Hi y'all.

I finally pulled the car out of storage and still runs well but my exhaust smell still sucks as I can smell it in the cabin. I am hoping to spend some time this summer (or what's left of it up north) trying to resolve these outstanding issues.

First and foremost, excuse my ignorance and the stupid question because I am a complete amateur at this. What is this part where the green wire is connected to? I always see liquid which, I assume is fuel, around this each time I fire it up and drive it. I suspect this could be a culprit for some of the issues.

I have also had smoke come into the cabin on the passenger side from time to time and it stinks. My kids nor my wife want to ride in the car. lol.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!Click to view attachment

Hopefully you are smelling oil burn and not exhaust.

The heat exchangers can crack inside the heater boxes and release actual exhaust which can cause you to pass out or die

They can be taken off and pressure tested. Or put a carbon monoxide tester in temporarily

That fitting in the picture is your oil pressure sender. And it should leak oil
The motor leaks and oil leaks are most likely pooling on top of the heat exchangers and causing the smoke and burning oil smell.

Well, it "shouldn't"leak oil, but if it is leaking, that would be oil...


And as brant made clear, you need to let us know what the smell is. Fuel, exhaust, burning oil, burning oil and rich exhaust etc. They all have different sources. You can pretty easily disconnect the heat exchangers from the vents, that will tell you if the problem is coming from there.

Brant, I wouldn't say the pressure sensor "should" leak oil.

There is a swivel nut on that contraption. Those are known to leak. Ditch that jury rigged contraption with the swivel nut and just use a Tee with 3 female threaded openings. We find leaks under sinks where a homeowner used a fitting with a swivel nut because it was easy or the salesperson said they were great.

good catch... it shouldn't leak oil.... but it really shouldn't leak fuel either....

I agree with the above.
next time you see liquid pooling at that oil pressure sensor.
put your finger into it and rub it between your fingers... then take a sniff

oil will feel like.... well oil... slippery

gasoline feels more like a chemical as it dries and creates a cooling effect
it definitely will smell and taste like gas... very different from oil.

as stated...
99% likely you are smelling burning oil.
but if... it were carbon monoxide... you really should stop driving the car for safety sake... an at home battery carbon monoxide tester from Home depot can be put in the car temporarily as a safety check...

Fixing all of the oil leaks will make the smell stop
I always pull the motor to replace all of the seals and leaks
Most engines have more than one leak source unless they have been resealed

If your heat exchangers do have holes in the exhaust tubing itself, you could just disconnect the soft heater hoses where the enter the firewall. If it is indeed exhaust fumes you’re smelling that should make it go away, albeit at the cost of not having heat in the car until the issue with the exhaust is resolved. But I’d guess, especially if you have oil leaks, that it’s oil burning off on the exhaust. How long do you run the car? Because usually the oil smell will go away as the car warms up and the oil on the heat exchangers burns off.

Post a picture of your heat exchangers. All components of the heat system must be in place and serviceable.

said car was sitting a while before start up.id say he smelling oil burn off from heat exchangers cause my leaking valve cover gaskets

The right heat exchanger is not connected. Not sure about the driver side one. You have no heat on the passenger side. The open hole by the fuel pump leads to the interior vents. If you've gotten smoke on the passenger side, it got sucked into this open hole. Either plug this up completely or get a 'flapper' valve and associated piping to make the heat exchanger work.

Pretty clean

Fix the leak at your oil pressure sending unit
You might get lucky

Your steel heat exchangers are less likely to work harden and internally crack than the stainless type

Never hurts to adjust the valves and check the cover gaskets

Thank you Jerry. Appreciate your quick thoughts on this. I have circled the area and I am wondering if that is the hole you are referring to. If so, can I simply cap this? I don't care about getting heat in the car. It's only a summer driver.Click to view attachment

A rattle can lid will close that. Have you ever had flex hoses hooked up to the HEs? You need to do something about the VW fuel filter and you should replace the slotted clamps with shouldered ones. Not so sure about the braided fuel line and fuel injection fuel pressures either.

Thanks. I have not done anything under the vehicle - it's pretty much as I bought it (other than some minor cosmetic fixes).

Yes, The tube below the fuel pump leads to the front heater vents. Plug it or put in tubing to connect to the heat exchangers. Come colder weather you'll want to have heat in the cabin.

I don't drive it in the winter at all. But I am going to replace that with the flap and the proper tubing. Thanks for your help.

Notice the notch in the fuel pump clamp. This is supposed to align with the fuel pump electrical connector. If the pump leaks at the nipples, at least the electrical connector & rubber boot cover won't get damaged by the gas. FYI.

his fuel pump is correctly positioned.
the electrical connection points vertically down.
the notch in the clamp is not relevant to the 914 mounting location.
the notch is probably a legacy of being a standard VW mounting strap?
the notch likely relates to mounting of the fuel pump in other VW models, probably the type 3 where EFI was first used.

see attached images from porsche VW tech lit.
or refer a car in original condition.
my original fp matches stickyfingers.

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

leaking fuel has no effect on the electrical connection.
the entire interior of the fuel pump operates full of fuel and..... its an electric motor.
the fuel lubricates the motor.
if you are leaking fuel from anywhere in a fuel pump you have more to worry about than whether there is a sound electrical connection.

when i recommissioned my car it had fuel spewing from every orifice of the fuel pump.
the electrical plug gasket. the port housing gaskets.
but............it still ran and was pumping at spec pressure.
thats why i decided to rebuild it internally and fix all the 0-ring gaskets.
remarkable things those three port pumps.

I disagree. Besides, manuals often have errors. Those manual pics don't even show the latest fuel pump clamp. So what is the truth? And why is his rubber boot all rotted away? Dirt & water from the road? Cheers.

And finally my friend, the cable should ideally come from the top.

stickyfingers (nice avatar - rolling stones?) has the info.
like you he can make up his own mind.

generally i trust the factory workshop manuals and try to follow their proceedures and specs. i break less things that way.
i have not found too many errors in it.
the spare parts catalogue less so.

yes - the boot is to protect the electrical connection from road moisture and dirt.
standard H20 will short the connection out.
not fuel.

ever thrown a lit cigarette into a jerry can.
nothing happens. the cigarette goes out.

vapor. thats another whole deal.
where its dangerous in a 914 is if the fuel pump or the fuel lines spray or drip on to the heat exchangers. then your in trouble.

not following mate re electrical connection vertically up.
the notch in the clamp will still not align with the electrical connection as you speculate.
that would spin it 180 degrees from where stickyfingers or any original is.

i can tell you that no matter what , down, sideways, up, if the electrical connection o-ring seal has deteriorated the pump will leak. it operates full to the brim with fuel and probably under slight pressure......and the fuel will come out, up down or sideways.
(the way these old three ports work make that clear, pull one apart and see, the pump casing is at least partly pressurized, or even fully pressurized due the way the motor drive comes into the roller cell portion).
if the electrical connection has itself aged (its a kind of bakerlite plastic) it can leak through the electrical plug connection itself internally and probably fill the interior of the connection inside the rubber boot with fuel.

so.....i'm saying porsche got it right pointing down. it makes no difference.
if the socket is leaking either internal to the plug, or through its base seal to the pump casing at least you would see it straight away and replace the pump.

i've pulled one of these apart. and that procedure is not in the manual.
and successfully rebuilt it.
back in the 70s the fp was considered a throw away sealed item component.

One other thing. I am pretty sure that the clutch cable and speedo cable should route below the lower sheet metal on the right side, to protect them from engine heat.

If you are smelling fuel, it would be a good thing to replace all your flexible fuel hoses. the ones in the engine compartment rot out quite quickly, especially if they are older materials. This is what led to allot of fires in the engine compartment.

When you get the chance I would check the lines that run through the center tunnel too. Most people have replaced these with stainless steel lines over the years, because the original lines have become so brittle.

If the tank is leaking check all the hoses and connections there also. The good thing is if it is the tank there are new aftermarket ones available at reasonable prices.

Great feedback fellas. I and the mechanic followed the manual for most of things that needed to be fixed. To me, it is more an exhaust smell rather than fuel however I have ordered new heat hoses and the control valve to connect the right heat exchanger that wasn't connect to the port hole. Once I receive them (by early August), I will connect everything up and see if that corrected the problem. Crossing my fingers.

I have also ordered a new gasket for the steel fuel tank. Will keep you guys posted.

@wonkipop - lol. Yea - Rolling stones. But it does represent many other definitions lol.

Interesting temp sender in the taco plate area - doesn't look like it's leaking but I also can't see if it has a wire leading to it. Agree with @bkrantz on the clutch and speedo cable routing.

So far the cable feeds seem to be working for me however time will tell. One step at a time for me. Once I get the smell figured out the rest, I think, will be a lot easier to deal with. My wife and kids don't want to sit in the car due to the smell. Eradicating that will at least get them in the vehicle after which I am going to tackle a few things that I know of.

Thank you all. Will let you know how it all ends up with the current issue.

yes it is.
could be a previous owner mod.
or an original dealer install.
we came across a 74 1.8 in research we did last year that was for sale on BAT a few years back. a very well preserved original condition car. when new it had a set of gauges and console installed by the dealer at point of sale rather than factory installed.
the console was factory but the gauges were not, they were USA aftermarket.
it had a weird tower set up on the top of the engine instead of the idiot light oil pressure sender. all of it dated from the point of sale, a porsche audi dealer in ohio. the original sales documentation backed up the dealer install. you would have thought the dealer would have been able to get the parts to do a genuine factory style install. perhaps the dealer could not get the parts at the time on short notice. some of those mods date from new, others along the way over 50 years. that taco mod looks like one i have seen documented years ago for modding a bus so it could have a temp gauge.

stickyfinger's car looks like its had a oil pressure gauge set up from his top of engine photo. as well as once having an oil temp gauge. but the wiring isn't there anymore --
and maybe not the gauges as well?

if i were you @stickyfingers , i would take the guys advice re the clutch cable and speedo cable. the warm air guide is not a cable tray to hold them up. they are being nicely basted the way they are on your car.

Thanks for the info. I've also attached the gauges I have and there isn't an oil pressure gauge rather a light.

I can't seem to locate the speedo cable. Can one of you possibly circle one of the images to show it? I must be blind and definitely an amateur. I wonder if it's already damaged given my odometer stopped working (which I still think is stuck when it was shipped and needs to be serviced).
Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

speedo cable is running beside the clutch cable.
the speedo cable is the one going right to the back of the gearbox.

stuffed odometer not uncommon.
occurs if you operate the trip meter while car is moving.
chews the cogs.
if your speedo is still showing speed while in forward motion your cable is good.
to fix odo you need to get it rebuilt.

EDIT

ps. that neat aftermarket console explains the temp sensor FlacaProductions was pointing out. thats the temp sensor in the round plate on the sump on underside of engine he was talking about.

that non factory console is a bit of a period piece from when the cars were new. nice.

Your oil pressure is the one on the left of the three center console gauges. Pressure, oil temp, volts.

and if that's your oil temp after you've been driving for a while, you're in good shape on that front, anyway. Same with the other gauges, actually.

That's typical after driving so thankfully it's of no concern.

Thanks. To clarify, are the cables you're referring to labelled 1 or 2?
Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

Picture number one - with the single circle.
Find the slot head screws on that cover where the cables are going over it - remove the cover, drop the speedo and clutch cable below it and then replace the cover.

easy peasy.
sticky fingers will be doing an engine tear down in no time.

@FlacaProductions . looking at stickyfingers engine bay and underside photos, seems as if taco plate sensor was once connected to oil temp gauge but has since been snipped off and the set up is now all on top of the engine in the gadget connected to where the oil pressure idiot light is stock. there appears to be two separate electrical connections to that set up. one for pressure? one for temp?

@stickyfingers . looking at your photos do i see a 1974 1.8? is that what you got?
looks like it from the muffler and some other clues but not sure.

if so have you got time to give us some data for research we have been doing on 1.8s.
(if its not a 1.8 don't worry about it.)

here is what we need.

1) VIN # (sticker in the drivers door opening near door latch).
2) Karmann number. thats the little plate rivetted to the drivers door jamb where the hinges are located.
3) emissions sticker. this is located on the left hand side of the engine bay just above where the engine bay relay/fuse box is.
4) tune up sticker. this is located on top of the engine on the left hand side. its white with some funny little cartoon like drawings on it.
5) evaporative emissions cannister. is it in the front trunk on top of fuel tank or its it in the engine bay on the back firewall of engine bay above engine.
6) there is a paint stamp stencil on the engine. its usually on the left hand side and hidden by the heater fan hose pipe. probably one of 4 numbers. 604, 605. 606 or 607.
sometimes its on the right hand side of engine near where the battery is. its stamped on the black painted engine tin and its white paint.

take some photos if you have time and post them up.
if you don't want to give out your Vin and K number on the open forum you could PM them to me.

And your oil temp sender isnt connected to anything so I am a hair worried about the rest of your gauges...

it might be emery. take a look at the photo stickyfiingers has posted showing the top of fan housing. that gizmo is pretty weird. looks like it has two separate gadgets going on?
its strange. might be doing temp and pressure?
i guess what you are saying is how good is that at measuring oil temp?

for instance.
here is the 1.8 we came across in EC-A/EC-B engine research.
this was a dealer install job.
strange tower like gadget connected into where the oil pressure warning sensor usually goes. its wired up to the oil temp gauge in the cabin which is a factory console but the gauges themselves are USA aftermarket. there was paperwork with car showing that the dealer installed all at time of sale when new.
stickyfingers might have a lash up thats very similar, except somehow the temp and pressure have been incorporated in one rigged set up on the engine.
it might have once done oil pressure off the top of the engine and had the temp sensor off the taco plate. but the taco sensor was later disconnected and an additional jury rigged temp sensor added to the set up on top of the engine?

Click to view attachment

Yeah, that is some weird arrangements. In the 302 world there are all kinds of "opinions" on where the sender belongs and how accurate it can be depending on placement. I am not too picky myself, but if there is no flow through I am not buying it.

.

@wonkipop - I think that the setup on top is one sender for pressure gauge and the stock sender for the idiot light. i just can't tell if the taco plate temp sender is connected down there or not.

Hi @wonkipop . Mine is a 1973 1.7L

I'm going to do some digging on where everything is connected from the top down. Figure out what the funky thing above the distributor is. It is certainly got oil in it and not fuel. But thanks for the letting me know about the speedo and clutch cables - that seems like an easy fix. I have the control valve and the heat hoses coming at the end of next week (hopefully - being in Canada, hard to get them quickly) and check it all out. Keep you guys posted.

You guys are the best and appreciate you helping a noob.

Click to view attachment
Saw this on another thread. Looks similar to setup. Thread is located here: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=353382

Hi all. Just to provide an update. I added the passenger side control valve with the elbow connector to the heat exchangers and all my smell issues have been resolved. Really really appreciate everyone helping my address that.

Thank you!