I'm making this post just for a little motivation. I bought this 74 2.0 a few years ago and have only driven it around the block once. Immediately replaced the fuel lines and then had the rear calipers rebuilt by PMB. Finally got those installed last summer and before I even bleed the brakes I noticed a leaking fuel injector. I walked out to the garage today and thought " I should probably get this thing on the road". Life, work, kids etc have put the car on the back burner but sitting in it this morning made me want to give it a little more attention. The fuel injector leak, bleeding/adjusting the rear calipers and a broken garage door are pretty much the only things keeping me from giving it a proper shakedown run. I'm hoping posting about this car will be the first step towards making it a little more of a priority to not let such a cool vehicle languish in my tiny garage.

Nice car. Come up with a list that is prioritized and tackle one problem at a time. Then cross it off the list. Just that simple trick keeps me moving on complicated jobs. Good luck.

I agree. Choose a job that is the least intimidating to you. Get that one done and it will build your confidence to go to the next step!

This sounds like an audition for the "Slackers Thread".

Ha!.... guilty

well you did some important stuff already, that had to be done before you drive the car, now you are just a few hours of work from getting it running so you can jump in and take a drive now and then - get the injectors sent in and have them cleaned or post an ad for one here. they are getting hard to find, but they are out there. I had to do the same thing when I bought my car 9 years ago. I had never owned a 914 or any Porsche at that time but had done a lot of work on a Austin Healey in high school and college back in the 80's. bought it not running, but knew it had good compression and spark, was pointed to this forum and 1 week later I had a running car thanks to a member that sourced a good MPS for me- so , just to encourage you, get that injector taken care of and get it out there running then you can sort thru some things but enjoy it !!

I cross the river to New Albany every Monday afternoon for guitar lessons at Jimmies Music Store. If you want, send me a PM and I can come visit and give you some thoughts.

Eric O'Neal has an orange one over in Oldham County.

And red teeners are faster than the other colors.

I too have had my share of life getting in the way of projects I want to get into. That said, I did a quick search and read your first thread back in Oct 2014 where you were offered the car at a great price from your mom. Taking delivery in mid 2015 you were disappointed in the repaint in red over your favorite color orange and soon discovered some rust. I think at this point the wind went completely went out of your sails and understandably so. Most guys buy these cars because they want one, they have either been around them, or in my case, got a spirited ride in a 6 and was immediately hooked, and had to have one.

If those are current pictures, I see the front spoiler is still there, and that was one of the first things you were going to get rid of. Having a running car when you got it and only had it around the block, kinda says low interest or maybe still a touch of the paint color disappointment.

My suggestion, get the remaining little things fixed to make it dependable and see if it really is your cup of tea, I bet that if you get it out on some nice twisty roads you will see what they're really all about.

You really have a nice start with that year and a 2.0 to boot! They really are fun little cars that are not too hard to work on and parts are pretty readily available. Not to mention this amazing support group you will find no where else!

Hopefully this provides a friendly kick in the ass.... You have done some good stuff already.

Wishing you all the best

Hello,
I am in Mt Washington, Just south of Louisville. Welcome to stop by. Maybe drive my V8 conversion.
David

I'm actually pretty happy with the car's condition. I picked up the factory piece to replace the spoiler I just haven't put it on. I think my frustration started with the rear caliper rebuild/replacement. I didn't have the best experience with PMB and the it took a lot longer than it should have. I won't get to much into that because I spoke with Eric and It eventually got sorted out. Immediately after getting the calipers on the fuel injector started leaking. it was already late fall so I kinda just walked away for the winter. the car is in a small detached garage so its kind of an out of sight out of mind situation. Getting back on here and posting about it is my first step towards getting off my ass and out on the road

How do you eat an elephant.... one bite at a time.

You'll get there. Perhaps you can find a few locals that can be enticed with Food and beverage

Beverage after.

Yes. And the next step is to get the few things that need to be done to take your car for a first real drive. That should provide all the inspiration you need to keep going

... says the guy who hasn't driving his 914 in over 30 years.

dabird...

As you can see there are plenty of us around Louisville that can give you advice and encouragement. We're definitely full of it...(advice)

Heck you even have drive by offers...

#1 get the damn garage door fixed...you won't be driving if you can't get it out of the garage.

#2 fix any thing that stops the car or will stop it from catching on fire.

#3 take one step at a time...don't view this as I need to make it perfect before I drive it

#4 take a deep breath and relax...it looks like you have good 914 bones there

john

I was thinking the same thing, we need an excuse for a Louisville meetup.

I must admit that it is easier out here in California to drive classic cars as there isn't really a seasonal time when we don't drive our 914s.

That said, take someone near you up on the offer to either drive or drive with them in a properly running and tuned 914 Porsche. It seems as if you have plenty of offers to go rip in one. I guarantee that will motivate you, because there isn't anything quite like a 914 on the street.

Let me at it ! We'll slip a new o-ring upon 'em and call it a fuelli job. All else I'd need is a meal like one of those oyster po boys they sell off Bardstown rd and I'm there.

Ian Collins
Porsche fanatic
Est.1972, PCA since '80s
911L 68
912 68
914S 73
911 Carrera 3.2 IROC 75
911 SuperCarrera 78
911 EuroCarrera 85
911 M491 Carrera 84
930 g50 89
996 Carrera 00
996 GT2 02

This is 5 blocks from my garage where the car sits
Hull and High Water

Went out to the garage just now because I wanted to which injector was leaking. I also thought hearing the car run a few seconds would get me motivated. Well, that plan backfired. Couldn't get it to start... just cranks. Added some fresh gas .. just cranks... now I've had plenty of German cars that wouldn't start.. pretty much every Scirocco I ever owned ( and I've owned a handful) so it's not the end of the world ... just another bummer in the saga of 914 ownership. Pretty sure I can hear the relay click but I'm not hearing the pump run for a second or two... anyone have a quick rundown on how to test the pump?

definitely a fuel delivery issue... splash of gas in the throttle body and it started right up

For me, one of the most important things you can add to the FI system is a simple fuel pressure gauge. It speeds up diagnostics tremendously. Hear pump running with no pressure = no gas, clog, failed pump.

Swap relays on board in engine bay with #75 and see what happens. May be bad relay. Good first place to start.

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A lot of other useful information on electrical compiled from various sources that I wish I remembered.

Click to view attachment

Don't give up!

You can do this.

Lot's of great suggestions/steps here already.

Take some of these guys up on their offers and get it on the road!

That's not a garage that's a dungeon open the door and paint some stripes on that baby

Take a deep breath and take one step at time.
The good thing is that you have a lot of people on the world to assist you with any and all issues.

Maybe someone Local can offer you a ride in a 914 and that will get you motivated.

You can do it!!!

took me a bit to find the fuel pump. The good news is a previous owner relocated it to the front under the steering rack. I couldn't see it until i removed the steering rack cover panel. the bad news is the pump seems to be dead. I put 12v to it straight from the battery and nothing. I also found a torn steering rack boot while i was down there. Looks like i need a new fuel pump. it seems from a few searches the newer style 2 port pump is the way to go.

I'm also planning on taking some of you Louisville guys up on your offers to help. I need to get the garage door operational first so there will be more light and fresh air.

and...... I'm back... just short of a year since my last post in this thread. The garage door is operational and today I installed a new Bosch 2 port pump in place of the dead 3 port. The car now fires right up on a flick of the key. When I ordered the fuel pump I also ordered an FJ67 injector to replace the one I had that was leaking. Now that the car is running my leaky injectors have multiplied and now there are two. I plan on taking care of the injectors in the next week or two and then I'll hopefully be able to finally give the car a test run without too much fear of it burning to the ground.

Scirocco's can be a nightmare, my first car was an 82!

Concerning your car, one trick that works for a lot of guys, me included, is set a goal when you want it roadworthy, like an event six months from now. I know lots of 356 guys that do this with the annual 356 Registry holiday, which is normally in the fall, starting in the winter they start cranking away. Since their is a goal it makes the time count. Like a normal Saturday, you're thinking, is it worth getting greasy for a couple of hours, if you have a goal anything more an an hour becomes a yes.
Good luck.

I spent a lot of time in looavull when I worked for the “ freight nazi’s”. Great town.

Getting so close . Fixed the fuel issues and in the process of bleeding the brakes I noticed one of the front soft lines had ruptured. Replaced both fronts yesterday . I'm still having a really difficult time bleeding the brakes , but since the car is running and able to somewhat come to a stop, I decided to get it out if the garage and give it a quick bath. This is the first time it's been out of the garage in a few years so I'm calling that major progress!

Way to go! Nothing like getting some seat time in, even if it's only from the garage to the street.

When in doubt replace all the rubber brake lines, when they go bad they often swell closed internally and act like a one way check valve. The bad thing is you can't tell by looking at them.

As far as bleeding, do you have an air compressor? I got an extra brake reservoir cap and put a tire valve on it, and then I use a clip on air chuck to put air on top the brake fluid to push new fluid through the system, and it makes it a one man job.

I have a 2nd regulator and dial it down to 20 psi, otherwise you'll blow the rubber lines off the reservoir. Some cars (early ones) have an over flow tube on the reservoir and you need to crimp that while pressure bleeding. I temporarily remove the plastic filter and add brake fluid until it's almost full, put the modified can on, clip on the air line and bleed the system. Sequence is right rear, left rear, right front, left front. Don't let the brake fluid get too low or you'll have to start all over. The closer you get to the reservoir the quicker it will run through fluid. FWIW the factory service interval on brake fluid is every two years.

These cars take time!! but easy to fix most of the time! Check the gas tank if the car has been sitting rust forms and blocks filter and fuel pressure causes all kinds of problems. Best of luck

Congratulations on getting it out of the garage and washing it. Your cars looks great. I agree with the above, I would replace all 4 soft brake lines and then bleed away. Not sure how long the gas has been in the tank, but draining and taking a peak inside might be a good idea. If it looks clean and does not smell like old varnish, then top it off and see if ti runs OK. Good luck and don't tackle more than 1 project at a time or else these cars tend to grow jack stands. Cheers, Michael

Dabird,

Just saw your post. I had to replace all brake and fuel lines. These 914's are a labor of love. I grew up in Louisville, now north of Indy.


Click to view attachment

The gas tank/fuel is fine. It came to me as a car that was driven semi- regularly. I also drained out most of the gas when I installed a new 2 port fuel pump last month. As if right now it runs great, I've just had problems getting a good pedal after installing the PMB rear calipers. I replaced both front soft lines yesterday. I'm not looking forward to doing the rears because they seem like a major pain. After a bunch of old school 2 person bleeding and then a gravity bleed I was able to get enough pedal to take a trip around the block and actually get into 2nd gear =)

Did you bleed the brakes in the proper sequence? RR, LR, RF, then LF? If you did, disregard this post.

Yes, I did. I'm going to recheck the pad clearance and try to borrow a power bleeder

Yes, I did. I'm going to recheck the pad clearance and try to borrow a power bleeder

Brakes still aren't up to snuff, but it will stop and after four years in the garage I couldn't take it anymore.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdQq1dw5HkY