engine and drivetrain Misc. Teething issues of a "new" car

[logume1881]

I bought a 1972 Agave Ti about 3 weeks ago, and I think I am in love. I have wanted one of these cars for as long as I can remember, and it is just amazing! The woman who we bought it from had receipts for $5800 of work done @ Sacramento BMW when she bought the car in 2008. Everything from radiator, tie rods & idlers, brakes, shocks, heater blower, core, & valve, and a bunch of other miscellaneous things. The deciding factor to buy the car was the decent original paint, and the complete lack of rust on the car except on the front chin spoiler. But, as with any 30+ year old car, there are some small teething problems. My father and I both have extensive experience working on 1960's american cars, but this is our first foreign car! Since we've had it, I put on a new weber 32/36 to replace the worn out sieve of a weber that was on it before. I put on new plugs and wires as well.

The vent located on the valve cover is not connected to anything and occasionally oils up the engine bay, any thoughts on routing a line somewhere?

The exhaust broke off @ the muffler in a small fender bender, so I need a new curved piece. (if that makes sense)

Like most 02's, my odometer is broken, which isn't a very big deal. But it comes into play later on. The fuel gauge was broken when I bought the car, and upon removing the sending unit the wire was broken! So after a quick soldering, the gauge works. Sort of. It proudly declared a full tank, which was correct after we re-installed the unit. The gauge inconsistent, however, in that while driving around it bounces from empty to full, and is just very erratic most of the time. However, 2 weeks later imagine my surprise when I ran out of gas! I had no idea how far I had driven due to the broken odometer, and the gauge had only moved down to 3/4 in between tweak out sessions. And to top it all off, when I tried to fill the car at the gas station I barely coasted into, I ended up with gas coming out of the filler neck boot, through the trunk drain holes, and right onto my shoes. I think this is also the reason the trunk reeks of gas all the time.

On another note entirely, I fear the transmission may be ready to let go. When the clutch is let out in neutral @ idle, a whirring/whining noise starts. And when going through the gears there is a distinctive whine, almost like a truck transmission! And the second gear syncro seems weak, because any quick shift or downshift is punished with a dreadful grind.

These problems have not dampened my spirit one bit, I just can't wait until I can keep driving my car! If anyone has any ideas on how to fix, or recommendations on where to buy the parts I would love to hear them!

[williamggruff]

Welcome to our little slice of Heaven!

For parts, get in touch with Blunt Tech Industries, AKA BLUNT, AKA Steve Petersen either via the email link on his profile (search for BLUNT) or via email to steve @ blunt tech dot com (replace the dot with a .) Blunt's reliability, responsiveness and prices have earned him near legendary status on this forum, as well as on other BMW forums.

If you're looking for used or NLA (no longer available) parts, simply post a description of what you want in the Parts Wanted section.

Members will generally recommend using the forum search function to get an idea what's been asked and answered in the past, then posting your question in the General Discussion section for clarification. I've learned far more than I ever wanted or intended to know by using forum search.

You're in good hands here, and all your questions will be answered in short order. Unfortunately, not by me. (Note: this is actually fortunate for you, as my answers tend to be long winded, erroneous, misleading, ill-conceived, half-baked, and/or otherwise questionable. Well, all of my answers except the ones about Blunt and forum search. Those answers are spot on.)

Best of luck to you and your father with your project!

And, by the way, if your car is actually a real Ti, excellent purchase! There will be many folks on the forum who will be interested in seeing photos of various details.

[c.d.iesel]

WELCOME TO THE CLUB !

before going into suggestion details of each of

the problems your car faces - and your pocket book -

FIND A RELIABLE, EXPERIENCED, EUROPEAN CAR

REPAIR FACILITY to inspect this car for you.

Pay for a hour's labore for an itemized appraisial,

repair estimate of everything this car needs.

Have the inspector advise you of the priority

of the items in order of safety first, to just

cosmitic items last.

Buying BMW parts from a BMW dealer will give

you 2-Year/Unlimited Mile Warranty coverage.

Replace your exhaust sustem from motor back to the bumper

with original BMW system, It's only 3 sections.Front down

pipe, center silencer, rear muffler. all with the pipes attached.

All the important trans bracket support, and correct rubber

hangers at the rear will give long life. reliability, quiet

performance.

Sorry to hear about the previous owner spending all that money and

now it seems much was missed or improperly repaired. What a waste!

Please give us some photos

[inkatouring]

Here are some thoughts:

(1) The valve cover breather tube normally has a hose that goes into the air cleaner, but depending on the air cleaner you used with the weber, that may or may not be an issue. Some folks put a small filter on the breather. Some a hose down to the lower reaches of the engine compartment, so it breaths down there. Some to a catch-can to collect the vaporized oil. I would prefer the catch-can or hooking it back into the air cleaner somehow.

(2) Sounds like there are issues with the rubber boot connecting your gas cap to tank. Inspect and replace as necessary. They are available new.

(3) The first thing I would do with the transmission is change the fluid to RedLine MTL or something like that and see how it operates. Then, run it until it dies or you have collected the parts for a five-speed conversion. You can put another four speed back in there, but buying a used one is hit-or-miss often and rebuilding it costs more than a good used five speed.

[Napes]

Regarding the erratic nature of your fuel guage I would recommend you go to the Forum Search (above) and enter: Fuel AND Guage AND Grounding.

The search will ignore the "AND" but it helps to have 'em there for some reason I've never understood.

Bob Napier

[jgerock]

Welcome to the 02 madness club!

Sounds like your throwout bearing inside the bellhousing needs to be replaced. If you decide to pull the transmission, this is a great opportunity to change the clutch components, trans. mount, flex disc (aka guibo) and the various seals on the transmission that cause leaks.

Keep the questions (and pics) coming - we are all here to help.

[logume1881]

Well, first off thanks for all the welcome and good advice! I'm not sure if the car is a real Ti or not, but I was told by the P/O that it was. Today I successfully repaired the odometer, and I ran a ground wire from the fuel gauge with no success. It jumps around a little less, but now when I turn on the key it rises from the bottom peg straight to empty, but when i measured the resistance @ the tank I got 35 ohms. I'm going to check over the grounds again. Any suggestions on a good mechanic in the East SF Bay Area? (Concord, Walnut Creek, etc.)

EDIT: Should the contacts on the float on the sending unit be touching the thin wire? Mine aren't...

[jgerock]

See here for USA model VIN numbers (real ti's were never officially imported into the US).

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/view/13/32/

Please include your VIN in another reply so we can help troubleshoot your car a little easier.

[logume1881]

Apparently, as it turns out, its just a standard 02. Ah well, I couldn't care less!