After 10 years I was finally able to convince my Mother-in-Law to let me buy her 914. It has sat in her garage since 2004 and only been rolled out twice. I had always thought there was an overheating issue and something wrong with the steering. Once we got her cleaned up and started talking I found out the only issue was CA smog rules at the time. She parked it at the time thinking she needed to wait a few years to be grandfathered in and simply turned it into a surf board rack.

I have some decent experience working with Honda's and Chevy's but this is a first for me. So far I've cleaned and inspected the car as best I can. I removed the battery and though the battery pan is rusted, it's fine underneath. Two spots of rust just below the windshield and it's otherwise in good shape in regards to rust. I've started my list of small parts such as taillights, but I'm really trying to find something that can help guide me through some of the more critical issues I see.

First and main issue, is that the car was simply parked and then not used. It's got about a half tank of gas in it and nothing was done other than deflating the tires a little about 5 years ago. I've started researching parts and assume I'll replace the fuel lines and tank. That doesn't seem exceptionally difficult from what I've found online.

If anyone can point me in a direction of steps to get a car going again that has sat full a fluids it would be much appreciated. Hopefully I can get her running by the end of the Summer. Thanks!

Welcome to madness. Perseverance pays off. Take the time to read a lot of the awakening sleeping 914's threads to see all you may want to consider. Gas lines and tank are a great start. I would also figure on rebuilding the calipers, replacing the soft rubber brake lines at each caliper and flushing the whole brake system. Of course all fluids should be replaced. Spark plugs out and squirt some Marvel Mystery Oil into the cylinders for a few days to let it loosen things up before you try to turn it over. New tires. Clean all of the various grand connections around the entire car. Check the suspension mounting points for rust or cracks. Have fun and enjoy most of all. Michael

What year What engine. Provide Pics and register VIN on this site. And everything stated above.

Where you from in so cal ?

I'd suggest starting with fuel and brake systems.

First thing to do is find out where you can take the dead fluids. If you've got 10 gallons of dead fuel, you'll have to dispose of it. Same with brake fluid and lubricants.

It will be best to drain the fuel out as near the tank as you can. It's tempting to use the fuel pump for that, but you'll be filling the system with contaminated fuel. You might also see if you can find a radiator shop that can "boil out" the fuel tank, which is common for radiator shops. Replace all the rubber fuel lines with high quality fuel injection rated hose, and ideally you'd replace the plastic lines in the center tunnel as well, with stainless lines from Tangerine Racing.

Brake system will typically require rebuilding the calipers, a new master cylinder., new flex lines, and fluid. Front calipers aren't difficult to do, the rears are more involved, but with reasonable skill level and tools, it's doable. Master cylinder kits are no longer available, so a new one is the best choice. Fortunately patron saint of 914 brake systems Eric Shea of PMB Peformance, has done some videos on rebuilding calipers. Alternately if you have the budget, just send them to PMB and you will get back calipers that look better than new.

Good luck! There's a great community here that will go out of their way to assist you.

It’s a 1.8l 1975. I’ll get some additional pics added a bit later today. Thanks for the responses so far. I’m trying to get as organized as possible and make a plan before I jump in so I really appreciate some of the things brought up.

Nice car. LOts of 914 guys in the greater LA area.

Welcome to the right plase

Bob B

Let me guess..... You are originally from Australia??





BTW... Nice car. Gotta love you car wash help.

More photos! haha

Listen to the people here! Best place to be and so much good advice has been given to me. Solid group of guys.

The red ones are the fastest!!

Red ones are also cop magnets!

Don't "turn it over" to see if the engine still moves, that's a sure way to ruin the motor at this point.

Drop the engine, take the tin off and check for mouse nests and other blockages. Drain the fluids from *everything*, gas tank, brakes, engine, transmission etc.

A neighbor came over when I was washing all the crap off and offered to bring over a battery so we could "see if the old girl still runs." It took about 15 minutes of explaining why that would be a bad idea before he gave up.

So far I'm trying to get a general plan of attack. One of the main things I'm going to look into first is just figuring out where I can dispose of all of the old fluids and make some room in the garage to keep everything organized.

Thanks! I looked around a bit and was very pleased to see a lot of activity locally. I'm out in Yorba Linda and found three things within the next month fairly close.

I hope you aren't the guy from Yorba Linda who is currently out there trying to sell the VIN plates for a scrapped '71 as "collector items".

No sir. Car is sitting in Fountain valley right now so maybe I’ll say that for the time being lol. The agreement we made was I get the car as long as I keep it in the family. My wife grew up with it and my mother in law bought it in the 80’s as a second owner.

You are closer to many 914world member here in Socal.

Free fluid disposal at any Auto Zone. Most auto parts stores are required to take oil, trans oil, coolant. They won't take brake fluid.

Sorry but that’s not correct info. Oil only and there not required to take it. It’s a program they sign up with the State to take oil only. Some may take filters but that’s it.

Your in Orange County so google OC Environmental Health Dept Household Hazardous Waste Collection Centers. They will take any household generated hazardous waste.

How do I know this.....Retired Fire Dept Haz Mat dude, now high priced Haz Mat-Haz-Waste consultant......That will be $500 dollars please.....

Get the fuel out of the tank, then look at it. See if its rusty or just varnish. I had good luck cleaning a 280SL tank with lacquer thinner, and a handful of nuts and bolts (you move the tank and the nuts help break up the varnish). Then followed that with a strong de greaser. Worked for me. Our 914 tank had been sitting since the 80's, and someone had already gone in the tank (cut open for some reason, then closed back up). It was trashed, and had to be replaced....

All good advice. I would just add that you should probably clean / replace the entire fuel delivery system, as it probably is varnish and gunk everywhere. If you do that it makes troubleshooting easier when it comes to start, as fuel delivery problems are sometimes hard to isolate. Essentially: pull the fuel tank and clean it; replace the "sock filter" in the tank; replace the fuel lines everywhere (go to stainless steel in the tunnel); and send out the injectors for service (Mr. Injector does good work).

Pretty much same thing with brakes as Perry pointed out above.

Good luck. It's a great feeling when you get a long-slumbering motor to successfully fire up again.

Edit: adding that there's a good chance the fuel pump is trashed too. You can replace with a relatively cheap 2-port Bosch rather than stock.

Right, forgot to add, as part of the recommissioning of the fuel system, I set up fuel in a coffee can (supply out the bottom, and return in the top, then wired 12v to the pump to circulate fuel through (car is not running, just pumping fuel through with a filter). This got the car running. Then project took a turn for a full resto, where I replaced all lines, injector service, change to 2 port and relocated to the front.

Looking forward to seeing progress and meeting at some event around SoCal!

Was making me dizzy...

Before uploading, I send the picture to my email and set the attachment size to medium, and then receive the email and save the “medium sized’ picture. Now you can upload the “medium sized” picture to 914World and it will not invert.

I recommend tires- they'll look good and blow to smithereens because they are too old...

Describe your wheels here and the advice you get will be priceless...

I see she is washing 'her' car...keeping it in the family.
Might be a contender for youngest teener...

To the OP and those who don't know, note that if you hold your phone correctly you won't have to jump through hoops. Just like any camera, there is a right side up.

@planeswalker - i have just recommissioned my car (74 1.8) after an identical period of storage.

if the car has been dry stored in a closed garage you might be surprised by the internal state of the engine. vw motors can be amazing. so-cal is very close to identical climate with a lot australia where i am. there are stories of vw motors down here that might have been the inspiration of woody allen's sleeper movie scene?. even in the 80s people were pulling 50s vws out of garages and firing them virtually straight up.

likely the fuel system is shot from tank to injectors even if it doesn't look it. esp if the car is with original fuel system intact. the lines to look out for are the plastic ones through the centre tunnel. these will be brittle towards the rear of the car, even in the rear most portion of the tunnel. strangely the ones that came out of my car were still flexible and clean and clear through the middle sections of the tunnel even after 46 years.

the lines from tank to top end of tunnel lines, the fuel pump, the filter, the lines from the pump to the injector fuel rails and from the there to the injectors along with the injectors themselves were all replaced. the injectors were shot and would not come to life even after several cleans. managed to get hold of a set of unopened bosch 75 beetle injectors out of a guy in colorado just pre co vid chaos. these are becoming hard to find, no longer manufactured. pulled the fuel tank and washed it out and treated the interior. was not too bad.

the only fuel system item that still worked was the cold start injector.

i had a harder time than us owners with the centre tunnel fuel lines. in the usa there are kits. i have a rhd converted car so ...thats another story.
had to fabricate my own.

all vacuum lines in the engine bay - though may not have needed to do that. most were still very good with tight fits. redid the oil filler cap seal. an important one.

push rod tube o-ring seals had dried out. can be replaced in type 4 engines easily. will leak oil after an engine has been hibernating.

did a full service on the engine. which dealt with rocker cover gaskets, sump plugs etc.

i was working with a trained mechanic (benzes and 911s his speciality). the motor turned fine by hand. he was in charge of the reawakening. the usual methods were applied. a lot of hand turning. then spinning it up for oil pressure. it started. straight up. and ran.

its been gently driven back into life - there are other seals that can blow in a vw engine. oil cooler. etc and so on. time will tell. but the engine is running beautifully for the moment.

still working away on all the odds and ends that perish and go hard. no matter how you store the car.

ie - have rebuilt the entire windscreen washer system. "worked when parked".
not after awakening. only thing that still functioned was the line from the spare tyre to the pressure bottle. everything else replaced to coax it to come to life.
had to clean out the valve in the steering column. full of calcium deposits. but got it working again.

oddly brake system was fine apart from replacing all the flexible hoses.
the calipers themselves operated just fine and had not seized.
you should be as lucky if your car has been garage stored.

test driving it for last month or so reveals a back wheel bearing has dried out and will have to be replaced. clutch is slipping very slightly despite adjustment.
for the first time in its life of 46 years the gearbox is going to be dropped for a clutch and rear wheel bearing replacement. engine is staying in. never dropped.

had to get in and lubricate door locks. all had dried grease. crc did the job.
discovered factory glued plastic behind the door cards. guess no-one had ever had the door cards off in the 15 years before i owned the car. certainly i had never been in there before 3 weeks ago.

what else.
suspension was rebuilt.
might not be necessary in every case.
orig shocks were shot in mine. they deteriorate anyway just sitting.
new shocks, new bushings through out.

new tyres.

a new muffler. still orig muffler had quietly finished corroding inside.
standard kombi van muffler for a type 4 engined kombi (van in american).
we did a bit of surgery on the inlets, flipping them. the muffler will then mount as per standard 914 1,8 muffler. all a 1.8 muffer is - a variation on a type 4 vw muffler.
more affordable option for me than shipping repro stock muffler from usa.

been a bit in bringing one back from a long sleep.
its taken me a leisurely 7 months.
more than i thought, even though i believe i was being realistic when i set out to do it last october.

the wiper washer system was the last thing to do in my head. but got through it.
almost defeated by the steering column valve. but persisted.
had to keep walking away from it. repeated frustrating moments.
who would have thought that harmless looking fred flinstone tech would be such a pain.


be paranoid about the fuel system is my advice.

Thanks for the right up! I’ve pulled the tank and am in the process of installing a set of new SS lines, fuel pump filter and hoses. I think I have everything I need for the hoses to the tank, but need to go buy new lines for the engine bay hoses. I think I know what I need but need to research more and make sure I’m doing this all correctly.

When I bought my 74 1.8 I had to leave the prior owners to borrow a trailer from a buddy
The 914 hadn't run in 33 years.
When we got back to the POs house to tow it home the PO had towed it out of his cellar and it was sitting in his back yard strapped to a 65 or 66 mustang.
I got in the 914 to steer so he could pull me with out of his yard.
Before I could depress the clutch and take it out of gear he took off!
My new-to-me niner lurched and bucked forward.
I thought to myself "oh well, I guess it's not seized".
After changing the oil, vacuum hoses, fuel lines, cold start valve, etc, I had the same friend over for the first start in about 34 years now.
My friend stood to the side of the driver's door to film the event as I sat behind the wheel.
The 914 started right up, but the gas pedal immediately disconnected from it's rod/linkage and the car was floored.
As the engine revved outta sight I remember my friend saying "wtf are you doing" as I dove for the pedal cluster. He thought I was flooring it on purpose!
Once I reconnected the pedal the car settled down to a nice 800-900 rpm idle.
Sounded great, no knocks, no smoke.