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> New owner with few questions, Brake light always on!
PaIsa
post Jun 13 2024, 05:17 AM
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Hello! New 914 owner here with a few questions.
First the car: 1.7 (I think) 1972 914 with carburetor, Irish Green resprayed.
The issues:
1. Brake lights are always on. As soon as we put the key switch to ON, the rear brake lights come on even without touching the brake pedal. Looked at all the bulbs and everything is fine. Looked at wiring; did a repair on the front left ground wire but the rest seems OK. Looked at the switch on the master cylinder; it is there, but not sure what to look for. Any idea as to where to look to try to solve this.
2. Vibration: We have a steering wheel vibration when cruising at around 90-100 km/h. Where should I look first: wheel balancing?
3. Speedo not working: Our speedo is not working but I think that our issue is at the back of the car. We have a small tranny oil leak that seems to come from the speedo gear set-up. I did not open it yet but I guess that a first test that I should do would be to take the cable off, put the car in gear and see if the system for the speedo actually works.
Would be all for now.
Thanks
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flipb
post Jun 13 2024, 06:49 AM
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Had some of the same issues when I first bought my '74.

The brake lights are activated by a switch above the pedal. It's a small black box with a metal piece that sticks out the side. There are other threads on this site about how to adjust it. I went through a couple rounds of trial & error to get mine adjusted to where I'm happy with it.

I'm not an expert with the other two areas but the front end shake could be a wheel out of balance or loose suspension bushings.

Might be worth having your speedometer rebuilt (several places do this; I used North Hollywood Speedometer) & run a new cable from the transmission. If you find that the transmission has other issues, @DrEvil is the resident expert.
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PaIsa
post Jun 14 2024, 05:48 AM
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For the brake light, turned out to be the switch at the pedal base that was not fitted properly. I had to adjust it slightly with the screw and very slightly bend the metal part for it to actually touch what seems to be a large washer so that it activates or not when we step on the pedal.

Will look at the speedo meter stuff this week end.
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emerygt350
post Jun 14 2024, 12:08 PM
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QUOTE(PaIsa @ Jun 14 2024, 05:48 AM) *

For the brake light, turned out to be the switch at the pedal base that was not fitted properly. I had to adjust it slightly with the screw and very slightly bend the metal part for it to actually touch what seems to be a large washer so that it activates or not when we step on the pedal.

Will look at the speedo meter stuff this week end.


wobble could be poor tires. Just rotate them to the back and see if it changes.

And welcome to the forum!
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930cabman
post Jun 14 2024, 12:45 PM
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QUOTE(PaIsa @ Jun 13 2024, 05:17 AM) *

Hello! New 914 owner here with a few questions.
First the car: 1.7 (I think) 1972 914 with carburetor, Irish Green resprayed.
The issues:
1. Brake lights are always on. As soon as we put the key switch to ON, the rear brake lights come on even without touching the brake pedal. Looked at all the bulbs and everything is fine. Looked at wiring; did a repair on the front left ground wire but the rest seems OK. Looked at the switch on the master cylinder; it is there, but not sure what to look for. Any idea as to where to look to try to solve this.
2. Vibration: We have a steering wheel vibration when cruising at around 90-100 km/h. Where should I look first: wheel balancing?
3. Speedo not working: Our speedo is not working but I think that our issue is at the back of the car. We have a small tranny oil leak that seems to come from the speedo gear set-up. I did not open it yet but I guess that a first test that I should do would be to take the cable off, put the car in gear and see if the system for the speedo actually works.
Would be all for now.
Thanks

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png)

Glad to have you onboard. Source a Haynes manual and study it from cover to cover and then some. It is a good start

Vibration: I would look at the tire balance, lug bolt tightness, wheel bearings for a start
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rhodyguy
post Jun 14 2024, 01:50 PM
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The arm on the switch contacts the rear side of the MC activation rod washer (pictured on p.110 of the Haynes manual). Not on the front side. The switch free play is .04 (p.108).
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PaIsa
post Jun 25 2024, 12:47 PM
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wobble could be poor tires. Just rotate them to the back and see if it changes.

And welcome to the forum!
[/quote]

I swapped the tire front to back and it solved the vibration. Much more enjoyable now! Tires seem good quality but a bit bigger then stock. I will have them balanced at the end of the season.

Just went to pick up part for the speedo/tranny dripping fix. Will look at getting this installed in the upcoming week.

As well, I had to replace the alternator belt after I had the red light coming on in the dash. Found all the information needed in the forum!

Thanks all!
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emerygt350
post Jun 25 2024, 01:41 PM
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Good to hear it has been helpful. If it was the elbow you picked up you shouldn't have any problems.
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PaIsa
post Jun 25 2024, 01:53 PM
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Picked up a few goodies:
- Updated speedo bushing (the one with the 2 o-rings)
- New angle gear for the speedo
- seals and o-ring needed

And a set of retractable seat belt to replace the one that are always were you don't want them to be!!
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emerygt350
post Jun 25 2024, 02:08 PM
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That's a satisfying job (the speedo). Careful with the seatbelt job. Might want to hit the bolts with penetrating fluid and let them sit overnight.
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PaIsa
post Jun 29 2024, 03:13 PM
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Ok so I repaired the brake light issue. Swapped wheels and resolved the vibration issue. Have a new set of seta belt that retracts, but after installing mostly all new stuff for the speedo at the rear of the car (new seals, insert, angle gear), still no speed indication in the dash. I guess that the next step is to replace the cable. How difficult is it to replace this cable.

As well, looking at some parts supplier, there seems to be a few options for cable, mainly with or without rubber boots. If it does not come with rubber boots, how do you get the boots on the cable??

Anyway, I guess I will be looking at replacing it sooner then later!
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emerygt350
post Jun 29 2024, 03:51 PM
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It's not a bad job, but can be frustrating. I believe there is a walk through on pelican? It was one of the first jobs I had to do on mine. You should pull the speedometer out and see if the cable is rotating before you go any further
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Spoke
post Jun 29 2024, 06:28 PM
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QUOTE(emerygt350 @ Jun 29 2024, 05:51 PM) *

It's not a bad job, but can be frustrating. I believe there is a walk through on pelican? It was one of the first jobs I had to do on mine. You should pull the speedometer out and see if the cable is rotating before you go any further


(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Isolate the issue as it could be the speedometer.
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PaIsa
post Jun 30 2024, 05:55 PM
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Isolate the issue as it could be the speedometer.
[/quote]

Was my plan as well to look if it is the speedometer that is the problem. I guess I will have to pull out the cluster. Any advice on pulling out the cluster? I tried sometime ago, but was not sure so I abort the mission.

I guess that removing the steering wheel makes thing a bit easier, but not sure about how much I can pull out the cluster once all the screws are removed.
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emerygt350
post Jun 30 2024, 07:33 PM
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No need. Just pull the wheel. The gauges just slide out.
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PaIsa
post Jul 8 2024, 05:48 AM
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So I have pulled the speedometer out, took out the cable and it turned out that the end of the cable that connects it to the speedometer was broken. So hopefully found the culprit. New cable ordered.
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Tonyooc
post Jul 8 2024, 06:14 AM
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Cairo94507
post Jul 8 2024, 07:19 AM
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(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Welcome to 914 ownership. It seems you have a good handle on working through issues. Just tackle them 1 at a time to avoid your car ending up on jack stands for years.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
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PaIsa
post Jul 8 2024, 10:57 AM
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QUOTE(Cairo94507 @ Jul 8 2024, 07:19 AM) *

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/welcome.png) Welcome to 914 ownership. It seems you have a good handle on working through issues. Just tackle them 1 at a time to avoid your car ending up on jack stands for years.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)


It is the plan. Enjoying the car both while driving it or working on it!
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PaIsa
post Jul 19 2024, 04:27 PM
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Just changed the speedo cable and went for a road test. I now have speed indication. So all the small issues on this thread are resolved:

Parking brake light always on: Slight adjustment on the brake switch
Vibration: Swap tires. Will have them balance at the end of the season
Speedo: Change everything from the transmission to the speedo and got it to work again.

Will enjoy the car and start to look for other solution to some other small issues:

Some transmission oil leaks: probably some seals to replace; will do that this winter
Parking brake light in the dash blinking: will look for the source of the problem (e-brake switch, switch on the MC, other??
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