Hi all, recentally my starter in my Porsche went out(I believe). Anyway before removing it I went to O'Rileys and bought a new one. However after pulling the old one I noticed that they are different. Pictures are below. Which one is correct? Was my old one wrong and the new one right? Or is the new one wrong and I need to take it back and order one off pelican?

The original Bosch starter is really durable and may not be at fault. Don't know if the replacement you have would fit...likely not, but do check this site for troubleshooting steps. That should get you quickly on the path to solution. I would recommend the Bosch starter if you need a replacement, or have yours repaired by a local shop.

Your original starter is correct. The new one is wrong.

Looks like a VW Bug starter to me.

Yea the starter is wrong.
Slits said it well in a previous thread on starter problems:

Starters don't fail very often. My concern is you'll put a new starter on and it won't fix your problem. If you want to get into that, share your symptoms and troubleshooting steps. The peeps around here may be able to save you some money.

My 914 isn't starting. I turn the key and nothing really happens. The starter doesn't engage. It's not the battery because that is brand new.

There are several possible causes for key turn/no start which aren't related to the starter itself. Two of the big ones are 1) the ignition switch could be cracked/bad (very common). 2) The wiring could have a break or be at fault somewhere (that circuit is crazy long). Have you tried bypassing the ignition switch and powering the starter directly from the battery?

We take our starters in to a local shop for rebuilds, cost about $75.

Remove the large yellow wire from the starter solenoid and connect a VOM or test light to it. Turn the ignition switch to start. You should have power to the yellow wire when the switch is turned to start. If you don't I'd look at the ign switch. If you do have power note the voltage. If you have 11v or higher whack the solenoid with a hammer. The old grease in the solenoid is old and sticky in cool weather. If your voltage at the yellow wire is low you need to repair/replace the starter or...............add a solenoid to get some voltage to that old starter solenoid. I prefer the old Ford style as they only need 3v to energize.

I have not.

The local auto parts store is NOT a good resource for these older cars. The reason being not many people who work at the local auto parts store know anything about a German car that was built before they were born.

Yep I vote beetle starter also how could someone get it so wrong,take your old one to a Bosch shop and they will fix real easy sometimes they only need brushes and a clean.

Okay so the starter is wrong, I think I'll have it rebuilt since it's old dirty and probably needs it. If that doesn't fix it that would narrow my problem down to ignition switch or a wiring problem right?

It's unlikely that the starter is the problem. It's so quick and easy to hook it to a battery to see if it turns. Why would you throw money at it before doing a couple simple tests so you know what to fix?

My first 914 suddenly quit turning over. First thing I did was grab a screwdriver and jump the terminals at the starter to see if it would crank. It took literally a minute (most of that time was retrieving a screwdriver and making sure the car was in neutral with the ebrake on ). I instantly ruled out the starter. In my case it was the plastic housing of the ignition switch that cracked (a fairly common failure on these cars).

I'd strongly suggesting you do the quick tests first so you can narrow down where to focus your troubleshooting. Check the starter first because it takes no time. Then circuits / grounds / switch.

If it is your starter, either have yours rebuilt or go with a gear reduction starter.

I'm with Rand on this