all I need to say is that this 914 is frustrating, and more than one person will agree with me...lol


damn I just want to drive...
one day

What has you frustrated?

Everything is only hard the first time.
Keep fighting the good fight. At least you have a massive support group here to help out. Yay, 914 Club.

oh so true....two extremely helpful members came by today and had two other offers...but my motor is cursed to never start....ever...

Well I dont know what too say about this car. my son spent 3 hrs checking the valves, the timing, the points, and the fuel pump. we got spark at the plug. the car farted once or twice but would not start. had Jared get new plugs and starting fluid but it didn't help. we tried

Bernie

What is it not doing, spark, fuel, what?

You did indeed...thank you guys a lot, that was a good experience, just goes to show that this site truly is a community.

Jared

it has spark, it has fuel, it has compression, wont turn over...one last thing is possibly a new starter...but it would fire up just fine before dropping the motor...so what gives????

I should just bolt in a Briggs and Stratton...more power

Check the ground strap from the trans to the body, It needs to be clean and tight for the starter to have a good enough ground to crank correctly. Or the starter could have taken a dump! What else did you touch?

That is so true. The second time I touch anything on the car it is much easier. I'm definately getting better at wrenching. :-).

What did you do to it again that you had to drop the motor?

It had a stuck valve, among other problems. Hmm... a weak starter will turn over a shitty motor.... hmm..

Push start?




M

If the starter is turning the engine but sounds like it has a half dead battery then you might have the spark plug wires one hole off. Did you turn the case over at all? The distributor drive could have fallen out and then fallen back in at the wrong orientation. Check that when cylinder 1 is on TDC of the compression stroke the rotor is pointed towards the drivers seat (roughly) and set the vacuum canister to be aimed at the oil filler box (roughly). This should get your timing in range. Make sure the post inside the distributor cap that the rotor is pointing at is the one for cylinder 1 and then set all the wires from there (1-4-3-2 clockwise). This all sounds very much like a timing issue to me. If I get a chance after work I'll take some pictures.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm,

My brother is looking for a project.....gimme money for mine..."IT" runs and I'll see what I can do with baby bro....

hmm tempting...if you still have it in a month, I can allocate the proper funds...

DrifterJay,

Describe what you did.
We can get it started I am sure....

1) Did you remove the distributor?
2) Did you remove the starter
3) did you remove the wiring and recconect it all, including the plug into the relay panel behind the driver in the engine bay??
4) Did you rebuild the motor?
5) have you checked the firing order??? (s stated above, it will turn, but slower if the plug wires are not correct, but it will not start and could make the starter sound like a pig)

details will help you solve this....
If fuel injected, put the key in the run position, you should hear the fuel pump pre-charge the FI system....a slight wirring should occur and should stop ,,,,about two seconds.

Make sure all your wiring and grounds are connected for the FI system, and are not on the wrond injectors.

Make sure your plug to the pressure sensor, injectors, injector point (on dissy) are connected

Jay, Rich is right. This problem can be solved. If it ran when you removed the motor, and you hooked everything back up correctly, it should run. We have to know exactly what you did to the car.

How did you "unstick" the valve?

he put new heads on

Drifter Jay,

Dunnow if your engine turns over easily.

How did you torque the heads? If you do it wrong, you can oval the case at the crank bearings and and cause a bind or extra drag.

Bought a car from a PO cuz he decided to take his engine out and replace the heads with 2 new ones to fix a valve problem. He got it torqued back together and back into the car only to find it won't turn over.

I got (at a minimum) 2 virgin 2.0l heads that way for $300. Need any free rust? .

Hope this helps!

Ken

ok here goes:

I did not remove the distributor, Bernie's son did though to check it out, and it is a volkswagon one, not ideal, but it should at least work

I never removed the starter, I only unplugged it to remove the motor, my work was double checked by once again, Bernie's son. In fact all my work was double checked, my valves, everything.

I removed the little wiring there was, I have no brain anymore in the car, it has Weber 40s so...everything was hooked back up, and was rechecked.

I did not rebuild the motor, in fact, I didnt even pull the tranny or fan off. Only the heads.

All new gaskets were replaced when needed, a new coil was put in as well as a new battery. The heads were torqued down as specified in the Haynes as well as the valve adjustments, and since we had turned the motor so many times, they were readjusted by Don (berns son). It turns over decently, no binding. The starter is a bit tired, but regardless, it worked prior to dropping the motor, 3 turn to the ignition max and it would fire. New plugs were put in, and I even played with some starter fluid, no go. Checked the grounds, all are a go. Tranny ground was filed down to get any grime of both cable, and bottom of trunk. I am probably just going to take it to Gervais Engine in Temecula and say get it tuned and running. I dont think I have any alternatives, I am beyond my skill level, anyone else want to look at it before I drop it off with someone?? Jared

hell I will pay someone gladly if they can get it running and tuned...I dont have much, 500 max to pay right now...cant keep the car nonop...

Jared

I am from MA, where abouts are you located???

How far from Brad, How far from Otto's???

Rich

I'd love to come down if I had the time. I'm sure it'd be running. How about towing it up to bay area?

Jay, a couple of things to check real quick...all stupid stuff that you have probably checked already...

First off, you said it won't start, is it spitting/farting back through the carbs alot? Can you smell fuel? Is it turning over fast or slow? Does it sound like its going to catch or just spins and spins? What do the plugs look like?

Distributor, you said you didn't remove it, but did you move it at all...I had one that was 180* off and the thing just farted and spit, but wouldn't start.

Also, double check the spark plug wires, are they going to the right holes?

If you are spraying starter fluid in the carbs and the car still won't fire, then you arn't getting spark to the plugs...

Also, put some jumper cables on that battery and give it some help if it is turning over slowly...its a carbed car, you need air, fuel and spark...just take it step by step and you will get it started.

To me it sounds like you either are not getting spark (or plugs are badly fouled), or your timing is WAY off...

HTH,

Tony

The plugs are new and are getting spark the fuelpump works. checked TDC with a plug out to check the Dist. set the points checked the valve adj. which was ok had battery charger on the batt. Jared needs to work on the throttle linkage as it is all screwed up. But it should start!!!!

Bernie

did you pull the plugs after trying to start several times? I have seen plugs foul very quickly, actually happened to me not too long ago...had to pull them out and wire brush them off before the car would start properly...

Still didn't answer: what was the car doing when you try to start it? spitting/poping back through the carbs? just spinning the motor? etc... more details will help us have an idea of what is not working properly...

Tony

I had offered to come out and make it run. I still extened the offer but I do not think I will be able to get out there till mid week sometime. It would also have to be during the day, maybe morning late. Let me know Jared. I am almost sure I can make it run.

thanks Skline..will get to you through pm...

Did I just read that you broke your CHT?

why don't you check the voltage across the coil while you turn the engine over. The starter might be sapping all the available power so there's not enough poop in the coil to fire it.

I have a motorcyle like that.