Just looked at a car here tonight for a potential new member and the owner is clueless about the engine - the whole car really, but that is beside the point.

The serial # stamped on the lower right corner of the block (on top, at a 45 degree angle) is W0097671.

All the owner can say is that it is a 1.8 - or so he was told. So is it a bus engine, or a 1.8L 914 engine?

Like the new sig line Ben.

Thanks again for looking at that car.

Since YOU wouldn't let it go...I've decided to embrace it!

No problem.

does the screen door help keep you warm?

how does the car look?
whats the new guys name?

brant

Stay on topic you hooligans...bus or 914? someone with a knowlegde of VW serial #s should be able to tell right away. The 914 info page didn't answer my question.

I wouldn't say it LOOKS good. It is very soild and rust free, but the paint sucks and the color is ugly over the original yellow.

Perfect for a race car project...

Ben,
according to this site, it looks like it is a 1700 cc Type 4

Bus or Porsche, i am not sure

http://type2.com/bartnik/enginecodes.htm

does your case have a W code on it?

IIRC "W" code engines were in 914's and 411's. Started out as a 1.7 80hp motor but if the PO says its a 1.8l its been rebuild with 93mm pistons. Pretty common as the domed 90mm pistons were expensive compared to the 93's.

This is interesting:



From Pelican's "How to Buy a 914" Article

So it appears to be a 1.7 from 1970...

This indicates that the bus cases have the # stamped behind the oil filler (which is like mine - a Gx case).

and what year was the chassis...
wasn't it a 1970 that you looked at?
so it stands to reason that its the original case that came in the car
perhaps a PO rebuilt it with bigger pistons.... and perhaps not.

any signs on the motor that its ever been rebuilt?
like blue or red gasket sealer, or any telltale signs?

brant

The car is a 71. Mfr. date 4/71.

Engine is very clean, but the owner was under the impression that Painter's replaced the engine, but really has no clue.

I didn't see any signs of gasket sealer, etc., but the engine was very down on power. Popping and backfiring. Didn't feel like a rebuild with only a couple thousand miles...

The owner has had it for 8 years. It was a one owner car when he got it. Says it still had the original FI on it when he bought it.

Then someone told him the motor was "dead" and he had someone acting as his agent deal with painter's who then rebuilt? replaced? the engine and slapped some Webers on it.

1.7's at altitude are extremely anemic. If you're not used to driving a 1.7 (you have the 2.0 "rat" motor LOL), it will seem like a pig. And low compression 1.8 jugs may not be of much help with that. Add carbs and an FI cam on an engine that isn't timed/tuned properly and you could have a serious dog.

Nice sig Ben! Add a small pic of that fleece jacket. I'm sure Greg has a copy for ya.

Give me the VIN and I'll look to see if it is a good fit to the database. Get the chassis # and paint code from the Karmann badge also please, I don't have much '71 info. It could certainly be the correct engine for the car.

Ok, where's the dipstick?

If the boss on the bottom of the block (entry point for the BUS dipstick & tube) is not capped, it is a teener engine.

Very true...good point.

How did the 411 dipstick work? like a teener or a bus?

I believe the one in my 411 was the same as the 914.

The 411 Sedan and Wagon had different dipstick setups. One was the same as the 914, the other was the same as the Bus. I never remember which was which...

Regardless, that motor started life as a 1.7 liter Type IV. Chances are probably better than even that it had the relatively-high compression and D-jetronic EFI that helped it make 80 HP (DIN spec).

--DD

Now it feels like it makes about 60.

The 411 sedan was what I had, manual trans, same dipstick as 914. Wagon had same configuration as bus (under the floor) low profile.

guys, how about the "914 Info" tab on top of each page here ...

W = '70, '71 and '72 1.7L

Andy

tried that andy, but at first, i thought the engine number had to read W80_ _ _ _
but i just realized that 80=horespower. Also, it's not a definitive answer, since the Type 4 VW engines also read W.
At this point it doesn;t matter too much, since i recommended he buy the car either way. Once we get it up on jackstands, which is where all 914's go when someone just buys one, we will give the engine a more detailed inspection.
thanks

Ahandie.....Tom Wilson's Book...

W = '71 Type 4
= '70 - '71 914

EA = '72 - '74 Type 4
= '72 - '73 914

What we have here is a difference of opinion

Early bus engines (72) had the engine number on the fan shroud, and I have a small claims judgement to prove it. The Cap'n

Now if that's not a setup for a juicy story...