You will only find these tips here on the 914Club, and you can contribute by posting 914 hints to help other 914 owners.

There are some things you should know about fixing, maintaining and upgrading your 914 that may seem obvious to some, but they are not written down in any manual, in any instructions you may get with parts or on any website. Here are some of mine:

1. Liberally pack the pilot bearing in the flywheel with wheel bearing grease or it will grind everytime you let the clutch in/out and wear out the bearing prematurely.

2. Liberally lube the clutch and throttle cables with wheel bearing grease when feeding them into their guide tubes so they operate smoothly and don't bind or abraid.

3. Liberally lube replacement suspension bushings incluing sway bar bushings or they will squeak.

4. Use a plastic bag under your wheel bolt wrench/socket and your wheels/lugs wont get bunged up.

5. Change all fuses and clean all electrical grounds and relay contacts every couple years as regular maintenance becasue they easily corrode, to avoid hard to find problems and dim lights and hard engine starting.

6. Routinely replace clutch and throttle cables about every 4 years to avoid being stranded. Thats only how long they will last, everything else is borrowed time. Always use a mirror to examine the cables at the front of the tunnel...or you tangle the cables everytime.

7. Just remove the rear trunk lid male latch piece...you dont need the latch to keep the lid down and then you wont ever have to break into the rear trunk...what a major pain.

8. Retighten the fuel injection fuel line clamps at every oil change...they loosen up and might start a 914 BBQ.

9. Liberally lube the shift linkage bushing contact points, to make shifting smoother and easier. Be sure your shift linkage covers are in place, they are there to keep dirt and grit out.

So what can you tell us...

Do these things or your 914 may rebel and turn into this...

JEFF BOWLSBY! YOU! OF ALL PEOPLE!

#7! LMAO!


M

QUOTE

2. Liberally lube the clutch and throttle cables with wheel bearing grease when feeding them into their guide tubes so they operate smoothly and don't bind or abraid.

Um..

The stock cables are "sheathed" in plastic. Lubing them doesnt help. It actually promotes premature wear when they exit the plastic casing by dragging dirt in on the grease.

QUOTE

9. Liberally lube the shift linkage bushing contact points, to make shifting smoother and easier. Be sure your shift linkage covers are in place, they are there to keep dirt and grit out.

These bushings where designed to be "dry" not greased.


B

No #7 mod for Trekkor, he spins out too much

Speaking of running your 914 without a rear latch, mabey "okay" with a steel rear lid, but not good with the carbon fiber...when I was sitting on the side of the freeway waiting for AAA to rescue me, the turbulance from big rigs going by would cause my rear CF lid to open up about a foot or so....luckly no big gusts of winds flipped it open the rest of the way....


good list Jeff

QUOTE

These bushings where designed to be "dry" not greased

how about a "dry" lube such as graphite powder??

QUOTE (bowlsby @ May 5 2005, 06:37 PM)

Do these things or your 914 may rebel and turn into this...

what manner of 914 is this? actually, i wouldn't mind if mine turned in to it, assuming that it has no rust!

When buying a new 914, change out the acid battery to a Optima so the battery tray /long doesn't rot out over the years.

Feel free to try it. I just know what a cable housing looks like after dirt has found its way in.


B

QUOTE (Mueller @ May 5 2005, 10:55 PM)

QUOTE These bushings where designed to be "dry" not greased how about a "dry" lube such as graphite powder??

I wrote an article for an online magazine a few months back. I tried ten different lubricants, and rated them on several points.

I am sticking with KY.


M

I recognize the headlights to be from a Type4 411/412.


B

QUOTE (redshift @ May 5 2005, 08:01 PM)

QUOTE (Mueller @ May 5 2005, 10:55 PM) QUOTE These bushings where designed to be "dry" not greased how about a "dry" lube such as graphite powder?? I wrote an article for an online magazine a few months back. I tried ten different lubricants, and rated them on several points. I am sticking with KY. M

Now I know why the goat smiles so much

yup b beat be too it...

vw411/412

it sort of looks like this one.....

QUOTE

The stock cables are "sheathed" in plastic. Lubing them doesnt help. It actually promotes premature wear when they exit the plastic casing by dragging dirt in on the grease.

I hear you B but I am primarily talking about lubing the cable in the center tunnel guide tubes. But now that you mention it, all the cables...throttle, clutch and brakes...have rubber bellow closures at the exposed end to keep dirt out.

QUOTE

These bushings where designed to be "dry" not greased.

It this publiushed somwhere? They work lots better greased...and the covers keeop the grit out. Without the lube they bind and make shifting harder.

Like that morphed 914/411 eh?

You too can own this morphed 914/411 prototype photo...

Do not store rags, paper towels or for that matter, anything else in the engine bay as it may get "sucked in" by the cooling fan.

John

P.S. ( I don't want to talk about it)

Do not park you 914 in the barn for very long as the mice will build nests in it.

Heck they even got hungry and ate my cigarette lighter rubber knob to the plastic!

10. Use a t-handle swivle (swivil? swivel? i dunno) spark-plug wrench to prevent plug socket loss into the cooling tin.

11. Keep band-aids close-by.

12. Wear a glove to pull with and use a bf screwdriver to lever at the side to take off the valve cover retaining wire.

13. Clean behind the rocker panels.

14. Use a whole lotta scotchguard on the belts to keep seatbelts retracting.

15. (I discovered this just tonight) For weber users: Lube the shaft of little metal wheel on the accel pump cam to ensure smooth throttle response when applying or reducing pedal pressure. (My idle was hanging way high intermittantly until I figured out how gummed up that wheel was)

Do not use long screws in place of the short ones for the inside door handles.

Keep a spare key.

Check your oil.

Fix gas leaks.

Starters may not start after a long drive.

Saratoga tops are stupid, leaky, expensive, leaky, stupid, don't fit right and leaky.

Swepco is Gud Gear Oil.

Fix the bushings before getting a racey short shifter.

A GUD FI is better than carbs.

Stock brakes work when fixed right.

Change the brake fluid more than once a decade.

Always, Always carry a fire extinguisher!!, a few screw drivers and metric tools. i keep them in my flipped spare tire up front.

I also keep a small flashlight in the console/glovebox.

Luke D

If you order parts from Brad, figure they will arrive right after Hell freezes over......

If you order parts from AA, you will get the wrong parts and never see your money again......

no grease on cables,

QUOTE (bowlsby @ May 5 2005, 06:37 PM)

So what can you tell us...  :D

- you can use the original wires for the fuel pump when you convert to carbs.
all you need to do is add one wire to the relay board that grounds out a pin of the connector that went to the FI brain ...

- you can run the rear sway bar "upside-down" to avoid it hitting the trunk floor.

- the front stock mounting holes for the early pass. seat can be used to secure the late style seat rails for upgrading a early car to later style moveable pass. seat.

- early doors are *much* lighter!

- aluminum crossmembers flex!

- do *not* sandblast your entire car! don't! even if it sounds like a good idea at the time ...

- the dizzy drive shaft *can* be mounted 180 deg. off!

- with a agressive cam, you'll need to adjust your vales different from the normal procedure or they won't work right!

- the best way to open a rear trunk lock when the key is lost is a metal coat hook ...

- a late style main wiring harness can be made to work in an early style car!

- the wrong screws (too long) for your center repository can interfere with your shift-rod!

- the heater light on the center tunnel next to the sifter is the most common cause for the blow fuse that leaves you with a dark gauge cluster ...

- the 914-6 windshield washer pump is simply a 911 unit, no need to pay big bucks for it!

- there *IS* a light for the trunk and engine-comp!

- early cars had a 3rd seat option with additional lap belts for the center seat

- no production 914 ever had a porsche crest on the hood ...

- if you have a street driven car and you do occassional AX events, take out the seat cushion of your stock seat for your runs to give you some side support ...

- if you have a street driven car and you do occassional AX events, and you have the later style retracteable seatbelts, put a knot in them on the top part to prevent them from moving ...

- if your accel cable brakes, remove it from the tunnel towards the engine bay and run it over the targa bar inside and use it for hand-throttle to get you home ...

- if your shift-linkage comes lose, put the car in gear by hand at the transmission (put something on the clutch pedal to keep it down while you select gear) and limp it home ...

- the trip-o-meter reset button is under the dash!

- the brake MC has a reset button to get rid of that annoying blinking light ...

- the round relays from the relay board also work on the headlights (and vice-versa)!

- there is a access hole behind the front bumper to release the front trunk lock ...


i'm sure there's more, but my TeeKillYa is getting warm ...
Andy

Do not stick chopsticks in your motor for any reason.

The replacement suspension bushings will squeak unless you search here for a well documented method for installings them right the first time.

The car leaks water, in many places...get over it.

Learn how to weld.

Learn all about POR 15

Its a VW Motor...that parts can be found in lots of places...

QUOTE (SirAndy @ May 5 2005, 09:34 PM)

- the wrong screws (too long) for your center repository can interfere with your shift-rod!

Same goes for the seat belt bolts in the center tunnel! And the problem may only show up after replacing the bushings.

Thsi is a quite useful Thread Idea, IMHO, it deserves a

J

914's will not attract really hot women, face it they just won't.

But, They will attract women that usually know something about cars. Which is even cooler.

THERE ARE NO RUST FREE 914'S THIS IS A FACT

If you have installed turbo tie rods and after a while in the rain the car pulls to one side or another, then returns to normal steering. Check the tie rods where they go into the rack, they are loose, buy the right tool you cheap skate.

Don't underestimate the way the car feels to drive. what I mean by that is. Does the clutch pedal go down easily and without stickiness, Does the throttle pedal do the same. is the Brake pedal firm and give good feedback, All of these things will make or break your 914. Trust me I have driven many, and the ones that all the controls work nicely are a pleasure to drive, the others suck.

On Brake pedal firmness, I have never been happy with a street car 914 brake pedal, Lines, big m cyl, bleeding til the cows came home. Until I welded an adjustable bolt and locknut onto the lower front suspension crossmember. So it supported the back end of the master cylinder, what an amazing difference, if you want good feeling brakes this will make a larger improvement than anything else I have done.

Teaching people how to open the doors from the outside will save your door handles, by pushing with your thumb as you rocker the handle out, the pressure on the latch will be reduced and the door will come open more easily and the plastic piece won't get broken as easily, nor will the pot metal handle hold down break.

914 CV joints and CV joint tin are NLA or No Longer Available, so take good care of yours and everytime you see some, buy them if they are in good condition, cuse you can't get them.

914Club is a good thing, support it when you can.

Erik Madsen