engine and drivetrain 318 e30 distributor on by 2002

[Guest Anonymous]

thanks for your help with my questions on my engine before.now i have a new one i will buld my engine with the parts i have allredy got so what i will end up with is a 2000 bottom end and block tii head and 318i injetion and distributor. i think i will have to use a 318 cam to correct the rotashon of the distributor or can i use the gear of the 2002 distributor and fit it to the 318 one and use the tii cam that i have will the tii cam be better than the 318 cam? and will the distributor work running backwords?

[Guest Anonymous]

if you want to use the 318 dizzy. It won't work spinning the other way,

because the grooves in the shaft will pump oil into the distributor. I

think a couple of guys have modified theirs to spin the other way, but

it's a lot of trouble unless you have meatalworking skills and a lathe. I

tried to mod one myself and was unsuccessful. I ended up using a

318i head, cam, and distributor. You can also do this with 80-83 320i

stuff; it's pretty much the same.

- Dave

[Guest Anonymous]

You need very few tools but lots of time, a late Tii dist, a 318i dist, and a center shaft from a mid 80's Volvo dist( the part that floats on the drive shaft to allow centrifugal advance, and a vacuum advance unit. Disassemble both distributors ( you will have to drive the shaft out of the centrifugal advance base plate or drill out and re-pin the drive gear, pay attention to the alignment of the shaft and which ever piece you remove. With the shaft from the tii dist out drill and tap the top for the the 318 center retaining screw. Install the Tii shaft, drive gear, and centrifugal advance base plate into the 318 dist body. Re-pin the drive gear or drive the base plate back on with a little loctite and a lot of care. I suggest the former approach, the latter will work but it is a bit of a hack( I drove around for 20k miles with one done this way without any problems). You will have to cut a new slot into the the trigger ring ( the 4 pronged metal part that goes over the center shaft) for the retaining pin. The Volvo part hast the pin slot in the wrong location. Invert the center shaft from the volvo and trace its outline onto a piece of paper. invert the 318 center and align it over the tracing of the Volvo outline (line up the edges of the rotor locating detent, and trace the 318 parts outline. Mark the pin slots on the tracing outline so you will know which one is from which part. Invert the trigger ring over the tracing and align its pin slot with the slot from the 318 part then transfer the volvo pin slot location onto the trigger ring. Cut a new slot ( I used a small electronics rat-tail file) but be careful not to get too carried away, the pin must fit tightly to keep the trigger ring stable. Be patient and test fit often, a little too tight is better than too loose. When this is done, install the Volvo center shaft over the Tii drive shaft and tighten down the the 318 retaining screw (wicking strength loctite)and hook up the Tii advance springs. Now you can re-install the rest of the 318 inards like stock, just line up the trigger ring with the pin in the new slot you cut. Re-adjust the trigger clearance.

You now have a dizzy that will mesh with an 02 cam and trigger a transitorized ign module. It has the centrifugal advance curve of a Tii but don't use the vacuum advance as it is now a vacuum retard leave it there just to locate the rotating part of the trigger assembly. You can use a vacuum advance/retard module from an emmissions controlled late 2002 or early 320i to give you some vacuum advance... install it upside down on the dist and hook up the vacuum advance line to the vacuum retard port. It will give you about 10-12 degrees of advance but it will be in fully between 4.33-5.91 inches of Hg ( stock doesn't start until 4.25-6.61 and finishes by 9.45-10.24)*figures are for the more easily available 320i unit*. Makes the car feel a little jumpy and would be very bad on a higher compression motor. The Tii advance is pretty good for most cars, so if you really want vacuum advance just swap in a 318 cam and use a stock 318 ignition system.

I have run this setup for a long time but finally just went to a stock 318 dist when I bought and installed a hotter cam. Now I am going crank-fired and wont have a dizzy at all.

Just remember that BMW contracted out to Bosch just as many other vehicle manufactuers, and like any well run company they used many of the same parts for many different applications. Only minor changes were necessary. The same is true for the entire product lines of many OEM suppliers. Good luck I hope this helped you make an informed decision.

Dave

Too many cars to list( my fingers are already tired)