the hall sensor alignment, double checking the wiring, pulley magnets, anything I could think of, I finally got it to start and actually idle nicely. It only involved disconnecting the whole thing, reinstalling my dizzy and doing a quick and dirty Megasquirt harness using the brain I built as a present for my brother's 914-4.

Well all is not wonderful in big-6 land as there appears to be some kind of problem with cylinder #2. It's shooting out all sorts of shiny magnetic debris. I was pretty careful bolting on the induction and exhast, keeping rags stuffed down the holes so nothing would drop in by accident. When I saw the chips of metal looking down through the throttle body I thought of an aircleaner washer that I'd dropped and lost, at the time I checked down the TBs and didn't see anything but who knows. However I've since cleaned the garage in preparation for engine removal and all 24 bolts and washers are accounted for along with all the hardware I could have had anywhere near the intake. So I'm clueless as to how whatever it is got in there. I don't need any advice, I'm just pissed and need to vent to people who understand. As I bolted the tranny to the mounts for literally the 10th time (I had to R&R the clutch and starter a couple of times each), I was tired of dealing with it, but happy that I wouldn't have to touch it for a good long time. How wrong I was.

I just noticed in my avatar you can see the rags stuffed down the holes.

I should mention that I think really highly of the SDS people, great guys, very helpful, for some reason I just couldn't get it to work. I'm going to send the ECU in to have it checked over and upgraded to the EM4, and then sell it. I called Clewett today and am going to use the Megasquirt to fire the 12 plugs using Ford EDIS stuff. I ordered the mount, pulley, and Electromotive sensor (according to the manuals I found on the web and Richard the sensor is a VR type), so all I just need 2 EDIS-6 modules, coils and a custom trigger wheel.

I feel for you man. I have a buddy interested in learning how to work on cars so I let him "help". Well I learned something too, he dropped a washer into my intake which pounded the crap out of #2 cylinder.

I have this b-in-law who likes to hang out in my garage
He knows not to touch anything - I was installing a new Allison elec. ign. - lotsa little screws & backing plates, & hardware. Terry, I mean b-in-law, picks up the bag of parts & opens it - why? I don't know. We spent the rest of the nite looking for hardware that landed on the floor & went - EVERYWHERE.
Probably doesn't help much, but $hit does happen. So sorry...

Ya, I feel your pain man! Found this jambed in my oil pump gears!

I just gotta say to you guys...OUCH.

I spoke to my flat-6 guru and engine mentor (M.E. who worked for the factory back in the late 60's). He didn't seem overly anxious to just yank the thing and tear it apart, instead suggesting some cleanup and diagnostics. I yanked both of cyl #2 plugs, and wiggled a little magnetic grabber tool into the holes and pulled a few flakes out, and hit it with some brakleen and some compressed air and it seems to have pretty much cleared up. Followed it up with a little bit of oil to get some lube back in the cylinder then checked valve clearance. When closed, #2 intake is if anything a little on the loose side (.0045 ish), #2 exhaust is a little bit tougher to get to so I'm not going to worry about it since I'd likely hear it if it were an issue. He also suggested I switch some injectors and leads around and see if maybe it's just coincidentally running lean in that cylinder. Improbable but possible.

Thanks for all the moral support fellas, maybe the headache is a lot closer to gone than I'd thought.

I feel your pain - and I'm glad my time with that is history. After I rebuilt my engine - I had to remove it & install six more times for various problems (dropped exhaust seat, dropped intake seat, yada, yada, yada). I was ready to chuck the whole thing. Glad I didn't.

Hang in there!

Back in MY 'learning from the pros' days, buddy was helping/teaching me the engine building tricks.

We (he) were buttoning up a L16 Datsun 510 motor after have a 'few' beers. Finished the engine, installed it and decided to wait for morning to fire it up.

Morning comes, set my coffee down on the work bench - and see a half-shell from the new rod bearing set sitting there.............

Yeah $h!t happens to everyone.

This last 914-6 conversion I did, I went out for the first drive and while coming back I noticed it started to shift hard? Wierd? Then I could hear some metal clanking around. Pulled in adn found I forgot to put one of the washers on the 911 motor mount (just one of them though). Pulled the rubber right through and the engine was sitting on the shifter bar. Doh.

Lucky the engine didn't bend the shifter bar and let the engine corner fall down!