questions for the Auto-box owners out there

[ChuckR]

hi, finally getting some good use from my newly aquired 69 automatic: took it on a 700 mile trip yesterday and it generally went great. i experienced a few things and wonder if it's due to the auto-box. car is pretty box-stock, orig carb (auto choke, solex) the car is very peppy taking off, shifts fine, tires even chirp!

1.i couldn't get the car to go over 70-75 mph, the gas peddle was all the way to the floor too (what was i doing going that fast?). is this due to the wimpy tranny? or is there something wrong somewhere? Throttle linkage not right? distributor issue? carb?

2. other thing, going up a hill with open throttle (65-70), the car was definetly 'pulling' back, or hesitating, never felt like it was going to stop, but clearly feeling like either gas or spark not right.

3. and lastly, i'm in NY and it's getting cold, my car will not run right unless super warm, does this seem right? any experience with Webers? if so, which one?

thanks for your patience with this long note. i really need to use this car year round and want it to be rite.

regards, chuck

[SOUTHBAYeric]

Those problems seem to be timing issues. Get a timing light or set it by ear.

[Biscuit3]

Hey Chuck. My Karl is an auto and used to have the same problem with the solex - he was a sloth going up hills! I saw you said the magic word, WEBER. I put on a Weber 32/36 DGAV which is an auto choke and water operated carburettor, one of the best Webers for the automatics. Since then, Karl goes a lot better up hills as well with cold starts. If you are considering swaping carbs, this is the best option for you. Also, don't forget, your transmission is a 3-speed which means if necessary, there is also first and second gear, unless you are scared about breaking something .

[Brandon]

i really need to use this car year round and want it to be rite.

The car will never be 'rite' if you use it year round. It will only take a couple winters of snow and salt to rust your '69 into a pile of junk. Park it for the winter and buy an old Audi quattro or something to get you by.

[Biscuit3]

That's a bit silly to say. I know it might be right considering Karl has never seen snow, but these cars are German made. Snow and Germany is like women and make-up, can't have one without the other.

[winstontj]

i really need to use this car year round and want it to be rite.

The car will never be 'rite' if you use it year round. It will only take a couple winters of snow and salt to rust your '69 into a pile of junk. Park it for the winter and buy an old Audi quattro or something to get you by.

Second that - Biscut3 I don't want to get into it with you but you should understand that these cars are old and being from VA maybe you've never experienced a New England winter but they can be something else. It is true that it snows in Germany but it is also true that you will destroy your car if parked outside and driven year round. Here's an example of my DD and why I don't feel bad driving year round.

You've got an automatic - pretty sketchy to drive year round... Where do you live? Upstate? Buy a set of Nokian Hak-II's and get them studded. They aren't cheap but studded Hak-II's and a 60lb bag of sand in your trunk and you'll be able to get anywhere. I drove an auto e21 for two years in Vermont and it was as good (or better at times) than my 1970 Series II-a 88" Rover. Auto sucks because of the gear ratio and if it's non-LSD it's going to break free and be less predictable. ON the other hand - at least you're driving a BMW!!!

As for the carb you have a Solex single barrel stock carb. If I were you I'd switch over to a manual choke and keep the single barrel. I own one car with 32/36 and one single bbl solex and I LOVE the solex. It runs just as good, sounds better and fuel consumption is about the same. It's more about proper tuning rather than better or worse.

I drive my car year round but it stays parked in a heated garage in Boston and I use it once a week to go to the grocery and on weekends but I walk to work so it's not really a DD. Make sure you put winter weight oil in the motor, change all your fluids and give it a tune up. Adjust valves, replace points, condensor, check plugs, wires, cap, rotor and check the alternator belt, bushings & voltage regulator.

Do you have a mechanical dizzy or a vacuum advance? I noticed a good increase in winter reliability by going over to a mechanical distributor. Also keeping up on the point-gap and chucking my Bosch platinums for stock plugs. The solex carb is super easy to tune. If you have cold starting issues it's fuel or timing related. For a while I had a problem where my car would either idle fast when hot and run when cold or not run when cold and idle normal when hot. It was a combination of many things (including my weber carb being old and crappy). This is why I decided to switch over to EFI from an E30.

Carry a can of starting fluid, adjust your rear drums before first snow, clean out your tail lights and shine them up (so you don't get hit), rebuild or tune your carb. Tune the motor with a timing light and you should be fine.

Sorry for the long post but I feel for you... I'm in the process of prepping my car for winter driving and hoping that I can get my EFI conversion on before Christmas so I don't have to worry about it any more. Use the stock air cleaner and you'll have less problems with icing on the carb.

Hope that helps.... Winter driving an '02 is fine - just don't choose to destroy a good one!

[Mike Self]

and the reason is twofold: body construction and factory rustproofing (or lack thereof).

It was well into the 80s before manufacturers anywhere figured out how to build unibodies that didn't have blind voids and moisture traps--places where moisture could penetrate and not easily leave. Some still haven't completely solved the problem. (check the dogleg on any 4 door Honda or Acura)

On an '02 that would be places like the rear spring supports, rocker panels, front fender trailing edges, lower nose sections and rear fender lips.

Add to that a lack of paint/rustproofing in these areas, and you have a formula for serious rust.

I rustproofed all those vulnerable spots on both my cars many years ago and experienced little or no subsequent rust, even when I was driving 'em all winter.

cheers

mike

[Biscuit3]

Road salt or not, which is what I figured you guys would be getting at, these cars still rust like crazy anywhere! Well, mine did. Residing approximately 30kms from the beach for the past 6 years. That's about all the history I know about Karl for the past decade and just being parked outside for a year ate away at some of the upper door panels. Been fixed since though.

[Mike Self]

Seacoast salt air tends to rust cars from the top down, while road salt from snowy roads rusts cars from the bottom up...so what you really want to avoid is a car that came from Michigan and then was taken to the Gulf Coast...eventually the rust will meet in the middle!

mike

[CJ_AZ]

FWIW - you may want to check the throttle linkage located near the firewall at the back of the pedal box.

My 73 would top out at about 75 on the highway for the first two years I owned it. I just thought it was a dog. When I finally adjusted the throttle it was like getting a whole new car.

This may not be your problem but I sure hope it is because that was a really simple and rewarding adjustment.

Best regards and good luck,

[Mark92131]

If your car hesitates going up hill, replace the fuel filter. I had this problem with one of my 2002's and it turned out that sediment in the fuel filter would settle back going up hill and block the inlet side of the filter, preventing gas from reaching the carb.

Good luck,

Mark

[AndyS]

(nt)just efi it and add another speed

[ChuckR]

all great input. I will check the general tune, timing, linkages and see if that changes anything. My distributor had a sticking vac advance, so i am suspecting that the issue may be in the distributor.

I have driven most of my 'classic' cars in the snow, and have taken care to wash them frequently which has helped greatly. I do plan on 'winterising' it as much as I can.

thanks again for great thoughts.

chuck