914 Engine/ transmission (power plant) removal
is easy and should take no more than 1/2 hour with the proper
tools. (The plant is made to be easily removed!) We remove
the power plant, however, only when rebuilding the engine
or doing rust/metal work restoration. Clutch replacement,
valve adjustment, oil leak repair, (except galley plugs) air
conditioning or fuel injection installation/repair, and heat
exchanger replacement/repair are done without removing the
plant. To remove the power plant, follow this procedure:
1) Disconnect the battery positive cable and
separate the red wires from the main terminal lead.
2) Disconnect the two clear yellowed plastic
fuel lines from the right injector rail and the fuel pressure
regulator hose at the right passenger rear of the engine
compartment and connect together with a plastic fuel line
to prevent spillage.
3) Remove the air cleaner.
a. 1.7 engines have a center wing nut into
the round air cleaner housing and a hose clamp to the
black “u” shaped, ribbed, intake boot.
b. 2.0 engines have a steel rectangular
air cleaner clipped to the left, gray, intake runner tube
set in two places and a screw clamp at the throttle body.
c. 1.8 models have a rectangular plastic
air cleaner to the left drivers side clipped to its base
with four clips and clamped via the silver, black topped
air flow meter to the “s” shaped, black intake
boot. Remember to unclip and unplug the 6 or 7 pin airflow
meter lead. A wing nut under the top filter housing secures
the lower 1.8 air filter housing to the body.
4) Remove the left drivers front relay board
cover and wiggle loose the 3 prong alternator plug and the
12 pin rear engine harness plug (after removing the u-shaped
harness holder).
a. On the 1.7, 2.0 models wiggle loose the
4 prong control unit harness ( at the left rear of the
relay board).
b. On the 1.8 models remove the one pin
yellow jumper wire coming from the rear engine harness
plug (remember that it plugs into the right rear pin when
re-installing).
5) Slacken the 8 mm accelerator cable barrel
bolt and loosen the 10 mm accelerator securing nut and push
the cable down through the right front passenger sheet metal
grommet.
6) Remove the 1.7, 2.0 control unit or unclip
the 1.8 control unit harness connector.
a. 1.7, 2.0 models require removal of the
control unit form the right passenger front battery tray
mounting bracket. Remove the two 10mm bolts securing the
secondary bracket around the mixture knob to the main
bracket and slide the control unit out, resting it on
top of the engine.
b. The 1.8 harness to control unit has a
release clip at the bottom and the multi pin connector
pivots out from the unit, being hinged (hocked) at the
top. On the side of the battery stand wiggle loose the
four prong square resistor block connector as well as
the two square multi-pin connectors from the dual relay.
7) On 73-76 models remove the left and 75-1/2
- 76 models, the right heater blower hose from the left
drivers front mounted heater blower motor.
a. If an oil temperature gauge has been
installed, remove the beige sheathed lead from its rectangular
plastic connector. (This connection is found in front
of the battery support into the main harness at the passenger
side front engine shelf.) The lead exiting from the main
harness is a single green wire with a black stripe.
b. If the car is equipped with air conditioning,
recover the freon and then disconnect both a/c hoses from
the compressor and unclip the power lead from either the
battery terminal (vpc brand system ) or the starter solenoid
(DPD) brand system.
8) Jack the car from the center of the engine
mounting bar until the bottom of the rear valance is four
feet off the ground and rest the car on the jackstands,
securely mounted under the two floor pan triangle donuts
at the extreme rear ends of the floor pan.
9) Remove the two heater control to body hoses.
10) Remove the two 8mm barrel bolts from the
heater control valves and remove the heater control cable
lugs from the barrel bolts.
11) Remove the rear shift bar.
a. 70-72 models require removal of the front
and rear shift covers and then of the ball bushing stud
from the firewall with a 15mm open end wrench. Then remove
of the two 13mm nuts from the rear shift bushing triangular
holder at the rear transmission tail cover, and finally
the four slotted air guide plate screws that cover the
shift rod between the heat exchanger and the engine block.
b. 1973-76 914s require first peeling back
the front firewall rubber shift boot. Then remove the
rear oval shift cover clamp and pivot the shift cover
off the rear transmission shift housing. Next, remove
the two 4mm allen set screws from the front and rear off
of the shift rod. (Always lubricate with penetrant and
make sure the allen wrench is sunk deeply into the set
screw. You don’t want to strip these 4 screws ! With
an assistant firmly holding the now loose rear shift rod,
firmly and decisively shift the car into first gear at
the shift knob. This will separate the rear shift rod
from the tunnel rod at the pivot, and the bar can then
easily be removed form under the front floor pan. Put
the rod and the rear shift head aside.
12) Remove the 17mm nut securing the clutch
cable roller, hold the clutch cable end lug with vice grips
and completely remove first, the 11mm nyloc nut and then
the steel or plastic clutch cable wedge (If it is plastic,
by all means renew it with the updated steel one.) Pry out
the clutch cable securing banjo clip from the clutch cable
roller housing. Clip the two ties that secure the clutch
cable to the speedometer cable. Free the cable and push
it under the floor pan. On 73-76 models, push the cable
first through the hole in the engine mounting bar.
13) Remove the right engine case to heat exchanger
air guide plate.
14) Unbolt the speedometer cable from the
angle drive with two 27mm open end wrenches and tuck the
speedometer cable underneath the floor pan.
15) Remove the 13mm nut holding the rear transmission
tailcover ground strap to the right passenger rear bottom
of the trunk floor. (Remember to expertly clean or replace
this strap firmly when reinstalling the powerplant or bad
starter grounding problems will result)
16) Remove the eight CV joint bolts that secure
the two joints to the transaxle output flanges and pry the
CV joints away from the flange in the slot left when you
destroy the CV joint gaskets. Make sure the 8mm spline shaft
CV joint tool is firmly sunken into the bolt and assure
yourself by tapping it home with a light hammer. Next, plastic
bag these greasy joints and secure with rubber bands or
tape.
17) Slide the floor jack under the engine
case with a 3/4 inch plywood board approximately 12”
x 12” and jack until the plywood rests securely against
the bottom of the case.
18) Remove the four 13mm head nuts and bolts
securing the rear transmission mounts to the body (For reinstallation
and alignment it is much easier to remove these than the
two 19mm tail cover to transmission mount bolts.)
19) Remove the two large outboard 70-72 8mm
allen or 73-76 17mm bolts and nuts from the outboard mounts.
20) With an assistant watching the engine
bay for clearance of the injector rails etc., begin to lower
the power plant.
a. Guide the two CV axles to rest on top
of the transaxle.
b. Balance the engine by holding the rear
transmission cover.
c. Lower and pull back on the jack until
the engine is firmly resting on the lowered jack.
d. Guide the engine out from under the car
as your assistant holds up on the two CV axles.
21) Congratulations ! You’ve done it!
This is the best time to clean up the engine compartment
as well as the powerplant. A shiny engine compartment is
a compliment to any 914.
Reinstallation is the opposite but with the
following notes:
1) Renew shift bushings as necessary.
2) Clean or renew the rear transmission ground
strap and make sure it is firmly connected.
3) Clean thoroughly and lubricate the clutch
cable roller and check the cable for stranding.
4) Repack at least the two inner CV joint
gaskets and install 8 new cone washers under the bolt heads.
Make sure that the four roll pins (two each side) are in
place and retorque the joints to 30 ft. lbs.
5) Retorque the four rear transmission mount
to body bolts to 20 ft. lbs.
6) Retorque the two outboard 8mm engine bolts
to 30 lbs.
7) Inspect rear transmission mounts, 70-72
outboard rubber mounts and inboard 73-76 engine mounts for
cracks.
8) Watch the two left and right injector rails
for clearance when jacking the power plant into the bay.
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