BACKGROUND: I have a '73 2.0 with FI that I bought in April and it has run smoothly since purchasing until 3-4 weeks ago. So far, it's been a positive experience. I've done a few minor things myself to make the car safer (H4 headlights, H3 fogs, new Repa seatbelts, etc.). I have not touched the engine and have always left that stuff to professionals (aside from minor things like an oil change), but know eventually I will have to roll up my sleeves and learn how to maintain this car myself (as much as possible) to keep her on the road and running smoothly. Apparently, that time is now as I've had to issues come up that are preventing me from driving her.

ISSUE #1: this started about 3-4 weeks ago ... after driving for about 15 mins, the temp gauge in center console starts heading into the red. I've never actually let it go all the way in the red, but as soon as it touches the red, I immediately turn off engine and let the car drift to a stop on an empty road and let cool down for a while. This overheating occurs when the outside ambient temp is in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. So it's NOT a result of extreme outside ambient temps.

My troubleshooting so far: I've checked the thermostat from under the car - it's fine (expands and contracts as it should). I confirmed with the PO that it was a new part as well. I checked the cable to the flaps and it's intact as well. I checked the linkage on the top of the engine and they are working as are the flaps. I've looked at the flaps when the engine is hot and they are in the correct position (left side open, right side closed to force air over the oil cooler). My understanding (from reading old posts) is that the other potential sources of the overheating are:

- Temp gauge is bad or temp sensor part is bad (or mismatched( and the car really isn't overheating. I intend to confirm temp gauge is accurate by getting the car warmed up and when the temp gauge starts getting close to the red, I'll shut the engine off, I'll pull the dip stick out, and then put the thermometer in the dipstick hole to get an accurate temp. I bought a 14" turkey fryer stainless steel thermometer (same length as dipstick) and I'll see what it says. My understanding is that 220 is highest a 914 engine should run safely. Anything above 220 indicates a problem, correct?

- Could have leaky tins allowing air to escape. All tin pieces are there. I see no rust or gaps at all. No missing hoses that I can tell. Any suggestions or tricks to confirm tin is as it should be or can this only be confirmed by putting on a lift and/or pulling the engine?

- Oil cooler isn't functioning (hose blocked, malfunctioning, valve, etc.). Are there any tricks for checking this myself (I've never dropped the engine or done anything major to the motor - I don't have adequate space, tools, equipment, or knowhow. Thus, looking for simple DIY average joe methods I can do.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Is your distributor tight?
Could it have advanced and cause the high idle and oil temp at the same time?

Is there a high idle?

230-240 is danger zone. 218-220 is actually good as it boils the water out of the oil

Does the engine seem hot? Definitely turkey baster away.

How does your fan look? How do your plugs look?

@brant

The oil temp issue started over a month ago. The high idle started just yesterday (and is now fixed thanks to your suggestion that a vac line fell off). Having said that ... do you think temp issue could be a distributor issue?

@emerygt350

Got it re: temps. I have no way of knowing how to determine if "the engine seems hot" or not other than what the temp gauge in the center console tells me. I'm new to 914s so I have no point of reference. My 14" turkey fryer thermometer arrives on Tuesday so I can cross reference the two gauges then.

Can I look at the fan w/o dropping the engine? I have ramps and tire chocks so I can crawl under the engine and peek, but I didn't think you could see the fan while the engine is in?

Re: plugs ... how do I check (sorry for the stupid question, but I've never removed or installed spark plugs before). Is it simply removing the SP wires (they pull off I believe) and then unscrew each spark plug and look at the ends for irregularities? If so I can pull all 4 and take pics to post.

Great that you found the leak. Those awful metal tubes pull out so easy on that stacked vacuum plug thing. The fan is at the front in the engine compartment from above,right up against the wall between the motor and the seats. No engine removal or crawling under the car, just A mirror is needed. Just look to see if the blades are good and that your mechanic didn't leave a rag in there.

Plugs are as simple as pulling the wire and getting a long well socket over them to pull them. Super easy on a 914 and a really good way of checking on how the engine is running. I like cylinder two, just cause it's easy to reach. This is the cylinder closest to the driver.

@DC_neun_vierzehn
' date='Sep 5 2021, 01:30 PM' post='2943244']
[quote name='emerygt350' post='2943219' date='Sep 5 2021, 12:57 PM']
Is there a high idle?

230-240 is danger zone. 218-220 is actually good as it boils the water out of the oil

Does the engine seem hot? Definitely turkey baster away.

How does your fan look? How do your plugs look?

[/quote]

@emerygt350

Got it re: temps. I have no way of knowing how to determine if "the engine seems hot" or not other than what the temp gauge in the center console tells me. I'm new to 914s so I have no point of reference. My 14" turkey fryer thermometer arrives on Tuesday so I can cross reference the two gauges then.

Can I look at the fan w/o dropping the engine? I have ramps and tire chocks so I can crawl under the engine and peek, but I didn't think you could see the fan while the engine is in?

Re: plugs ... how do I check (sorry for the stupid question, but I've never removed or installed spark plugs before). Is it simply removing the SP wires (they pull off I believe) and then unscrew each spark plug and look at the ends for irregularities? If so I can pull all 4 and take pics to post.
[/quote]


Yes you can look at the dan with a mirror and flashlight. Could be a rag or deris blicking air flow. I had a 1.8 with high oil temps because the top of the oil cooler was blocked with oil sludge.
Get an endoscope and look inside the tin for blockage. You can get one for $20-$30. With the engine cold the flap to the oil cooler should be up
Go in thru a hole in the tin for the spark.
plug. An easy way to check the gauge is get the engine to heat up do the needle os straight up or past. Spray water of the pil filter. It should turn to steam. Or use an infrared thermometer to shoot temps around the engine.

And by hot, I mean is it really toasty in the engine compartment. My engine runs very cool and the engine compartment really doesn't get hot at all and cools off very quickly.

Mine did the same a few months ago. Found a red rag up in the fan. Pulled it out an no heat problem. Something to check

@bdstone914

Thanks Bruce.

I'll do the mirror and flashlight trick to take a peek at the fan. Good suggestion on the oil cooler blockage.

I do have a couple of oil leaks that I am planning on addressing in the fall/winter. Maybe the leaks are dropping oil on the cooler creating blockage to the air. Can you share a link to an endoscope that you've used and can attest to?

Is this a good one? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Bor...c=aw.ds#overlay

check amazon they have several kind of inspection camera.

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