Starting a restoration of 1971 914-4 1.7
03-14-2002, 11:23 AM
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Starting a restoration of 1971 914-4 1.7
I have just recently recovered a 1971 914-4 1.7L from my fathers garage. This car has not been started since 1986 but was running . Can someone please advise me on the steps I should take prior to trying to start this vehice.
03-15-2002, 10:48 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
<strong>I have just recently recovered a 1971 914-4 1.7L from my fathers garage. This car has not been started since 1986 but was running . Can someone please advise me on the steps I should take prior to trying to start this vehice.</strong>
Hey there. Sweet find, btw.
Now as to getting this thing started for the first time in a long long time....Was there originally any problem with the car resulting in it being taken off the road- if so, maybe you should tackle that. If everything was ok back in 1986, then was the car prepped properly for storage? I would pull out all the fuel lines and filter and replace them with new stuff. I would also pull out the fuel tank and clean it out thoroughly- I would recommend using a POR fuel tank restore kit to make sure it is nice and clean and rust free. Put some gas in and try to run the pump to flush out all the lines - disconnect the return line and dump it into a bucket- you can stop when the gasoline has returned to its normal clean looking complexion. Above all else, remember to have a fire extinguisher and safety glasses through all of this- you never know what could happen.
Now as far as the engine- is it seized? If not, drain the oil and put some good 10w30 in there- change the filter as well (dont forget to fill that up with oil too). Adjust the valves, check the points, cap, rotor- hell, you might as well check the spark plug wires to make sure they are ok as well as the plugs themselves and see if the gap is right and also if the plugs themselves are good. Well assuming all else was ok back in the 80s, you should be ready to proceed to the next step.
Disconnect the power from the ignition coil and/or remove the spark plug wire connecting the cap of the distributor to the coil- you dont want any spark yet. Try cranking the motor over. If it is happy cranking, keep doing so to build up some pressure. I usually try to build up 30-40 psi on my car when it has been sitting for a while, before actually firing it up. If you dont have an oil pressure guage, you can at least go by the "idiot oil light." I would crank it over for at least 15 seconds, then go to the back (and front) and check for fuel leaks and oil leaks.
If all checks out ok, I think you should be ok to fire it up. I would have someone else help you out standing by with a fire extinguisher as well as with a quick eye for leaks (and problems) if they occur.
If all sounds good when the engine is running, let it run for a while and warm up, if it still wants to idle- if not, dont try to force the throttle to excessive rpms- be gentle, try to keep them under 1500 until you let it warm up and you are sure everything is ok. When warm, turn the puppy off, drain the oil (while it is still hot) and change the oil filter again. Fill her up with new oil and a new filter, and the motor should be set.
At this point, you might want to consider checking the compression on each cylinder to make sure that they are approximately even. Also, check the valves after a few hundred miles. They shouldn't be far off of your last adjustment. If they needed lots of adjusting, watch them carefully, as valves going out of adjustment quickly can be a tell-tale sign of a problem facilitating a head job.
I hope I was thorough enough
I'm usually a sleeper on most forums, but I have been trying to take a more active role lately. If anyone reading this catches something I missed or something I said wrong, let us all know. We all can stand something to learn
Take care and good luck!
Charles Navarro
LN Engineering
<a href="http://www.LNengineering.com" target="_blank">http://www.LNengineering.com</a>
Aircooled Precision Performance
Hey there. Sweet find, btw.
Now as to getting this thing started for the first time in a long long time....Was there originally any problem with the car resulting in it being taken off the road- if so, maybe you should tackle that. If everything was ok back in 1986, then was the car prepped properly for storage? I would pull out all the fuel lines and filter and replace them with new stuff. I would also pull out the fuel tank and clean it out thoroughly- I would recommend using a POR fuel tank restore kit to make sure it is nice and clean and rust free. Put some gas in and try to run the pump to flush out all the lines - disconnect the return line and dump it into a bucket- you can stop when the gasoline has returned to its normal clean looking complexion. Above all else, remember to have a fire extinguisher and safety glasses through all of this- you never know what could happen.
Now as far as the engine- is it seized? If not, drain the oil and put some good 10w30 in there- change the filter as well (dont forget to fill that up with oil too). Adjust the valves, check the points, cap, rotor- hell, you might as well check the spark plug wires to make sure they are ok as well as the plugs themselves and see if the gap is right and also if the plugs themselves are good. Well assuming all else was ok back in the 80s, you should be ready to proceed to the next step.
Disconnect the power from the ignition coil and/or remove the spark plug wire connecting the cap of the distributor to the coil- you dont want any spark yet. Try cranking the motor over. If it is happy cranking, keep doing so to build up some pressure. I usually try to build up 30-40 psi on my car when it has been sitting for a while, before actually firing it up. If you dont have an oil pressure guage, you can at least go by the "idiot oil light." I would crank it over for at least 15 seconds, then go to the back (and front) and check for fuel leaks and oil leaks.
If all checks out ok, I think you should be ok to fire it up. I would have someone else help you out standing by with a fire extinguisher as well as with a quick eye for leaks (and problems) if they occur.
If all sounds good when the engine is running, let it run for a while and warm up, if it still wants to idle- if not, dont try to force the throttle to excessive rpms- be gentle, try to keep them under 1500 until you let it warm up and you are sure everything is ok. When warm, turn the puppy off, drain the oil (while it is still hot) and change the oil filter again. Fill her up with new oil and a new filter, and the motor should be set.
At this point, you might want to consider checking the compression on each cylinder to make sure that they are approximately even. Also, check the valves after a few hundred miles. They shouldn't be far off of your last adjustment. If they needed lots of adjusting, watch them carefully, as valves going out of adjustment quickly can be a tell-tale sign of a problem facilitating a head job.
I hope I was thorough enough
I'm usually a sleeper on most forums, but I have been trying to take a more active role lately. If anyone reading this catches something I missed or something I said wrong, let us all know. We all can stand something to learn Take care and good luck!
Charles Navarro
LN Engineering
<a href="http://www.LNengineering.com" target="_blank">http://www.LNengineering.com</a>
Aircooled Precision Performance
