engine and drivetrain 1600 / 2002 BMW , new to me

[Guest Anonymous]

My wife and I went to look at new cars the other day. The plan was to buy a cheap economy car like a Hundyai or somthing like that.

On the way to town I saw an old BMW for sale, a 1967 1600. I had no idea I was looking at a real sleeper.

After meeting the owner I soon discovered that this car had been highly modified, it was very fast and handled like it was glued to the road. Needless to say I was very impressed and bought the car immediately.

I've always had a passion for European type sports cars and this car is an absolute pleasure to drive, I love it!

The engine is out of a 1974 2002, it's got a progressive Weber carb on it and the previovus owner had a cam put in it when the engine was rebuilt about 20k miles ago. It runs great, lot's of power, good fuel economy and always starts right away even on a cold morning.

A problem I've been experiencing is a very rough idle, so rough that it sometimes rocks the car. It's also intermittent, sometimes it's not so bad, seems to get worse the longer I drive.

It's got a mechanical advance distributer, and I checked the points, rotor and cap, they all look okay.

Is this possibly a vacumn issue like maybe with a carb gasket or intake manifold gasket ?

Also who knows of a good BMW mechanic in the east bay area ( San Francisco Bay Area, or Sacramento area ) I'm in Fairfield, Calif.

Thanks in advance , any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest Anonymous]

as far as the rough idle is concerned - what type of choke does the carb have? sounds as though it may not be opening as the engine warms

also check for vacuum leaks by tageting areas with a short blast of starting fluid with the engine running - if the engine picks up rpm after spraying the carb seating area, for example, you have found the leak

one other easy check is for a good power supply to the coil - is the wire loose or damaged from the ignition switch?

good luck

bob

[Guest Anonymous]

welcome to bay area 02 ownership. you are in a great place to own and operate an 02. Lots of parts and a few very talented mechanics wll versed in 2002s in all versions. I recommend J.P. Cadeux, San Rafael, Ca. , his shop is listed as " A-1 Imports" on East Francisco. He has worked on both of my 02s and he is excellent. On the other side of the Bay is Tom Jones at Berkeley Motor Works, in Albany Ca. Tom is also an excellent 02 mechanic. There are others too, but I know both these guys personally, they are close to you, and I know they can fix your car. Check out Bayarea02.com for local 2002 events and gatherings. You will be able to meet other owners, enthusiasts, good bunch of 2002 people.

[Guest Anonymous]

Sacramento, you may also want to keep an eye on the board for things going on up here too - there's a small, informal group here (Sacto) that gets together for breakfast and talking '02s on the occasional Sat or Sun morning (no fixed schedule). We're about due, and you (and all '02'ers) are always welcome.

If you'd like to be added to the local '02 e-mail list, shoot me an e-mail offline....

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

if you have a lot of rocking motion to your motor is the left side motor mount. As you can see the motor looks like it is trying to climb out of its hole in normal operation. What you are looking for are cracks in the sub-frame leg which holds the motor mount.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks for the welcome and the referrals. Some day I hope to meet some of you fellow BMW enthusiastes.

Not sure how to go about posting a pic but when I figure it out I'll post a pic of my car.

It's a 67 1600 with mostly 1974 2002 runing gear. It's got a posi rear end, late model rims, lowered suspension and a new set of Recaro racing seats.

The license plate is " 1OLDBMW " and the car is original BMW grey. It's my daily driver so if you happen to see me on the road honk your horn or flash your lights :-)

[Guest Anonymous]

do it for free and you can use the url to link pic.

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.schatzandkrum.com/main.htm

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

shouldn't be too much to fix. As with any new purchase, begin with new points,cap, rotor, plugs and filters. Also put in a bottle of Chevron fuel system cleaner next fill up. Vacuum hose is dirt cheap, so why not replace any you've got. $50.00 can solve lots of problems. If your're new to 02's I suggest you also get a copy of McCartney's 2002 Restoration Guide (Amazon) and the BMW repair manual and Parts Book (HTK) on CD. they're all invaluable reference items.

Also, remember there's a screen on the bottom of the fuel tank pickup that gets clogged pretty easily, especially if there's rust in the tank.

[Guest Anonymous]

If you're in Fairfield, get to know a guy named Sherman Martinez. He's an auto shop teacher at one of the local high schools. He's a 2002 guy, and is a great resource for parts and advice. You'll find him on the 'other' board, and on the Bay Area 2002 mailing list (get on that one if you haven't already).

Mike

[Guest Anonymous]

Welcome to the asylum!

Use this list and the contacts you make through it as your resouce. Many BMW mechanics will no longer work on 02s, so you may find yourself on your own. Get the books(Haynes & McCartneys) and keep 'em in the bathroom for your reading time.

Don't be afraid, the 02s are fairly straightforward, simple machines and mechanic friendly.