Hmm, electrical problems are tough. Check page two of our electrical diagram. #63 is the fresh air blower, and #30 is the switch. It looks like it goes through fuse #8. You might not have noticed that the electrical diagram is continued on the second page. Looks like the same fuse for the wipers, and the cigarette lighter. Make sure that the blower motor you have works fine. I would check for current using a voltmeter at every step along the way. If you trace the problem back with a voltmeter, you will most likely find the problem, whether it’s a bad connection, or a cut wire, etc…  Also be aware that the heater blower motor and the fuel pump share the same fuse on the relay board in the engine compartment.  It is not uncommon to have a 914 that dies from lack of fuel when you pull the heater blower switch due to a short in the system.

Ok, I’m not 100% sure of this one, but I think that the 914 toolkit consisted of the following in 1973:

• Black plastic bag,
• Wrench (10 and 13, open-ended)
• Pry bar for socket wrench
• Socket wrench for lug nuts
• Combination screwdriver
• Towing eye
• Hub cap removal tool

    Wire harnesses are generally not prone to failure unless the car had some serious neglect. Maybe a fire or something, or an overload of the accessories? Replacing the harness is one of the most difficult jobs out there. We can supply harnesses (new) if you need them though.  It's definitely easier to trace back the problem to a single wire, rather than replace the harness.  The replacement of the harness is one of the most difficult things to do, and basically requires disassembly of most of the car.

     We don’t recommend short shift kits, as they have a tendency to reduce your ability to shift. It’s an easy installation if you don’t have a center console. If you do, you have to remove and replace the console during the installation.  The following is a clip from our tech article, 914 Shifting Improvements:

     Ok, you’ve got a stock car that’s been rebuilt basically to stock. Without modifying the engine, there is not much more that can be done to the car to achieve significant horsepower increases. If I were rebuilding the motor, I would put the euro pistons in with perhaps a high-performance cam.  For more power boosts you can use a stroker crank, and then some 103mm pistons.  However, if you do this, you will decrease the life of your motor.  The 914 2.0L muffler is supposedly a very good free flow muffler design, and aftermarket improvements don't seem to improve on it.  From what I can see from your car, is that you have a pretty good setup for autocrossing with the 911 front and the 140s in the rear. This is pretty much what I have minus the 911 front end (coming soon). This may seem like a cheesy answer, but it sounds like you want a 914-6 conversion. If you have ever driven a 914 with a 2.4 or a 2.7 in it you wouldn’t ever want to go back…

     Hmmm, if the key that you have is really worn and doesn't work well, then it will be difficult to match a new lock cylinder to it – but it can be done. Both the key and the switch often wear a lot making it difficult to start the car. I would recommend getting your lock either rekeyed, or a new cylinder, along with a new plastic switch (these break all the time and should be replaced when you have the steering column apart. We charge $15/cylinder to rekey.   The replacement of the electrical contacts in the steering column is generally an easy process, and probably should be the subject of an upcoming technical article. 

     There are several things that cause problems with the 914 starting.  The first thing that you should check is the transmission ground strap.  Click here for a photo of it's location.  If you don’t have a ground strap on the tranny, then that is most likely your problem. The 914 has one as stock located towards the rear of the tranny attached to a screw on the body. Is there one there on your car? The starter is wired positive directly to the battery so 99% of the time it’s the ground path back to the battery.

     Other problems that can cause poor starting include the wire from the ignition switch.  Sometimes the wiring harness gets old, and cannot send enough current through to trigger the starter solenoid.   The fix for this is to install a hot-start relay.  The relay switches the solenoid on, using current directly from the battery.  In this manner, the wire from the ignition switch only needs a few milliamps to trigger the relay. 

     I’ve got the fiberglass kit installed in my 2.7 car, and I haven’t noticed any problems at all. The fiberglass is very compliant, and would probably warp less than the metal. One thing to remember, is that this is glass, and not plastic (which indeed it does look like), and it’s pretty strong. I was going to go with the original style sheet metal, but I looked at the fiberglass and was pleasantly surprised at how well it fits, and also how it will not rust, doesn't have paint to scratch, is not sharp and will not cut your hands when installing, and is easy to bend and twist when installing (it springs back). This stuff is much more durable than the sheet metal. Of course if you’re building a concours car, then metal is the only way…

I think that the final compression ratio would be 8.9:1 (from 8.2).

     The improved mounting plates are being used on the inside of the gas tank compartment, and the factory original clamp which is part of the sway bar is used on the outside. There is no factory mounted plate on the car – the Weltmeister brackets mount on the inside, and then the sway-bar mount (triangular piece on the sway bar) attaches on the outside. The factory plates were mounted on the inside, and they weren’t really plates, just a couple of nuts with some reinforced metal (I guess that is the definition of a plate?)

     For more information, see our technical article, Installing the 914 Front Sway Bar.

     My number one suggestion would be to take it to someone really good. They will be able to tell you if the car is safe to drive. Putting a crossframe on the car might be like using crutches when you break your leg, without resetting the bone. If you’re going to have body/frame work done, you should probably replace the rusted panels. I’m sure that there is rust there somewhere. The cars don’t really sag unless the metal is weak.

     Ahh, I wish all questions were this easy to answer. The bolt is not meant to be turned. There is a nut buried in the engine compartment. Loosen that one from within the engine compartment, and then remove the long bolt on the left side of the starter. It should come right off.  For more information on the removal of this nut, please refer to our technical article, 914 Clutch Replacement.

     Hey there. I’ve got some ideas. Check the bulb holder for a loose bulb (check for positive voltage). Ground the wire attached to the oil pressure sensor in the engine compartment, the light should go on then. The oil pressure sensor is located on the right side of the car near the distributor, and has a green wire going to it. It is below the sheet metal (access through hole in metal). If that works, then you need a new oil pressure sensor. If that doesn’t work, then you most likely have a wiring problem somewhere, and need to check continuity through the car.