I bought a '75 on Thursday, and it has the very tired original 1.8 in it. I have heard that the L-jet 1.8 can be tempermental. The three 914s I have owned over the years had 1.7 D-Jet engines, and were trouble free (at least for me). How difficult would it be to replace the 1.8 L-Jet with a 2-0 D-Jet? Is it advisable? I would want it to be reversable, as I do not want to make permanent modifications to this car, as it is in unmodified condition now. Thanks.

Are you replacing the 1.8 for a 2.0, or just the L-jet for D-jet?

As far as I know you would need

Complete 2.0 motor w/all FI equip
2.0 FI brain
Complete engine wiring harness
Heat exchangers and muffler bracket and muffler

Anyone else chime in.

the ljet can be very reliable and is a little more modern, but it is greatly affected by vac leaks. i would stick with the ljet, i think it is cheaper to work on in the long run, as mps's for djet are getting harder to find and expsensive. the most expensive part in a l jet is the airflow sensor but there are a bunch out there. as well as the djet has a special dizzy, where as the ljet can use any vw dizzy

the worst part to get for the ljet is the s shaped rubber boot, the worst part to get for the djet is a mps.

but either way maintance is very important

I'm in no way an expert on the advantages of D-Jet, but I've owned a '74 L-Jet 1.8 car for 9 years and it has never failed to start or had any FI problems, so it can be reliable as well. If it were my decision, I'd give what you have a chance and only change it if it proves to be a problem...just my thoughts.

Thanks for the info. I will stick with the more modern L-Jet system and perform proper maintenance.

Do you know of any 1.8 L-Jet engines that have been rebuilt with slightly bigger displacement to be 2.0s? How big a problem could that be? If it would cause any potential problem, I would just rebuild the 1.8 as a 1.8; long term reiability is what I'm after. What additional items, (such as a high volume oil pump) can be incorporated into a rebuild to help assure long engine life? Thanks again.

My '75 L-jet 1.8 was backdated to a '73 D-jet 2.0. The hardest part was figuring out which way the fuel lines went. The 2.0 + D-jet was complete. There is the MPS drawback. The car ran perfectly for yesterday's A-X.

QUOTE (gv1400 @ Mar 27 2005, 10:33 PM)

Thanks for the info. I will stick with the more modern L-Jet system and perform proper maintenance. Do you know of any 1.8 L-Jet engines that have been rebuilt with slightly bigger displacement to be 2.0s? How big a problem could that be? If it would cause  any potential problem, I would just rebuild the 1.8 as a 1.8; long term reiability is what I'm after.  What additional items, (such as a high volume oil pump) can be incorporated into a rebuild to help assure long engine life? Thanks again.

For a long-term reliability application, you could just get a 2.0L bottom end, keep the 1.8 heads, put it back together. You will need to have the AFS adjusted to allow the proper amount of fuel in, but essential you'll get a power boost over the 1.8 with the L-Jet benefits of reliability.

Best mix =
High compression Pistons (94mm/stock diameter)
Stock 2.0L Cylinders
Stock 2.0L Case
2.0L crank and rods.

You'll be able to use the Air Flow Control system without problems, won't have to buy a new intake setup or exhaust setup.

That's the combination I was going to choose before the option for a 2.4 or 2.2 came my way... Going that large I might as well drop the cash to make it reliable and run cool.

I ran a complete L-Jet system on a eurospec (higher compression) 2.0 with no problems at all, car ran great.