my 74 2002

[horton]

hey everyone, im new here and i want to start out by saying this is a great site and its so good to have a place like this to get info from...

i just got my 74 2002 a few days a go and ive been working on the brakes ever since trying to get it road worthy... the car runs good and starts right up, but the brakes SUCK haha...

it needed a few new hard lines, and im going to order some new rubber lines too but i was trying to get it going with the old ones =/... anyway the brake pedal doesnt spring all the way back up, return spring is there but maybe its worn out? i have to look it over thoroughly tomorrow because i got rained out today! hope i dont need a new brake booster?

anyway here are some pictures of it when i went to pick it up, dont have any more recent ones, but the car was parked and kept in a garage since 99. in 90-91 the body was gone over and all of the rust was properly taken car of and removed... and it was converted to a 4 speed from an auto

the plans are to just get it road worthy and enjoy it for a while while i chip away at some little things, upgrades, whatever just cleaning it up... the interior is decent for its age but i could use some help haha

so im looking foward to learning a lot here, and i am excited to have this car to work on

[M3M3]

welcome to the madness! and nice find!

[horton]

went and ordered new rubber brake hoses and wheel cylinders today, but i leave for college tomorrow so this will have to wait till next weekend i guess. took it for a spin around the block, which makes me feel better, but the rear brakes are sticking even when the pedal is returned all the way, which i have to do by hand (it only returns 3/4 of the way) I am going to end up just replaceing a lot of the brake parts, pads, springs, cylinders, all of the rubber hoses in the system, maybe even the booster while im at it... is there any for sure way to tell if the power booster is no good?

still trying to figure out the brake pedal problem. I guess i will have to grease all of the linkage and stuff, maybe replace the return spring... or once i get the lines all full and bled and the rear brakes unstuck, will the pedal then return?

does any one know the best place to get replacement hoses that go from the master cylinder resevior to the master cylinder? is there any way i can relocate the resevior to on top of the cylinder? are there any upgrades that can be made to the brake system (master cylinder, booster, etc.) using parts off a later model BMW?

also, ill do a search for it, but while im in here are there any later model seats that bolt into 2002's? my seats are SHOT haha

[tiitouring02]

welcome to the group! a nice, easy upgrade since you're going through the brakes is to go to stainless steel braided lines. Many places sell them, Bav Auto and ireland engineering come to mind. It gives you alot harder brake pedal.

[M3M3]

the resevoir to mc hoses are just std brake hose...any bmw dealer sells it by the foot.

lots of upgrades you can do. use the booster and mc from a 2002tii. use the rear drum brakes from an early 320i. use the calipers from an 80's volvo 240 and e21 320 front rotors. several places sell this whole setup in a brake upgrade bundle.

[JohnW]

I think you're on the right track with the brakes. I would replace the rear wheel cylinders on both sides, the rubber lines, and flush the system thoroughly with new fluid. If they don't work properly after that, you should be able to better/more specifically trouble shoot further problems.

Also re:seats, here's a page on this site that provides some info:

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/view/35/32/

[horton]

thanks so much for the help everyone! im definatly looking into some of those seat upgrades...

i already ordered standard rubber replacment lines front and back, i wanted to go stainless lines but i didnt find them until yesterday when i already paid for the rubber ones... O well ill just get the stock brakes going for now and then it will all get upgraded down the road. im in such a rush to drive this thing, it breaks my heart to see it sitting in the driveway!

[horton]

Well, the Bimmer is on the road! runs and drives pretty good but there are a few issues....

the biggest one is the passenger side rear brake is dragging a little bit, even though it is adjusted as small as it can go...

the next big problem is the headlights and electricals.... or lack of them! haha the headlights are so dim i might as well not have any! and when i turn on the blinkers when the lights are on, all of the lights blink and dim. my rear defrosters dont work and when i turn on more accessories when the lights are on, they get even dimmer... will an inline fuse in the headlights help solve this problem? i thought about just buying some running lights to use instead of headlights, so i can at least have blinkers, but wouldnt they put even more of a strain on the alternator? is the alternator the core or the problem? im going to do a search right now, but any insight into solving or lessenign these problems would be awesome... thanks!

[vintage_car]

Check all grounds. Take the wire off the grounds and clzean them, these cars are notorious for ground issues. Pick up a wiring diagram and haynes manual as u will use both.

Check your rear brake cyl for leaks that could cause dragging.

Welcome to the madness

[horton]

well i figured it out guys... i went over pretty much all of the electrical connections under the hood and i sprayed them with contact cleaner and i used really fine sand paper to clean the metal connections, and everything seems to work a lot better.

As far as the brakes go, i looked up how to actually adjust them and i did it right this time! haha go figure i thought i had it down but i was completely wrong. oh well everything seems to be OK now... thanks for the tips vintage!