DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

A long time ago I bought a complete 1.7 that came out of a 914, thinking it'd be an easy swap into my 912. Man was I wrong...
Anyway, I have been trying to figure out for years now if the 914 1.7 engine actually is different from the VW 1.7 in any way, except for:
- sheet metal
- fly wheel

Are the engine cases identical? I seem to recall that you can spot a 914 1.7 by the location of the oil dipstick but I haven't been able to compare with a VW 1.7.

Have I bought a Porsche prized piece of VW engine?

Google:- vw Porsche 914 engine numbers and you will find the engine codes for 914 engines.Check your engine number against the list.

The difference is about £1000 secondhand

The W series and EA series are common to both 914 and VW applications. Yes the engine tin is quite different. One difference I do know is that all the VW applications I have seen had a 55 Amp alternator while the 914 had a 50 amp alternator.

Green Ernie, do you mean there's a way to look at the engine number rather than the letter code?
Pretty sure I have a W engine, which is available both in VW and in 914.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/inf ... etters.php

So, apart from ancillaries (tin, alternator, flywheel) there's nothing different in the basic structure? The cases are identical I take it.

The cases are the same. The differences are in the heads and pistons etc.

Mr Pharmacist wrote:The cases are the same. The differences are in the heads and pistons etc.

The 1.7/1.8 heads are identical for VW and 914. It's only the 2.0 914 heads that are different.
Any reference on 914 pistons being different? By the looks of the engine codes it seems that have the same compression etc.

sorry - my mistake - my comments only refer to the 2.0 litre. You are correct in saying the 1.7 and 1.8 were almost exactly the same enigne

I've got some additional info from the swedish VW forum.
The 914 oil dip stick is in the same location as the one for 411/412 sedans, just next to the breather tower, and pointing straight up. On the same engine, with the same engine code but installed in a 411/412 Variant the dipstick is located in the sump an pointing backwards.

Looks like it has been raised on a few forums before..............somebody has stated the following on the attached link


To get terminology straight...all the engines in question are type 4.
That goes for Porsche 914 1.7,1.8 and 2.0, VW 411/412 1.7 and 1.8 and VW bus 1.7,1.8 ans 2.0 before the Vanagon WBX.

You guys pretty much got the diffferences right but I want to be a little clearer: By engines..we are talking case and internals. There are a lot of detail differences...some minor...some major on bolt on parts from fuel through ignition through exhaust through manifolding.

The 2.0 Porsche 914 had unique pistons and heads, runner diameters for FI and the plenum and TB. Thats about it.
The crank was the same as the 2.0 bus...71mm...nothing fancier.

The 1.7, and 1.8... used the same crank and the 1.7, 1.8 and 2.0 all used the same cam (except for a Euro grind on the 2.0 not available here IIRC).

The flywheel was different. 5mm offset.

There is not one iota of significant difference between the VW 411/412 1.7 and 1.8 engines and the Porsche 914 version.

http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=125526

All type4 engine's were built in the VW factory.
1.7 Porsche/411 engines are the same except for the tin and the W and EA have domed pistons for a 8.2 to 1 CR.
1.7 bus engines are lower CR and with bus tin
Early dual carb 411 engines came with a different carb grind cam not the FI Djet cam

2.0L 914's had the 3 bolt intakes, different sparkplug location, 7.6 to 1 or 8 to 1 CR etc