Just topped up the oil in my 75 1.8 with 1 quart of oil because the reading on the dipstick indicated it was almost out of oil, probably a quarter inch of oil. I gave it a full quart, it started right up, and I took it for a cruise. I then managed to stall it getting back up my driveway, and it wouldn’t start. The fuel pump doesn’t whirr up, the oil light doesn’t go on, it won’t crank, but the lights on the rest of the car work. I then took another oil reading and it’s about 3/4 of an inch above max. What do I do? Drain the oil? It won’t start at all, could it be a battery issue?

Try and turn it over with a screw driver on the solenoid. Just don't run yourself over. I doubt the oil has anything to do with it. Have you done the Ford solenoid mod on it? If not it could be just that heat induced power loss to the solenoid.

And as far as the oil goes, personally I would drain a little. It probably won't damage anything but it does tend to foul spark plugs and pistons etc as you burn it off.

I’m very new to old cars and 914s, where is the solenoid supposed to be? It’s carbureted if that effects anything.

the starter is a big (by today's standard) round long unit on the upper left of the trannie. the solenoid is the smaller round unit on the upper left on the starter.

Welcome to the world of 914's, we will generally assist any way we can.

I would purchase a Haynes 914 manual for getting a basic understanding of the mechanics.

Also, a small amount of extra engine oil would not cause the no start issue.

Autocrossers often run an extra quart to prevent starvation in turns. Highly doubtful that’s your issue. If the oil light is out and the fuel pump isn’t running, it sounds like an electrical issue. Check the fuses and make sure all grounds are solid. Welcome and good luck! We’re here to help…

If it is the well known solenoid issue, the car should start after cooling down. If it's still not turning over you have some electrical issue.

It could be a low battery, it could be the seat belt lockout switch if you have one. It could be fixed etc.

Check out post 11 from this thread. You can see the starter solenoid. To jump it just run a screw driver from the hot big terminal to the little terminal at the top. With the car in neutral and the e brake on. You can easily access it behind the driver side rear tire.


http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=308904

Starter location? Seriously? You need to purchase a Haynes. ASAP!

What is the seatbelt lockout switch you’re referring to? My car only has lap belts, installed by previous owner.

Not sure it’s great advice to give someone VERY new to car mechanic work advice to jump the starter with a screw driver

OP
The car has to be in neutral or will hurt you

Better to use a mechanic than to be hurt badly

We can't assume the op is not versed in cars, just not this one. Anyway, it's not hard or all that dangerous.

Later models of 914 had a brain dead feature that locked out the starter unless your seat belt was connected. They are known to cause issues as the "repairs" of previous owners degrade over time.

I wouldn't worry about that till you go out and try to turn it over cold and verify the battery has the juice.

In a 914 it's very sensitive to low voltage due to that solenoid and the distance the signal has to go in such old crappy wires.

And dude. You need to get the original seat belts back in there. The car is built well, with crumple zones etc. Your spine is not. Pulling it out of your pelvis ain't going to go well.

Lap belt only is a bad plan.

Sorry you’re sort of getting jumped on but from original post there is not enough info to get much help other than to say oil overfill is not the problem.

This isn’t Twitter - if you need more than 140 characters to accurately communicate your problem - do it.

People genuinely do want to help. But you’ll need to do your part with an accurate description, and some willingness to do some basic legwork like knowing where the starter and solenoid is as well as basic safety when working on cars. If not, that’s OK, use the knowledge to find the right mechanic.

Here is a link to the factory manuals (better than Haynes) - study this till you have it all memorised, then study it some more

http://p914-6info.net/Manuals.htm

Of particular concern to starting the car and the root cause of many hot start issues is the lack of - or a failing ground cable that goes from the body (underside of the trunk) to the transmission.

That ground needs to be ZERO ohms as that is where the current for the starter travels through.