73 2.0L Progress Thread, Engine Teardown Options

[dlee6204]

I finished up the engine and with the gas tank installed, it meant time for a test run. It started on the first crank however it ran like crap. It revved way up and it wouldn't hold idle. There must have also been a mouse colony in the muffler at some point because when I first started it up, all sorts of crap was shooting out that back. After fiddling with the motor a bit more, I learned that it helps to connect the Cylinder head temperature sensor beforehand (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) After it was connected, the car ran very well. The only problem I noticed was that the passenger side valve cover was leaking oil. I replaced the gasket and all is well now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) I will try to get a video of it running sometime.


Here are a few shots of the engine.

[dlee6204]

This weekend I also bled the brakes, installed the emergency brake cables, installed the rear bumper and started installing the interior.

[dlee6204]

Here is another shot of the interior.


This evening I decided that it was time for a test drive down the driveway. Well that test drive turned out to be a test drive down the road. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) It was only a block or two before I turned around but it sure was fun. The car ran very well, accelerated nicely, and shifted smoothly. As of right now there doesn't seem to be anything with the drivetrain that needs attention.(knock on wood) The rest of the car on the other hand... needs some lovin'. That's all for now. More to come next weekend.

[dlee6204]

So this past weekend I slacked off but I still got some things done. I finished welding up the driver's side front fender and then installed the lights. I also painted the front bumper and installed it.

[dlee6204]

I also installed the door mirror and the under-dash pad. Here is a picture with the lights on.



Some problems I noticed:

I noticed that the tachometer doesn't work. I traced the problem to a faulty black/purple wire that runs from the back of the gauge to the coil. The wire is cut somewhere between the engine relay board and the gauge.

Whenever I hit the brakes, the reverse lights come on. I am assuming that the wires are hooked up wrong somewhere.

The Driver's side headlight doesn't pop up and retract correctly. I'll have to try adjusting it again.

[dlee6204]

Well this past weekend was a complete whirlwind. On Friday afternoon, I called and finally got insurance for the car. I then got my registration and plates from the DMV which meant my car was finally street legal. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

Before I could drive it, I had to do a few things. I fixed the brake and reverse lights. I also installed the seat belts and passenger seat and buttoned up a few other things. Finally the car was ready for a test drive! I took a few shorts drives, stopping to make sure nothing was on fire or anything and I gradually worked my way to longer and longer drives. Needless to say I put over 100 miles on it over 1.5 days without going more like 10 miles from my house. I even managed to take the girlfriend for a nighttime drive.

After hearing how the 914 is underpowered for all these years, I was actually surprised at how much power it DID have. The car accelerated beautifully and handled great. I don't know why no one told me how much fun these cars are! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) I became addicted to 914s when I was 13 and for the past 7 years i had yet to drive one of them until this past weekend. I had a blast driving all the back roads and I am just glad that now I finally have a car to drive. It might not be a looker but it sure is fun!

Two things that I noticed need work is the driver's side rear wheel bearing and the shift linkage needs minor adjustment. The wheel bearing was actually pretty bad so I didn't go above 60 when driving the car. The car is parked this week until I can replace the bearing this weekend. I will also replace the front wheel bearings and seals too. There is still a countless number of things left to do on the car but as least now I can enjoy it some!

The only pictures I took are of the interior after I got almost everything in. Speaker panels and sill pieces still need to be installed.


-Notice the big fire extinguisher

[Gint]

Grats! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)

There is an alternative solution that may or may not suit your plan for the car either immediate or long term. You can get the car up and running more quickly by swapping in a spare control arm if you have one handy. It's faster and easier than replacing a wheel bearing. That would get you back to (IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) faster!

[dlee6204]

There is an alternative solution that may or may not suit your plan for the car either immediate or long term. You can get the car up and running more quickly by swapping in a spare control arm if you have one handy. It's faster and easier than replacing a wheel bearing. That would get you back to faster!

I thought about that but all the spares I have are either covered in rust or still on other cars. I'll just replace it so I know that I am riding on good bearings.

[FourBlades]

Great work getting your car on the road!!!

I got so tired of waiting to get my blue car working I bought the red car just to
have a runner. I agree they drive great even with the 1.7 engine.

Your car is looking solid. Now you can just tinker when you feel like it.

John

[dlee6204]

Now you can just tinker when you feel like it.

Thank John. That's my thinking exactly. I'm trying to fight the inevitable. I'm trying to eliminate the jack-stand syndrome of the 914. I will gradually fix more and more on it while I enjoy it. When something breaks or goes wrong, I can fix it in a weekend without worrying about ruining the paint or anything. Once I get around to painting it, I will hopefully have worked through and restored all the systems on the car.

[dlee6204]

Speaking of not ruining the paint, I forgot to mention how there was a little "accident" over the weekend. After one of my drives, the car was idling a little high. I put the emergency brake on, and ran the car while I adjusted the idle. Once I shut off the car I went into the house. Ten minutes later I came back outside and found that the car had rolled down the driveway and wedged up against a tree. The passenger front fender got pushed in and both lights broke. I forgot to put the car in gear once I shut the car off and the emergency brake wasn't reliable enough. Here are some pictures of the carnage.





I beat it out as much as I could and I replaced the lights so all is good now. I will worry about the finishing touches when I go to do bodywork on the car.

[dlee6204]

Here are some picture from when I replaced the wheel bearing this past weekend.

The control arm after it is removed.

[dlee6204]

When I removed the hub from the bearing, the inner race came with it. You can see how nasty the inside of that bearing looks. I took a spare hub that I had and put it in the freezer to make installation easier.




After I pulled the old one out, I cleaned the housing and installed the new frozen bearing. It slide right into place!

[dlee6204]

And finally, I installed the hub using some threaded rod, big washers, and nuts.




I also replaced the front wheel bearing and seals for good measure. I took it for a test drive and the noise was gone! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/piratenanner.gif) I then proceeded to drive the car the entire weekend putting another 100-200 miles on it.

A new problem that came up was the infamous no-start problem. Some of the time the starter would work, some of the time it wouldn't. I replaced the starter with a known good one and it still would only crank some of the time so I believe the problem to be in the ignition switch. I'll replace it and go from there!

[kconway]

Make sure you ground strap from the tranny to chassis is in tact and the connection points are clean as well.

[dlee6204]

UPDATE: I've driven the car over 1400 miles so far without any major issues. I've taken the car on several longer trips approx. 100 miles and it ran beautifully on all of them. I'm finding that I'm putting more miles on this car than my daily driver (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) I have several projects going on right now with it so I will try to update the best I can.

First off I got some new tires for it. The only problem is that my Fuch wheels aren't ready to have the tires mounted. I have been working on cleaning them up and painting them. So far I have two of the wheels almost ready for a clear coat.

I don't have a before picture but here is a picture after I cleaned the wheels up and masked them for paint.


Primer


And some black...

[dlee6204]

Another shot. The metal finish areas are a bit dirty in the pictures. It will look better after I get clear on them.




And the new rubber waiting for me in the driveway. 205/60/15's

[dlee6204]

I also started rebuilding a set of axles that I had lying around. I finished one and the other will get done shortly.

[dlee6204]

It started to get chilly here at night so I added heat to the driver's side of the car. The passenger side will get done eventually. I also added a front valence, rocker panels, a stereo system, replaced the ignition switch, wiper stalk and many other small things.


And now some of the things that need work:

- The transmission is hard to shift and grinds when going into some of the gears. I have tried to adjust the linkage and and clutch will no real success. I am leaning towards the transmission itself so that might get replaced sometime in the near future.

- The driver's side rear has a camber issue. I'm going to swap out the trailing arm with a spare to insure it is not bent.


-Emergency brakes/ rear calipers need adjustment.

-Fresh air fan does not work. I cleaned the contacts but that didn't work. I will get around to replacing the fan.

-Passenger side needs heat ducting

-Wheels & tires need to be finished

-New axles need to be installed.

-Front steering pan needs to be painted and installed.

-Driver's door doesn't want to close some of the time.

-Interior light doesn't come on when door is open. The door switch is suspected.

-License Plate Lights need to be installed.

-Defrost illumination light doesn't work

-Clock doesn't work




To be continued...

[Phoenix914]

I have really enjoyed reading this thread. You make everything look easy! I have the exact same car, color included. Mine has been repainted the original Marathon Blue. My rear wheel bearings also need to be replaced, but I have been putting it off until I remove the engine for rebuilding.

What kind of radio did you install. Is it one that fits the dash without mods?