A couple weeks ago I was given a folder of service receipts from the original owner of my 914. Inside I found what I really wanted - the receipt from the engine rebuild in 1988. What I think are most notable are the 96mm pistons, reworked heads (for $401 - must have been new everything?) and the 272deg camshaft(?). I was wondering if any of you type 4 gurus can give me some feedback on what all this means.

As for how the engine runs after all these years, it is very cold-natured and runs like crap until it's good and warm. After that it's quite peppy and smooth. I've never driven another 914 so I have no reference to make a comparison.

Any comments?Click to view attachment

I couldn't read it until I turned my computer on its side! seriously I would have NO FUCHIN' Idea anyways!
Cheers!

Interesting - I just laid sideways on my desk to read it. I'll try your way too.

I have no comment on your rebuild.

I did have similar problems with my car that you describe. Check the CHT to make sure it is he correct one. There was a big change between 73 and 74. The CHT and the ECU were both changed. I had a mismatch of them in my car. I almost gave up on the 914 because of it. Here is a link to a site that may help you make sure the numbers are correct. The problem may also be from a faulty AAR valve. Need help identifying these components just ask.

http://members.rennlist.com/pbanders/ecu.htm

You guys know that you can rotate the page right...

thats a tiny motor for a motor home

I could use some help identifying those components. So far I haven't had to mess with any of the ignition or fuel injection parts, other than replacing all the fuel lines and injector elbows, so I haven't studied their operation. I'll read that article you linked as soon as I can, but it's pretty big! The car does a lot of sputtering and popping before it warms up completely. It starts right up and stays running after the second attempt every time, but if I let the clutch out too fast (in neutral) the engine will stall.

Thanks for your help.

Yea. Would be nice if it said something about Porsche, or cars in general.

My old engine had a bunch of sunflower seeds in it.

This is a better link. It is a little more direct to the question of which are the correct components.
http://members.rennlist.com/pbanders/DJetParts.htm#setups

Assuming your car is a 73 2.0,

ECU (Electronic control Unit located behind the battery) 022 609 021E
CHT (Cylinder Heat Temperature Sensor) this is a Resistor which is screwed in the head near cylinder 3 0 280 130 017.
There should also be a "Ballast Resistor" is series with the CHT.

A Ohm meter can be used to measure the resistor when cold. Don't remove it unless you need to. Use the link to find the correct resistance when cold as I don't remember.

73 2.0l ECU ends in 037
73 MPS end in 037 and must be a factory or a calibrated unit. Most rebuilts are off!
73 CHT ends in 017
Ballast resistor is 270 ohms

Car will runs like crap if these don't match!!!

Thanks for the replies, gents. Where is the MPS located? I'll try to check these things out by the weekend. Something makes the car run rough when it's cold. It idles fine, but under load it's crap.

Mine had pine needles and 5 dead wasps in the oil strainer.

Look at your battery...
Now look down and slightly to the rear of your battery...
The roundish silver thingy with the braided hose connected to it is the MPS...
There is a seal (or s/b) on the end opposite the hose connection...
If the seal is broken, the Sensor probably needs recalibrated, cause someone has 'Tinkered" with it... not a good thing!

The Cylinder Head Temp Sensor is on the same (passenger) side of the engine, down in a hole between the spark plug holes... with a single wire going to it. The Resistor will be somewhere along the wire and above the sheet metal. IIRC, a 13mm deep socket needs to be modified to extract this bugger. I used a Dremel Tool to cut a slot thru the top of the socket sufficient to feed the wire into and still allow the socket extension to fit in the top of the socket. This will trap the wire and let you remove the CHT once unscrewed. To teplace it, fill the base of the socket, just to the point of allowing the hex of the CHT to fit into the end of the socket, and "FEEL" your way back into the threads of the cylinder head... DO NOT overtighten!!! Pelican Parts still had these in stock last summer.

what about chopsticks?

You can always go to Radio Shack and buy a varible resistor and tune it on the fly. One position when cold and one when warmed up. It works.
Van914

After scanning throught the first document that Bartlett 914 linked, I can see where using a variable resistor can be advantageous. Higher resistance when cold, then turn it down when operating temp is reached. I'll first check that all the components I have are correct, then move on from there. I believe what I have is a 2056cc engine(?) with a non-stock cam. This may be part of the problem. I wonder if I would be better off using a different ignition system? Would that provide any appreciable benefit with this engine configuration? Above all I just want it to be drivable and dependable.

And for you commedians who have found funny things in your engines, I had a mouse living in the airbox. The first time I started the engine that mouse jumped out of wherever he was hiding and looked at me like WTF is going on? We stared at each other for a few seconds, then he disappeared. I'm using a different garage now that is rodent-free.

From what I've read here over the years, your 2056 with a relatively hot cam is not supposed to run well with stock FI. It sounds like you should go to carbs or one of the progamable FI systems (megasquirt, SDS). Is there any indication of what your compression ratio might be? Your 272 deg cam sounds like it might be pretty hot. My new cam is 268 deg and i'm running 9.5:1 CR. Hotter cams need higher CR to perform well. My $.02.

Honestly, I haven't a clue about the compression ratio. The only info I have is what's on that ticket and the others in this folder. It would be really cool to get a programmable FI, but my pockets aren't that deep right now. If I can just get it to act better when it's cold I'd be happy for now. This car sat for a long time and may just have some bugs to fix. I'll comb through these other service receipts to see if there's anything about replacing other components that may be causing problems.

I cut the corner off an extension (I use a grinder). This is a little easier. Use a deep socket. The wire can come out the square opening of the socket at the cutoff corner of the extension.

If you cam shaft looks like this I bet it is hell of a fast car.

I cant seem to see the line that talks about the camshaft.

What IC shows that you had a full rebuild, new seals, reground crank, headwork, and new P/C's

If its FI, and stock, you will need to figure out what Cam was put in there or you will waste alot of time chasing your tail.

When was the last tune up done?
When was the last time you adjusted the valves?
Are you running points, or petronics?
New plugs, wires?
New dizzy cap?

There are alot of ignition items that need to be checked and set properly prior to chasing the FI system.
The FI system is really pretty basic, and it either works or does not...not alot of in between.
The key items that can be checked are the CHT and the MPS.

the rest is all about vacuum lines...all must be present and not leaking or it will run bad.

Really there are alot of simple tests, but the ignition needs to be perfect first. This also means the valves need to be set.

Rich

It took me a while to find the camshaft description on there too. It's near the lower right corner written over the line that says "gas, oil, grease."

I have never adjusted the valves, but I probably haven't driven it more than 150 miles, either. A valve adjust is proably in order and i'll see to that soon. It's just that I've been busy trying to stop the decay and get it basically running to this point. The maintenance can now begin! I need to order some new misc. body seals soon and might as well get some valve cover gaskets too. And the right feeler gauge. Maybe I can even buy these locally.

I replaced the plugs and wires, but not the dizzy cap. The ignition system is stock, but I am open to suggestions for an updated electronic system. I've been considering buying a new vac hose kit, just to rule out any problems there. The existing ones could be original for all I know.

This car sat for a long time before it came to me. I believe there is in the neighborhood of 30k miles on this rebuild. The original owner lived in CA before coming here (MD) in the early 90's and couldn't find a decent mechanic here and isn't mechanical himself. So the car sat for a long time in a state of disrepair. I'm slowly breathing life back into it.

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful replies. I now have a lot of things to check and fix to get this beast running right. The vac hoses, the MPS and CHT will come first. Then I'll work on the harder stuff (I've never done a valve adjustment).

Well, for starters there's no F&%#$@! resistor in line with the CHT!!! "Hey, Bubba, wut's this little long skinny thang?" "Dunno, Roscoe. Jis take it off. It's so small it must not do nuthin'."

Looks like a trip to Radio Shack is in order. Do you think that might help the cold running problem?