Hey guys
I’m working on a 73 2.0 which has been sitting for approximately 27-28 years. I’m going down the “to do list” and am now at the transmission; here she is. When I picked it up there was a bit of trans fluid on the floor also. I was thinking about changing fluid and trying to start and drive it but thinking it may be a wasted of time. What are your thoughts and should I send out trans for new seals/gaskets?

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914 trans often need a new first gear so sending out for new seals can quickly turn into a thousand dollar overhaul. I would try driving it first.

That car has been sitting for a long time. It looks really good, but it's going to need some things gone through. If it is safely drivable you could put some fresh trans fluid in it and try running it through the gears. It's not too bad to pull just the trans at some point in the future and do that. So many old hard seals on both engine and trans. Old brakes/fuel lines. Slippery slope, but worthwhile. They are threads on the site where people have been in the exact same situation as you.

On the other hand, I would pull the brake calipers and send them to pmb, replace master cylinder and rubber soft lines. Nothing wrong with knowing your brakes are working great.

Car looks great.

I’ve been heavily lurking and learning from this group
Stainless fuel lines and PMB calipers just completed.

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Are you sure its transmission oil ? ,looks like your engine may have a few leaks also(common) and the oil is being blown back to the rear of the car.

Degrease the whole lot and then put a sheet of cardboard under the car after a run,you can then find the source of the leaks if they are engine oil or trans oil and go from there.


Common leaks for the trans will be the speedo cable drive,the input shaft seal then the output shaft seals in that order generally.


Driving the car is the only way to know if the trans is ok ,just make sure its not low on oil before you test drive.


Good luck.

It needs new seals obviously, and it likely needs a few other things but you won't know until you drive it. So I'm with the others, top it off and drive it around the block until you have a complete list.

I Just changed oil/filter this AM. That exact thought crossed my mind until I checked dip-stick before draining and it was right at the full line.
Thanks

Yes, change the transmission fluid and drive it. Mine leaks as well and runs like a champ.

Might be worth finding a truck yard that has a steam cleaner and a rack (there is one in San Jose that I used) and get it on a lift and spray it down with de-greaser a couple of times and then power wash the heck out of it to see what you have. I did that with my Six after I bought it and quickly realized I needed to do more than just maintenance items to be able to reliably drive it safely. That is a great looking car BTW.

I appreciate your help. I’ve been at this for 6 months now and am dying to turn it over and drive it. Yeah, haven’t even fired it up. I figured why fire it up if I can’t drive it. Gonna top off the fluid and work on firing it up next week for the first time, I’ll keep you posted

DucRS, per Wayne's Porsche 911 engine book, regarding engine break-in....
Have car outside of your garage, have a buddy, fire extinguisher. You've checked brakes, turn engine over with out rotor (oil to all parts). Check for leaks, things will smell funny for a while. Check temp, oil pressure, fresh gas/new lines maybe. Great looking car, have fun. Best, Mark

I recently changed all of the fuel lines in a 1974 that had not ever had it done and were leaking. They were incredibly hard and brittle. I would encourage you to do the same. Last thing you want is leaking fuel to give you problems.