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Tucson - Oakland roadtrippin' experience (long!)


Guest Anonymous

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Guest Anonymous

As some of you may know I've been looking for a roundie '02 for a while. Barry A has been especially helpful in my search, with regular reports from the Sac area on cars for sale, and plenty of sage pre-purchase advice. Some time last month I got an email from a guy in Tucson however, who had seen/heard that I was looking for an '02. We went back and forth for a bit; he sent pictures, I had the car inspected locally, and I eventually made the decision to purchase the car (see pictures at http://www.aparatchik.com/bmw/). So, figuring that it would be an interesting adventure to go pick up the car and drive it back, I flew out to Tucson last Friday afternoon and picked up the new toy.

After doing basic pre-trip checks I got on the road around 9pm, starting off easy, cruising from Tucson to Phoenix at a leisurely rate. Everything was easy sailing... even with the desert heat the temp needle stayed well within the safe zone, and although the interior of the car is mostly non-existant the Recaros at least made the driving comfort more than adequate. I drove through the night, eventually stopping in Palm Springs around 4am to get a motel and some sleep.

Saturday morning came all too soon, and after a Denny's breakfast (hey, it's a roadtrip after all!) I was on my way again. While the cooling system seemed to be working like a charm, I figured I wouldn't tempt fate and decided to avoid the I-5 and the grapevine. Instead, I drove down the I-10 to the coast, and took 101 up. Save for a little bit of traffic in LA, I was making excellent time. I stopped at 5pm in San Luis Obispo, where I on the spur of the moment I realized I should try to visit 2002 Haus, but unfortunately it seems I was a few minutes too late (if they're even open on Saturdays). Had some excellent ribs at a curbside BBQ joint on Marsh Ave, and got back on the road. Night set in somewhere around King City, so I flipped on the lights.

That's when the first peculiarity happened. Shortly after turning on the headlights, I noticed that the turn signal indicator light (on the dash) stopped flashing when I hit the turn signals. Instead of the regular blink-off-blink-off pattern, it now just blinked once, and then went off. Odd, I thought... However, I'd had the shop in Tucson repair the turn signal switch before picking up the car, so I figured it was probably something that had come loose again in that area.

I pressed on, passing thru Salinas around 8pm, smelling home already. Then, as I was driving up a small hill, the car stumbled. It stuttered a few times, but then caught itself and kept going. Now, I was starting to pay close attention. Sure enough, cresting the hill and coasting down I lifted off the throttle. When I got back on it there was no engine response whatsoever, at which point I pulled over immediately.

So there I was, on the side of the 101 in Prunedale. My first guess was that I had run out of gas... It seemed strange, as I had filled up in SLO, so by all accounts I should have at least a half tank left, but to be sure I dropped in my two gallons of reserve anyway. Sat down in the cockpit, and flipped the ignition... nothing. Try again... nothing. "Typical," I thought to myself. Here I make it all the way from Tucson, only to get stranded in sight of the finish line!

It was clear that, since it clearly wasn't lack of gas, it was something electrical. With flashlight in hand, flipping through the Haynes manual, I ran through the rudimentary checks I knew of. When I tried the "headlights on - hit ignition" test, things went VERY dark, so I knew it was battery-related, and that it was AAA time.

Put in the call, and after some back- and forth-ing Miguel the tow truck driver handled the last 90-odd miles to my front door, dropping me and the car off around 11pm. It was a far less glorious an arrival than I had planned, but if it had not been for my mother-in-law's help, I would've spent the night in front of a WalMart in Gilroy, waiting for them to open so I could get a battery!

Today a neighbor and I did some testing, and found that the car started fine with a jump. However, while running it, it was still missfiring, and the lights were awful dim. I figured that, since the battery in the car seemed a bit bloated and old it could stand replacing anyway, so I picked up a new one at Kragen. Sure enough, with the new battery everything runs fine, smooth and brightly lit. However, we figured we'd test the alternator as well. So with the car running, we pulled the negative terminal off of the battery, assuming that the alternator should be providing current to the system. Instead of keeping on running, the engine died instantly! So now the quest is on for a new alternator for the new toy... I'll just add it to the list of other parts I need to get already :)

All in all, though, I'm thoroughly pleased with the car. It handles great, and performed like a champ for the first 800 or so miles of it's journey. Now it just needs the gremlins worked out and a new interior put in before it gets to perform daily duties.

Best,

Dave.

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Guest Anonymous

wire between the alternator and the head and the big ground wire between the engine and the chassis.

Your voltage regulator could also be the problem. Most box-auto stores (Kragen, AutoZone, etc) will test the alternator for you. Just don't expect any rocket scientists there.

Congrats on the new car!

John N

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Guest Anonymous

110mph resized.JPG

URL: http://www.zeebuck.com/02bc/index.htm

Trevor(twest), and myself, flew from Vancouver to Calgary earlier this summer, to fetch a 76 02A for his wife. Great trip, that we will both remember for many years.

I'm with John though. Check the grounds, and voltage regulator first. BTDT!

BTW, sleeping in front of an auto parts store ain't all that bad. I slept in a friends 73 Ford Bronco, in front of GI Joe's, in Beaverton Oregon a few years ago. We also puked an alternator, on our way to the Rubicon trail.

Al

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Guest Anonymous

There's something about doing these long trips in a car without any form of in-car entertainment other than the sound of the engine and the sights around you... it's almost meditative. My car has the added 'benefit' of extremely rotted weatherseals, however, which makes for a blustery, ear-popping, in-your-face experience whenever you cross the 60mph mark :)

Good advice all around... I'll double check the ground wires for sure! What's the best way to check the regulator?

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Guest Anonymous

standard.jpg

my Sahara blinker light usually blinks only 1 time, or so, in the car, but it is still indicating with blink in the light itself until the wheel trip turns it off. i forget, but i think it has something to do with the connection in the stalk. PITA as i recall. maybe that is why i live with it that way for 7 years now. let me know if you VR is o.k. or gone- i have a new yellow tape one that never got used cuz i switched over to a Bosch 41x alternator on my tii( of course, i bought a new VR before i tested anything).That is if your alt. checks out o.k. OR: You can buy a reman alt. for pretty cheap. is this a 2002? if so, you can go right to a 320 alt. that will give you 65 amps , internally regulated, and bolt on. Give them yours for core charge, and put on a new fan belt while you're at it. as the guys said, check all grounds just for safety and peace of mind and enjoy your new toy!

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Guest Anonymous

I'm indeed wondering if the turn signal stalk is one problem, and the alternator another altogether. Is it possible for a faulty stalk to short out and slowly drain the battery?

Anyway, the car is a 2002, so it may not be a bad idea to go to a 320 alt. regardless. Anyone have one for sale? :)

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Guest Anonymous

John,

You called it! It looks like I got stranded by a 50 cent cable!

Yesterday when we were testing the alternator was running hot, so I figured there must be something unearthly going on: the ground cable from the alternator to the block was done for... Coating was gone in parts, cable was fraying at the connectors, and the connector at the block was actually half broken off. Now that I've got a new battery and a new cable in there, it's cranking out a clean 13.5-13.9V under load, and 14.25V without.

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