New to 02 World - Have a Couple of Questions

[t6dpilot]

Hello all. I am new to this board having spent a lot of time in the early Porsche 911 world. I am considering a 2002 tii for a future purchase and would like your input on issues to look for when inspecting a potential purchase. I am sure rust is #1 as it is with any early 911, but where it lurks on an 02 is unknown to me. I also am not sure of what other issues I might run into that are typical of problems with these cars. I just want to make sure I know what to look for when inspecting a car for purchase.

Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[winstontj]

lots of questions:

tii - fuel injected, look into maintenance and tuning. They are a mystery to some but a well tuned tii is supposed to be a wonderful thing. (don't have one so can't help there)

brake boosters/MC's leak, dripping down into pedal boxes and frame rails. Check frame rails and floors, especially under the booster.

Check floors in general, they like to rust out.

Sunroof car? The drain tubes are poorly placed - look for rust where they drain out - others will chime in here.

Rear shock towers - probably most common. Look for repairs, look for rust. Rust can also form behind the rear seat - which you won't see when inspecting vehicle. If there's rust on the shock towers it's an OK fix, just know that there will be more.

Rockers - they go too... check for repairs. It's a pain becuase you have to cut part of the rear quarter off to replace the rockers.

Nose panel - some go, down near the bottom. Look in from the engine bay down in front of the radiator below the headlights. you should get a good glimpse from that.

Depending on pricepoint and VIN a tii's condition can vary a bunch. Have any photos? VIN?

[JerryC]

There's good info at this old site:

http://www.bimmers.com/02/

-Jerry

[Harv]

Rust in the rear shock towers is one of the common places. There is a reinforcment that supports the upper spring perch and the shock and they tend to rust where they come together. You can buy new fender wells but it's not a small job. Here's my project blog to see what I mean. http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,50/page,viewtopic/t,273903/

Rockers are good to look at too. Keep in mind that many of these cars are or have been daily drivers so the temptation to "just get it back together" with some bondo covering some problem areas is high. The motors are tough as nails and like to rev. A stock one should pull hard to the red line. listen for a crunchy 2nd gear syncro. Look for cracked motor mount support from the subframe down by the steering box. Not hard to fix but you'll have to move the motor to weld in there. While you looking in that area, how much adjustment screw is sticking out of the steering box? If the adj screw is flush with the lock nut, the time for a new steering box could be soon.

Parts are easy to get from many places including the dealer. Some things are starting to be NLA but not a lot. (Tii brake booster).

I think one of the best things about 2002 is the support from the community. I haven't met an o2 owner I didn't like, yet.

I like the early cars but they all have a strong following. Maybe the 72 tii being the most desirable if staying stock is your bag.

Last bit of advise is to buy the best one you can.

John

[2590402]

Everything above.....and don't settle wait till you find the perfect car for you. What you don't want to do is get overwhelmed and give up on '02's which we have seen on the board. Good luck!

Andrew

[Mike Self]

1. Take along someone who is knowledgeable about both 2002 body structures (for rust) and about the K-fish injection system. Seemingly major running issues on a tii can turn out to be minor--and vice versa!

2. Pick up a copy of MacCartney's 2002 restoration book. It has an excellent section on tuning/troubleshooting the tii injection system written so a non-engineer can understand and work on it with ordinary tools (i.e. non factory "special tools")

Good luck and welcome to the '02 fold.

mike

[t6dpilot]

Hey guys, thanks for the info. I just got a crash course in learning about tiis. It looks like the 72/73 models are the best ones to get, with the 72 being the best of the best. I do not currently have a car at which I am looking and really don't know where to search other than this site and maybe Pelican BBS. Do you have any suggestions? It seems that these cars (tii) are even more rare than the 911E and S.

Scott

[Delia]

You might try looking at craigslist.com, particularly up and down the West Coast.

The San Francisco Bay Area is a haven for 2002s and 200tii models. Each May there is a gathering in Palo Alto. Both my tiis are here..my '73 Inka and my er... uh... other tii...

There are several good mechanics here, too. I use JP Cadoux @ A-1 Imports in San Rafael.

So if you're looking to join the ranks of 2002tii ownership, starting from scratch with a run-down tii may not be the best approach. After all, you do want to "get out and drive the thing."

Someone's "unfinished project" might just be the ticket, or their "running restoration." Matching engine/chassis numbers are a plus and rust is always a concern.

Get Macartney's 2002 Restoration Guide and read it carefully. It's not perfect, but it's durn good.

Also, you'll find no shortage of opinions here.

Delia