Peter Zimmermann

OK, first, I have a re-newed respect for body & paint guys! This ain't easy, I can't believe the amount of problems my untrained fingers didn't feel. I put a second coat of primer on the front lid, followed by a coat of black. It looked terrible, but my brain (literally) and AFM are in UPS headed to the guru, so I needed something to do. I blocked the black because it looked really bad, and look what I ended up with! I think that I need more practice with this body work stuff, but ended up with some pretty cool colors! At this point I'm not quite sure why I'm attempting this, using rattle cans, but I hope it ends up looking marginally better than the rest of the car.

Peter Zimmermann

I should not have looked! I figured, OK, it's safe to connect the battery, because without the AFM connected the fuel pump can't run. So, knowing the mess I'm facing with the tunnel wiring, I decided to check the taillights. HAH! What taillights? I had one side marker, left side, and, believe it or not, turn signals. I discovered that someone, probably the same guilty party who did other horrible things, was in the trunk as well.

After reconstructing the wires (torn apart, cut, gouged insulation) for the left taillight I ended up with a left taillight, and TWO BRAKE LIGHTS!! Whoo Hoo! But no license lights, or right side tail/marker lights. Check out the wiring, and while you're in there, look at the bitchin' trunk release solenoid, cool, huh?

Oh, and I built a harness for the e-brake warning light, and it works. Tomorrow I'll contemplate un-taping the entire harness between the two lights and seeing how many more cut/broken/dismembered wires are hiding in there.

Happy Easter, my back hurts, and it's beer time.

Jay Gratton

Peter, you deserve a beer after all this work!

Peter Zimmermann

Maybe three, better yet, four!

Well, I did some more work while my brain is away being checked. Pictured below is the PO's idea of a license plate light harness (no, they didn't work), and my version. It's been installed, and taa-daa!

Matt Romanowski

Wow. You're car has had more shoddy work over the years than just about anyting I've seen. You're doing a great job bringing it back!!!!!

skl

I'm not looking forward to repairing some work done by mice on my '73- but I'm not worrrying about some of the interior wiring for seat belt warning etc- I don't need to be told to put on my belts!! The license plate lights haven't worked for 30 some years on my '71... haven't been stopped yet...

Jay Gratton

+1

Peter Zimmermann

Thanks, guys. It's mind-boggling how bad so many of this car's systems are. Everything from the wipers, to the lights, to the brakes, to the wire harnesses, to the suspension (one rear Koni and one rear Boge) is/was so screwed up. But then the plugs were not overtightened, they were the correct heat range, the points, cap and rotor were acceptable, the valve adjustment was reasonably close, and the engine does not leak.

Then you have the CV joints tightened with a one-inch, 5,000 lb/ft impact wrench, gear shift linkage wiped out, bolts stripped/cross threaded everywhere, trans mounts upside down, etc. The whole car just doesn't make sense. We can write off the rust-filled fuel system and the wiped out oil seals on the trans to age, but the rest of it was somebody without a clue doing bad stuff. Weird.

Peter Zimmermann

Whoo-hoo! Found one (a 914) at Target. And, BTW, I now have a trunk, and all rear lights are functional; even the reverse lights! Now, if I only had a brain.

I'm still using a hood support because I don't fully understand the torsion bar system (both are there with rollers), and why they won't hold the lid up. Even the power latch release works, but I'm not going to close the lid until I devise some sort of emergency release wire!

Peter Zimmermann

While waiting for news about my ECU and AFM, I decided to explore why I have no high beam headlights or a horn. The headlight problem appears to be a relay issue (part on order), but the horn - ugh! Maybe somebody our there can answer this one. The pictures below show yet again another interesting issue with this car. First, I know the horn works because I tested it when I repaired its wiring. Inside the car I have no contact when completing the horn circuit at the steering wheel, but the relay tests good.

I pulled off the steering wheel, and loosened the switch assembly in the column to get access to the horn relay to steering column wire. I discover some strange-looking blue tape on the w/wiper switch, so I remove the knee bolster (under the dash) disconnect the switches and pull them out. What I find is pictured below. The wiper switch appears to have been broken at one time, and taped together.

Note that the switch has only got four wires/connectors, but the harness has provision for five wires. Hmmmmm, the switch was broken, now has four wires, but the harness has an unused (in my car) bk/br wire. The wire schematic shows that wire, but doesn't explain it. It's supposed to terminate at a connector "near the gas tank," but I can't find it. Any ideas?

BTW; I still haven't figured out why the br/wh horn wire won't activate the horn relay!

EDIT: I was looking in the wrong place (but I did succeed in fixing a couple of things in the steering column), the wire from the fuse box to terminal 86 of the horn relay (rd/wh) was broken at the fuse connection. Never thought to run continuity on that because both sides of the fuse were hot with ignition, so... Lesson of the day; never over look anything! The horn works perfect so, when time permits, I can put the front bumper back on.

NOTE: Before we get to the pictures I want to mention that I hope Usama Bin Laden has been delivered straight to hell to spend eternity alongside the rotting corpses of 71 roadside bombers.

Peter Zimmermann

Back from my side trip to the "To Light the Way..." thread. I look at the car and think about my ECU and AFM, still away for repair, and how cool it would be to go for a drive!

Yes, I still have a few things to do with the tunnel wiring, I have an older radio/speakers that need to be installed, and I have an amazing Momo steering wheel (from my stash) with a hub kit that just might fit the car...the car has its warts, but I don't think we'll be embarrassed to drive it!

thf944

Congrats on finding the Matchbox. Keep a lookout for the orange in a single pack.

I don't envy you when it comes to wiring. Mechanical things are much easier to figure out!

Peter Zimmermann

Speaking of wire, this (1st pic below) is all for sale. Make offer!

I'm still waiting for my brain (maybe today), so I cut some fiber board to mount my speakers (of course they don't fit the 914 housings, even though the salesman said they would). I painted the grill side, and put them together. Install next.

Peter Zimmermann

While the ECU & AFM are away for testing I took the opportunity to run resistance checks between the ECU quick disconnect and the injectors. All good. Then I thought it might be a good idea to check the wires/connections at the AFM. The AFM in my car has 6 contact pins, and the wires are numbered 39, 36, 6, 9, 8, and 7. The contact for #7 was damaged (see below) and I don't know if the connection was solid, intermittent, or non-existent. I also have not yet found out what wire #7 does, but am working on that. Could this be my running problem? Don't know, but I have a new wire contact end on the way, being shipped today along with the ECU & AFM.

whalebird

Fun thread. VERY nice work Pete...thats a hansom 914, especially after the wheel finish. I can't wait to see it run.
I had a few similar 914 experiences working as a tech in an indie shop; 3 examples stand out in memory. In particular was a near perfect original red car with black script and black EMPI 8-spokes shod with crusty Pirelli P6s that I used to carbon-date it's last voyage to the mid/late 80s. It had sat for well over a decade without being driven. My boss at the shop was a 911 guy and promptly delegated the "VW" stuff to me as I had a lot of experience on VWs. Nothing prepared me for this snafu. It sure looked a lot like the pics you've posted here Pete - No fuel/fire with jumper wires and multi meters spread out on a towel across the rear deck. Seatbelt contacts, some sort of seat "occupancy" sensor foul up, an ECU full of rain water...I had a challenge. The owner was in between jobs and searching. He walked in one day, said he had found work, payed for all my diagnostics and shipped the car out of town (Atlanta IIRC) with all the parts I'd disassembled in a box. I was sad to see the little car go and dreaded (for the new mechanic) sending it off in pieces.
Thats going to be a fun car for you Peter. I toast a Coors Light to your achievements.