Porsche 914 & 914/6 Combo Gauges
Setting the 2.0 Liter Standard
Porsche 914 models purchased with the 2.0 Liter engine but without
the
"Appearance Group" (which included the three-gauge center console)
were delivered with an oil temperature / fuel level combination gauge.
A
similar gauge was standard in all 914/6 models. In retrospect, one
might question why such a vital gauge was not standard in all Porsche
914 cars thereby creating space for an oil pressure gauge in the optional
center console.
Similar to the fuel gauges, the
combination gauges housed indicators for the oil pressure, alternator
(marked with a "G" for the German "generator") and parking brake /
brake system. Like the
speedometer and fuel gauge, the combo gauge case is 100 mm in diameter.
Combo gauges are not sealed; they can be disassembled via extraction of
tiny screws on the back enabling removal of the upper and lower plates
containing the temp and fuel gauge mechanisms. This design permits
fairly easy restoration. Problems pervasive to all 914 combo
gauges include needle fading and lens fogging / scratching, although
fogging issues can be fairly easily remedied through removal of the
gauge mechanisms and subsequent cleaning.
Current eBay
listings for Porsche 914 combo gauges (compare listed gauges with those
pictured on this page to ensure authenticity and model year
utilization):
Porsche
914 and 914/6 Combo Gauges on eBAY
NOTE: The combo gauge was
not available on the 1970-1972 Porsche 914 models, as it was associated
strictly with the 2.0L cars (either four or six cylinder), and only the
1.7L engine was offered in the 914 during these years. Actually, no oil
temperature gauge was available from the factory for the 1970-1972
Porsche 914 cars, as the optional three-gauge center console was also
intruduced in 1973.
1973 Porsche 914 Combo Gauges
The 1973 and very early
1974 Porsche 914 combination
gauge is commonly referred to as a
"silver button" or "silver center" gauge, because it has a
silver-colored cap in the middle. The gauge has the brake, alternator
and oil pressure warning lights mentioned above and also includes a
yellow "blank" lens
(blocked-off with electrical tape inside the gauge) immediately right
of center, behind which the backlight bulb resides. These units have
deep bezel rings,
and glass lenses. The temperature range is printed on the gauge face, but it is in type too small to read while
driving (and is hidden under the rim of the gauge anyway, so to even
see it, you must hold the gauge at a severe angle). The range begins at
60 degrees Celsius. The redline begins at 156.7 degrees Celsius (it's a
Porsche gauge, so it is exact), and terminates at 200
degrees Celsius (your engine might actually be on fire at this
temperature). As the actual gauge sections are easily removable from
the housing, you will sometimes see this "silver center" gauge housing
fitted with the more common temp gauge section from the later model
years. This works fine (and may be preferable from a functionality
standpoint), but is not "factory original" (if that is your
goal). As noted above, the silver center combo gauge, part
number
914 641 101 30, came only in the 1973 2.0L models in which the popular
"Appearance Group" was not ordered, making them extremely
rare. As with all "silver button" gauges, the two-piece,
painted
steel bezel on these units is prone to rust.
By 1973, the department that produced the Porsche 914
owner's manuals were having difficulty matching the rate of change for
the fuel and combo gauges. Subsequently, the 1973 manuals incorrectly
picture the fuel gauge used the prior year and make no mention of the
fuel level / oil temperature combination gauge.
1974 - 1976 Porsche 914 Combo Gauges
The 1974-1976 Porsche
914 units are
commonly referred to as "black
center" gauges, because they have do not have the silver-colored cap
found in the earlier style. They have shallow, one-piece, black-painted
steel or (in 1976) brass bezel rings and most have plastic lenses that
are prone
to scratching. These later combo gauges, bearing part number 914 641
101 50, contain the same indicators and blank lens that the 1973
version had, and the temperature range is similarly illegibly
printed on the gauge face, but the scale is different. The range begins
at 30 degrees Celsius, and the redline, while still beginning at 156.7
degrees Celsius, has shrunk and terminates at 170 degrees Celsius (at
which point your engine would be seized, but not burning). the ".50"
combo gauges came in
the 1974-1976 2.0L models in which the "Appearance Group" was not
ordered, making them rare, but more common than the 1973 combo gauges.
Although it was also omitted in the 1974 Porsche 914 Owner's Manual,
the combo gauge finally makes an appearance in the 1975 book. Amusingly,
the illustration that appears is incorrect, seemingly created by using
a negative image of an illustration of the combo gauge used in the 1973
cars... which had never made it into the 1973 owner's manual. The fuel
gauge illustration is similarly incorrect.
1970 - 1972 Porsche 914/6 Combo Gauges
The Porsche 914/6 models were all
equipped with oil temperature / fuel level combination gauges which are
stylistically similar to the 1973 "silver button" units. The vast
majority of Porsche 914/6 cars contain combo gauge part number 914 641
101 10 which is not documented
in the parts catalog, although it is pictured in the owner's manual. As
is normal, the catalog names only the final gauge used, part number 914
641 101 20, as the combo gauge appropriate to all Porsche 914/6 cars.
The transition to the ".20" gauge began near the end of the 1971 model
year production and extended into the 1972 cars as inventory of the ".10" gauge was
depleted.
The 914 641 101 10
Porsche 914/6 combo gauges
differ from the 1973 914 combo gauges (part number 914 641 101 30
described above) in the symbol for the brake, the positions of all
three warning lights and the entire temp gauge insert. This temperature
scale is multicolored and equipped with a warning light (amber section
as in the fuel gauge insert. The scale is from 50-66 degrees Celsius in
the white-striped warm-up zone, the single white line 66-129 degrees
Celsius operating range with a 109.5 degree optimal marker (straight
up), 129-144 degree red-striped danger range, followed by the solid red
"higher than 144 degrees Celsius - your engine is cooked"
range. Similar to the Porsche 914 gauges, nearly all 914/6 units have
the yellow "blank" lens with a backlight bulb behind it. Units in
Porsche 914/6 cars delivered with the Sportomatic transmission have an operational warning bulb and red lens in this location
which is used for the tranny oil temp.
The much less-common 914 641 101 20 Porsche 914/6 combo gauges are a logical transition to the 1973 914/4 combo gauges, because they are identical with the exception of the temp gauge insert (which is, of course, appropriately scaled for the six cylinder engine). As with all "silver button" gauges, the two-piece, painted steel bezel on these units is prone to rust. Thanks to Wolfgang Scheigher for providing a picture of the ".20" combo gauge from his late 1971 Porsche 914/6!