How old are your brake hoses? Brake hoses decay from the inside out, they usually swell inside and block fluid from returning. Could be the cause of your sticky brakes, and they're not very expensive.

Sweet!

Normally a good thought, and my original plan was to replace them as I do on all my new projects. But in this case, all four were replaced with braided stainless not that long before it was parked. Pretty sure those are ok.

Despite the sticking brakes and intermittent AAR, it will now move under its own power. Just not very far or fast, and it stops by itself. First, second and reverse gears all work, and the clutch seems great.

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Some gratuitous 914 brake p0rn.

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Great find! The car looks like a real solid project.

As you may have guessed from my previous post, I've been going through the brakes this week. I disassembled and cleaned out the front calipers myself, and replaced the rears with a fresh pair from PMB. The master cylinder seems ok so far, and all the flex hoses are braided stainless installed by the PO. I figured I'd try to reuse the existing pads and rotors if I could get good pedal feel.

Today, I took the car for its first real test drive. And the brakes aren't going to cut it this way. The pedal is soft and has a lot of travel. I believe this is because whoever worked on the front calipers last didn't pay any attention to the piston orientation, which caused uneven wear on the pads. Now that I have the pistons oriented properly, the pads aren't contacting the rotor surface properly, and there is a lot of flex in the pads and rotors. No way to fix that without new pads and rotors, at least up front. Which also means new bearings and races. I'd hoped not to have to go this far, this early. But the brakes have to be right, no shortcuts.

Beyond the brakes, the car ran quite well. A bit smelly, I'm going to have to address the oil leaks soon after I get the brakes handled. The transmission shifts well, but seems a bit on the noisy side. The odometer doesn't work, I suspect the little plastic gear has broken. The suspension seemed very harsh and bouncy. I now think that all four dampers are seized, no real suspension travel is happening. That will also need to be addressed sooner than later.

But for now, real progress has been made.

Your car reminds me of Speedy.

I've got a ways to go before it is that nice. But I can say this, it will remain yellow.

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Nice progress. I did a thread on fixing the ODO issue years ago, on the old NARP forum. It's typically a gear that starts slipping on a splined shaft after about 80k miles or so (same for the '70's era BMWs). I gouged new splines on the shaft pressed the gear back on and the ODO worked again.

I fixed one of these odometer problems at least once before, many years ago. I think it was on one of my 1st gen Sciroccos. The only challenge will be opening up the gauge without damaging the bezel.

Arne, glad things are progressing. Its never fun to spend more than you think you will have to. So far, I am learning that some things on the car turn out better than you thought and others require more attention than first anticipated.

Keep pushing forward and we'll get there for sure.

Progress continues. After further review, I decided that the pads were not worn unevenly after all, and that the soft brake pedal was the master cylinder. I was planning to perhaps let that sit for a while, but then other considerations made me change my mind, and today I installed a new 19mm Ate unit. Finally the brake pedal feels firm and correct. The brakes now work much better, although stopping power is a bit lacking due to the rusty and pitted surfaces of the rotors. That may correct itself with use, so I need to begin driving the car some.

On the other hand, the pads and rotors may be too far gone, and I may end up replacing them later. We shall see.

Got several things lined up now that the brakes are functional. Suspension is one, but first I think I'm going to look at the oil leaks, see if I can dry things out some. That and coming up with a good solution for the AAR, while also replacing all the hoses under the hood.

Drove it to the local PCA monthly coffee gathering today. (For any of you near Eugene, 1st Saturday of each month, 10:00 at Market of Choice at 29th & Willamette. Park way at the north end in back.)

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Admitting that it still has some needs, especially in the suspension, I can see that these cars are a riot to drive, even with just a stock 2.0. This is getting fun.

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Updates:

Brakes - Still not 100% happy with the brakes. As appears to be common, I think there is still some air in there somewhere. Going to need to take another stab at bleeding, perhaps at the pressure regulator.

Suspension - Have determined that the front was lowered down to where it truly was riding on the bumpstops. After raising it back up to factory height the ride is much improved. Will order new springs for the rear shortly.

Oil leaks - Have determined the left side of the motor is dry, all motor leaks are on the right side. Looks like the bulk is from the valve cover, but the oil cooler just above it also looks a bit wet. Cleaning and driving it to see if I can track down the source(s).

New items - shift bushings are pretty sad, will address that soon. Also got the oil temp gauge reconnected, but it seems to work spastically. Once after a rather short test drive, I noticed that it had settled and appeared to be working normally, but was indicating rather hot. Will need to decide if the gauge is accurate, and if so if the engine is running hot. Going to need to check the flappers for function.

For all that is said about George and AA, (much of it true) his little pamphlet 700 Tech Tips is spot on. Four common oil leaks on the passenger side include the oil pressure sender, the oil cooler and the valve cover (both sides), as well as the return tube seals (both sides).

The cooler doesn't appear to be really wet, but I'll need to locate the pressure sender and check that. Will replace valve cover gaskets as a matter of course. Will probably check the valve adjustment too, no telling when it was last done.

Re-bled the rear brakes today, I think I got it this time. At least now it doesn't trip the warning light when I stomp on them. Will need to log some miles to see if the pads and rotors will bed properly after they wear off all the rust. If not, might have to deal with pads and rotors to get full brake power.

Great to see another 914 rescued and back in service !

Brakes are improving with miles. Starting to feel like they have some power now, and the surface of the disc no longer looks orange-brown. I think this will be ok with more driving.

Rear springs arrived today and were installed. Big improvement. I'm going to declare the suspension ok for now.

What are you using for tires? That can make The suspension feel rock like as well...

Tires are 195/65HR15 Toyos, Rob. A bit on the old side, but definitely not what I was feeling. This car had serious suspension issues, now corrected. My guess is that the Konis went on years back, while the car was still fairly fresh. Then as the rear springs sagged out, the answer was to keep lowering the front so that the car sat level. By the time I bought it, both ends were riding on the stops, no travel at all. Now that I have raised it up some and we have suspension travel once again, all is quite well.

Am I correct in thinking the oil pressure sender is on the top side of the motor? If so, it is not leaking, the top side is completely dry. That leaves the right side valve cover as a known leak, and the right push rod tubes and the oil cooler as still suspect.

Stupid Type IV noob question - can I pull a valve cover (or adjust the valves) without draining the oil? Or am I going to make an Exxon Valdez sized mess if I do so? I ask because I can pull one side at a time on my 911 if I jack up the side of the car I am working on. Don't know if that is possible on a Type IV with its wet sump.

Yes.

I.d replace the push rod seals and the cover gaskets if the car has been sitting for a while.

See also if the breather hose is hooked up.

Yes, the breather is connected. I've already got a new pair of cover gaskets, will pick up a set of tube seals before I tear into it.

Check the top side of the oil filter. If there is a puddle on top chances are the leak is cooler related.

Thanks, that's a good tip. Will look into that when I spend some time in the garage tomorrow.

Can the cooler o-rings be replaced with the engine in the car? Or is an engine drop required?

Guys do it in the car. There's a thread somewhere. I'm sure it's not easy - at least for me. I did it why the engine was out along with some while you are there stuff.

Yeah, I found a Pelican tech article on it. Will probably give it a try. Just do all the leak points at once.

If you're planning to replace the push rod tube seals, that's going to facilitate engine removal (cooling tins and heads need to come off), so that would be the best time to replace the oil cooler seals.

Might also want to check to see if the rear main seal is leaking, and this will also give you the opportunity to check and replace the clutch disc (if needed).

"While I'm in there I might as well..." slippery slope.

Yeah, but why pull the motor out twice?

Really? I've read (both online and in service manuals) that Type IV push rod tubes can be removed without pulling the heads. Am I missing something here?

Push rod tube seals can be replaced without dropping the engine. It is not a difficult job, just uncomfortable if your car is on jackstands. There is a thread here or on Pelican that covers this repair.

Yeah, my goof ... I've been working on 616 motors too long

Pretty sure I don't need to remind anyone here about how one thing leads to another...

Picked up some parts locally to address some of the oil leaks - push rod tubes, oil cooler seals, etc. I also got a rear shift rod bushing as the existing one seemed pretty sloppy.

Got the car in the air yesterday, figured I'd start with the shift rod bushing, as that was a separate job from the rest. And that's where the plan started to break down.

Pulled the shift linkage bowl/cover down, and found it full of gear oil. Not too surprised, really. But if I'm going to address that, I figured I better just start to really look things over - what else should I be looking at?

It would appear that sitting unused for several years magically transforms seals and o-rings into cheese. In addition to the shift linkage, both output flange seals are leaking, the left side especially. So I've started acquiring all the rest of the seals I can think to deal with, as well as the copper exhaust seals as I figure getting to all this stuff will be easier with the heat exchangers out of the way. Progress will resume some time next week after it all arrives.

Question - the new rear shift rod bushing doesn't appear to be any better than the one I pulled out. It is not snug on the shift rod, seems to allow close to 1/8" movement. Is that correct? Or is my shift rod a smaller diameter for some reason?

I think you'd be better off dropping the drive train and addressing all the seals at one time. If the shift console seal on your transaxle is shot, the input shaft seal might need to be replaced as well - if it leaks, you'll be replacing the clutch too

Yeah, I'm sure you are right, Mark. I've been trying to avoid dropping it as I'm not well equipped in this garage for it. But I may need to work that out.

How high do I need to get the car up to have room to drop the lump and get it out from under the car? Assume that I have the heat exchangers pulled, if that gives any more room.

I've done it with the rear wheels on wheel ramps, dropping onto a furniture dolly. I think you need about 33-36" of clearance from back of car to the ground. Probably a couple inches less now that you pulled the he's. Dropping the engine and trans is easy and you can get stuff done so much easier once it's on the ground.

The bushing isn't a very good fit. Some guys make their own for a more precise fit.

I whole-heartedly agree with Mark Epstein ... it's much easier to drop the motor and transaxle as a single unit.

Definitely remove the HEs before dropping the drive train ... you don't want to get stuck trying to do it while it's on the ground (or dolly).

Having an engine stand is really nice for servicing the motor at a good working height ... maybe someone local to you has one you can borrow?

Mr. Epstein's ramps must be taller than mine. Looks like I have ~23" with the rear bumper off. Of course, the body will rise once the weight of the drivetrain is removed, but I'm not sure that will be enough.

I'm measuring 14" from the sheet metal of the rear to the ground with the car sitting in my garage. So add in the height of the ramps plus a couple more inches once the engine is out. Plus when the front wheels are on the ground, the back angles up even more. It will work.

OK, I'll give it a shot. I guess worse case is I have to have several buddies over to lift the car as I slide it out the back. Good thing I brew my own beer, because bribing said buddies could get expensive otherwise.

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It's always nice to have some help doing this, although it's not impossible to do alone.

Those are small ramps. But you can always jack up the car further once the engine is down.

I have access to a pair of ramps that will give me another 3-4". Will do that instead.

Now thinking about the "while I'm in there" things. Like better hell hole assessment, replacing the battery tray....

Everything will be fine.

Left long and jack point exposed today.

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Looks Great!