Greetings again from sunny Munich!

Long story short. I bought my white 1973 914 (a.k.a Yin) for $7,500 back in 2013 from “Ed” in SoCal and I finally got it over here (to Munich) in early 2015. Ed’s a great guy and knows how to do a lot of stuff with cars. It was already freshly painted and had a rebuilt engine, but I wanted more; a lot more. And so began a long distance relationship and investments that brought the car up to a cost of well over $30,000.

Then, on its virgin drive on the Autobahn, on the way back from the International 914 Meet-Up in Bad Goegging (2015), I blew at least one bearing because, well, because I’m kinda dumb, sometimes. Actually, it was because my oil pressure was way too low (10psi, yes, I had my head up my ass, I admit it! ) and I was driving at 4000 RPM for about an hour, and then after a break of a few hours, again, for another hour. Finally, within only about a mile from arrival at my house, BAM. Ouch!

And so it sat under its red pajama down in the garage for over 3 years, and NOW it’s finally getting its replacement engine installed! Thanks to Mike Blizzard who sold me his fresh 2.0 with ported heads and Ed, who’s come over from CA to help me swap it with the Megasquirt, oil plumbing, etc. from the damaged engine, and then some, as well as a bunch of other work on my black 1973 (a.k.a Yang). As fate would have it, I actually got this engine over here for FREE (shipping) because Mike was helpful enough (understatement! ) to swap it into a car which was coincidentally just 200 Miles from his location and I was coincidentally buying to re-import for guys who I coincidentally had met who asked me to help them find a non-rusted and not welded 1970 or 1971 chassis ONLY at the same time he was selling his engine, which I coincidentally saw on the parts forum because I was rarely on it at that time, and also coincidentally hadn’t been sold yet despite what a great deal Mike was offering it for. So yes, it was fate. This engine came to ME because the universe felt that Yin had waited long enough for a new one,

So, to my questions!

First of all, I’m posting two photos below and want to know if I need to get the “flaps” that close off air (from going backwards into??) the housing near the fan. See photos please. The flaps are missing. I’d like to know what their purpose is and if I need them!

Secondly, regarding the oil delivery system...we have a deep sump for an extra quart of oil or so and thermostat that opens when the engine is sufficiently warm enough which allows oil to flow into the 911 loop “cooler” in the wheelwell, which, as most may already know, but for those who don’t, is simply an extra 5 feet or so of 3/4 inch (?) tubing that allows for an extra quart or 1.5 quarts(?) of oil in the system. The thermostat / plate is right where the filter is. The deep sump is under the bottom of the engine and has a tube through which the oil is sucked upward. Apparently the reason why my pressure was so low (BTW it started out at about 60-70 psi and declined as the engine got warmer and warmer. I believe it was 20-50 oil but I’m not positive) was apparently because there simply wasn’t enough oil in the system! It should have had about 6-7 quarts and when we drained it this evening there was apparently less than 4 in there. I didn’t measure it, but it seemed like nowhere near enough. That obviously makes Ed look bad, but he’s making good on it! He should have test driven it more back in 2014, yes, but I also should have known that 10 psi was way too low. I did not, but I could have had my son, who was driving shotgun with me simply look it up on his smart phone and we would have known in less than 2 minutes that we were way too low! The dummy light did not come on, by the way. Why the HELL is that thing set to only come on when you’re already under 10 psi??

So, the question is, is the stock oil pump sufficient for an oil system that has almost twice the oil volume and the additional 5+feet of plumbing or should we be installing a different pump? If so, recommendations?

Finally, for now, some may recall the thread on the OBX headers I had purchased back in 2014. Here is a link to it...

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/lofiversion/i...hp?t231038.html

Well, as it turns out, TUV will likely decline approval of this “un-tested” / un-certified System and I’ve decided that I DO want HEAT in the car, so I’m going with HEers and a Bursch muffler. Photos of the headers, muffler and 944 exhaust hangers are below. Ed will have this all with him back in SoCal in about 2 weeks and it will be up for sale. It was a sweet setup but will have to be in another 914. If interested, send me a PM. It will be in the parts forum very soon. It cost me about $750 including some of Ed’s time. Naturally I would like to get as much of that back as I can. Thoughts and feedback are naturally welcome!

Thanks for your interest and feedback!

With best regards from Munich,

M.i.M.

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Folks don’t really know this anymore but when the 914 was new it was customary to check the oil level with the dipstick every time you got fuel. Every time. That allowed people to maintain proper oil level. Most cars of that era did not come with oil pressure gauges: some 914s didn’t. Now days, some cars don’t even have a dipstick because the oil neither drips out nor burns up. Unfortunately 914sboth drip and burn. Best wishes to you Mike.

The fan output port flaps aren't really necessary, unless you have a rodent population in your neighborhood

You can make some flaps out of thin aluminum sheet and use wire coat hanger to make the hinge pins. The flaps hinges are similar to those on a lozenge tin.

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Thanks for the replies guys!

Here’s the next question!

Am I missing a flap, or two (??) here and are these important to have / to duct air onto the oil cooler?

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Yes, you are missing the flaps, and you need them.

There are lots of threads on this which you should be able to find pretty easily, but here's a video for your entertainment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qKySsCAMhI

You'll probably also need the thermostat bellows and cable assembly, especially if you plan to drive in cold/winter weather conditions.

As the video shows, the cooling flaps are closed at start up, diverting cool air and allowing the cylinders to heat up. As the engine's temperature increases, the thermostat bellows causes the gradual opening of the flaps via the cable and control linkage in the fan housing. This allows the cool air to pass over the cylinders when at full operating temperature.

Also, make sure the deflector shields have been installed below the cylinders (above the push rod tubes). Very important, as they help to provide the correct flow of cooling air equally around the cylinders.

Some folks eliminate the thermostat and secure the cooling flaps in the full open position, but usually those folks live in warmer climates where the winter temperatures are fairly mild (like southern California)