Brian Miller

This is my first post so please be patient...

Just purchased a "driver" 914 from eBay only to drive it 300 mi. and have it give up the ghost.

The car is a 1974 1.8 with F.I. and was supposed to be in well used but good condition. All of the original FI equipment appears to be there and it looks like all the original vacuum lines are there.

I experienced trouble on the drive from Indianapolis to Chicago especially going over large bumps would make the engine spit and sputter. Finally the engine just refused to run.

I am having the car shipped from Chicago to Phoenix but there are so many possibilities I do not know where to start.

The car seemed to run great when I picked it up from the seller but know will barley start and refuses to idle. I have not personally allowed the engine to back-fire but it is spitting and sputtering.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Vacuum? Electrical? I hate to tear into this car without knowing where to look first. I have the Bosch book and Hayne's manual and I can do the work I just need a starting point... any suggestions?

OK, part 2:

What should I do about the seller? It WAS running when I picked it up but know I am feeling taken. I have purchased other cars from eBay and all were exactly as advertised without any troubles. I want to keep this 914 because it is so original and has so many options but I would like to recoup some of my shipping and transportation cost. Am I over reacting or should I approach the seller about getting some of my $$$ back?

I guess I just want to know what others would do in this same situation.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help... I hope to turn this into a very nice 914 over the next year or so.

Ed Morrow

Sounds like a large vacuum leak. Did you look for anything loose? Good possibility the intake boot between the air flow meter and throttle body may be loose or torn. Things do go wrong with 27 year old cars, the problem is still unknown and could be as simple as a loose clamp. Unless the seller grossly misrepresented the vehicle I wouldn't expect to get more than sympathy from him. Let us know when the problem is found.

Rob Quarles

I wouldn't be too hard on the seller. There are a multitude of things that could cause this and he /she may honestly not been aware of. I had a FI 1.8 awhile back that had similar problems. The resistor pack/bank had one or more wires grounding out on the sheet metal. Look for a group of white wires leading to the resistors and make sure the wires/connections are intact. Another "easy one" to check is the (o-ring?) gasket under the oil filler cap. ANY type of vacuum leak on 1.8's can cause BIG problems.

Brian Miller

Thanks for the info.

After I calmed down I realized that the seller most likely had nothing but good intentions. The car is 27 years old afterall and some things are destined to fail after such a long time.

I am nearly positive that the cause is electrical (the grounding out mentioned above) and/or vacuum related but at least now I have a few places to start.

I am still waiting for the car to be delivered from Chicago but once I tear into it I may have a few more questions.

Thanks so much for your help, if anyone else on this board has any ideas please post them here.

Also, dows anyone knoow where I can find a good diagram of the vacuum connections for the 1.8?

Thanks again,

Ed Morrow

The vacuum hose diagrams are here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/914/tech..._18FI_diag.htm

Ed

Brian Miller

Thank you, very helpful!

Brian Miller

Received the car today and found numerous vacuum leaks and a few stray wires that didn't go anywhere... looks like I have my work cut out for me.

Thank you again for all the help.

Rob Quarles

In case your vacuum lines are "crispy" you might be in for some sticker shock at the price per foot of the German braided hose. I used some 1/2" ID plain neoprene hose (#5237K25) I got from Mcmaster-Carr supply. www.mcmaster.com (WARNING, this place is dangerous for hardware store junkies like myself) WAAAAY cheaper than the stock stuff. If you want to get fancy, you could also use 1/2" maleable aluminum tubing (#5177K18, 50 foot coil) It cuts nicely with a standard (plumbing) tubing cutter and you can use a cheap bender to "fit" the aluminum tubing to the engine and compartment. Still WAAAY cheaper than the stock stuff per foot. If you want to REALLY cheap out, ask them for a sample of the aluminum tubing and use it to "splice" good pieces of the stock tubing together. You might look at buying bulk metric nuts, bolts and washers while you're at it. You get a BIG bag for what 5 pieces would cost you at Home Depot. Using the factory right angle rubber fittings will tidy up the installation and save on tubing (not have to make a long loop to make a connection).