About 18ish months ago I bought into a new engine program Eric and PMB were starting up. If you have seen me in person I've probably talked your ear off about it. Sorry about that, I've been pretty excited.

Mine is No2 off their line, and its crated up in Utah waiting for the shipper to pick it up.

So its really real time here in Dallastown, and I've started getting my 2056 ready to come out.

The new engine!



I *think* (and could be wrong) that Eric also used my motor as the promotional model for Facebook and his Web storefront - though that could have been Risdal's engine which was right behind mine.

Eric and Larry did a lot of testing on the #1 engine in Jim's car, got a lot of driving data at Red Rocks last fall, and then had to wait on components to come in that resulted from that real world testing.

My engine was crated last week. I asked Eric to include some other things (including his new brake lines and new pads), paid the final invoice for parts and shipping and the engine will hopefully be in my garage next week!

@Stratplayer
@Eric_Shea

That's a thing of beauty! Any dyno #'s available?

Last night I started working on unhooking all the stuff that connects the engine to the car.


914 went up on the quickjacks. I have a lift in the other bay, but as you can see my Westy is taking that spot right now for its re-wiring job. The quickjacks will work fine for this.

I took off the 1.8 airbox, and all the MS2 EFI stuff that had been attached to the engine bay of the car. The airbox and it supports came out and got shelved, but the EFI parts just got layed on top of the engine and will drop out with the engine.

My current engine uses stock fuel runners. Do they need to come out before I drop the engine? I don't recall if I put those on once the engine was in the car or not.

Under the car I only had time to pull the heat exchangers off. Some of you may remember my exhaust issues last year that ended up with me breaking an exhaust stud about 1mm into the head. Ahh, good times. After I fixed that, there was still an exhaust leak. I figured I had cracked the exchanger just inside the heater jacket (where they are super prone to cracks anyway. Well, I was partially right. I HAD cracked the exchanger, just not where I thought.




That was the same ear as the broken stud. I don't remember it looking like that when I put the heat exchanger back on last spring, but it had to have started there and probably opened up when I torqued the heat exchangers back onto to the car. Amusingly once the car warmed up that big crack would close up and the leak would become inaudible. I had damn near torn the entire ear off! But the cracked primary was small enough that it would close up when it got hot. I have a new (used good) set of SSIs to go on, but these might be work getting fixed.

That's as far as I got last night before I got called in to help make pirogues and then grill up dinner for the family. If things go to plan I'll either have the engine out tonight or will be damn close to having that done. Goal is to have the car driving again by April 1.

Zach

Wow! Very exciting news. What are the build specs? I know you can't wait to get that baby in and fired-up. Looking forward to seeing install photos and maybe even a video of the first fire-up in the car.

Aside from the engine swap, that other tasks to be done include mounting new tires, new SS brakelines from PMB, new porterfiled pads, new brake fluid, and hopefully not needing new rotors and bearings - as that will blow my time budget.

Zach

Looks great, keep us informed of the progress and engine specs

Eric does not currently have an engine dyno, but that is the question we are all asking. The estimate is about 160, but we don't have real numbers. Jim's butt dyno rated the No1 engine as "Very Fun" at RRC.



2258 CC, full fuel electronic fuel injection and spark. At one point I knew what cam was getting used, but I don't recall now, and I don't want to inadvertently give out Eric's secrets (thought I'm pretty damn positive he does not care). Eric is tagged and I'm sure he will chime in.

Zach

I have the same motor that is almost finished. I should be installed into my car some time next week. Once it's installed it will be dyno. I will post the results of the dyno when I get them.

What is that shroud made out of?

Congratulations Zach. Look forward to seeing this and running around PA!

Hopefully aluminum. That location needs heat dissipation.

Sure looks nice!

You going to dyno it on Chassis dyno?

Wow, work of art...enjoy!

Looks excellent Zack, waiting in anticipation for the first fire up. Did Eric post up the numbers from the #1 test engine? Curious what it was pumping out.

Looks great ! The PMB upgrade is a giant step up for the ‘4s

I think the stock tin is still used.

The cover above the coils.

This engine is pretty incredible, my son has the first one and seat of the pants feels at least 150hp. The EFI and feel of this engine is hands down the finest air cooled 4 cylinder option that exists for the 914.

The thought and build that went into this whole project by PMB is representative of the next level work that they do for 914s.

Click to view attachment

Very excited for you guys to get these engines in your cars, it takes time but it will be well worth it.


Best Bob B

What a great new service to the 914 community. That engine looks sweet. Mark

Congrats - Can’t wait to see it at Carlisle.

Bit of a hiccup as I spent 12 hours Friday helping a friend who I initially thought had just attempted suicide. Cancer patient. Several setbacks over 2 years. Fully disabled and fairly crippled by the disease. When I got there I was assured this was not suicide, but help was still needed. Talked her down for a bit, got her dog to a kennel and got her to the ER. Stayed there to make sure she talked to the crisis counselors and learned about a program to get people talking with someone immediately and not the 4-8 months it usually takes.

When I got home at near 11pm Friday night I was physically and emotionally zapped, and pretty much did nothing Saturday. But today I was able to get some work done.

In the 2 hours I was able to work I got the shifter bar out, grounds off, axle bolts out, fuel lines separated, throttle unhooked, Speedo unhooked. At this point I have to dump the engine oil, and remove the AN fittings for the remote oil cooler, and pull the clutch cable off. Then it should be ready to drop, maybe tomorrow or Tuesday depending on my workload.

New engine could get here as early as Friday, but could take till the end of the month to show up. I have most of the things I need but realized today I need 2 new cone screws for the shifter bar when it goes back in.

Zach

Is your son using a remote oil cooler? I’d love to take this system out of my car, but wanted to talk with someone and see if it’s needed.

Zach

Well done. Keep helping others. Keep near to her and be truthful......
God speed for her,
Matt

Sorry to hear about your friend, cancer sucks!

As for your motor, I’ve been telling my friends that the 914 should’ve come stock with 150 horses at the wheels, they are exponentially more fun with the right tires and brakes to go with!

Looks beautiful!

The old engine is out.

I have to say I'm not 100% sold on the Quickjacks for dropping an engine. I needed about 3 inches more clearance then I had to get everything out cleanly. I made it work by angling the high spot so it cam out via the tail pipe cut out in the rear valence. I'll add some taller blocks when its time for the engine to go back in and it will be fine, but its kind of a PITA. Still better then jack stands, but I wish I had moved the Bus out of the way of my 2 post lift.


Engine and injection is out and resting on my Tangerine engine lifting cradle. Such a handy tool!


Some of you may remember me asking back in 2020 about when on earth an oil cap may have gone. My best guess at the time, after extensive (so I thought) searching all over the engine bay was that it had been torn up by the fan and the cylinders were now littered with bit of plastic oil cap. Well, I was partially right. It had been sucked up into the fan. And it has been on the spin cycle for the past 2.5 years. Thousands of miles later, there it is.


Its a little beat up, but nothing broke off it at all. The o-ring got displaced, but was easily pushed back into its groove. I could keep using it, if I had not replaced it and if the new engine didn't already have one. This will go on my trophy wall.

The crazy part of this is I searched and searched the entire nose of the engine. I looked with a flashlight. I felt around with my hands all throughout the tins under the fan and alternator nose. I thought I had felt inside the fan. I know pretty much exactly where and when the cap came off. It was during the drive to go check out a Bus that we did not end up buying. I noted my head temps were slightly higher on the way back and there was a new vibration in the engine at low idle speeds (like 700rpm). And then I noted the oil cap was missing as soon as I get home and popped the engine lid open.

The results of this were that I had head temps about 10-15 degrees higher then I used to have while on longer drives. All still within normal, just a little higher. Which also fit with my theory that the cap had been shredded by the fan and the debris were caught under the tins.

I have NO IDEA how the hell it stayed there. How it did not bounce out and get caught by the fan belt or chewed up by the alternator. But it clearly did not!

Anyway, my task for this afternoon is to split the engine and transmission. Inspect my motor mounts and make sure they are still good, and take off the stuff that I need (like the alternator) for the new motor when it comes in.

Zach

That's amazing; 2.5 years of riding along in the fan housing and it never got kicked out. Glad it did not get shredded and cause damage.

Don't forget the ground strap connected to the trans!

I call that hole the Abyss. I have lost many pieces of hardware down there never to be found again, at least until the engine is pulled. Gravity must be strong there, it seems to pull things in from all over.

I have a 13mm wrench that must have fallen down there from a prior owner that I found when I bought the car. I also have a 13mm socket from ages ago that I lost down there, that I rescued about a year later doing alternator work.

Zach

I guess that's why the VW version had a cage over the fan eh?

I think that was more because of people sticking their fingers in there while the engine was running.

Darwin screen......

Engine had to be running out of balance for the entire time!

I would purchase a screen if available and have thought several times of fabricating one.

Business opportunity and group buy! I'm in.

You can get them all day on ebay for $30. I'm not sure you could fabricate them much cheaper.

Zach

Engine and transmission are now split. Alternator is off the engine. Engine bar is off. Until I get the new engine in I won't know what else I need - maybe nothing.

Started cleaning off all the grease and crap off the engine bar tonight. Made me wish I had DrEvil's new cleaning laser. There was a lot of fur on the engine bar - not sure if I smacked something or there have been critters in the garage.

New engine could show tomorrow. I'm really excited.

Zach

$26

https://www.ebay.com/itm/403181399848?hash=...ABk9SR5Cv4JLiYQ

Very excited for your new engine!

The oil cap thing seems like something I would do. Yes, it deserves a spot on a trophy shelf or similar.

Whatcha going to do with your “old” engine?

Beat me to it!

I know Don on FB inquired and thought it should stay with a Green car


But The real reason I am here is excited for the New Engine !!!!!!

I have a hunch what might happen to it.

Shoe

Yep, he has a front engine oil cooler, similar to a GT cooler.

Nice! Aaron’s gonna run a front cooler too.

is it running yet?