02for2

Hydraulic or Electric you're going to have a Parasitic draw from the Crank and/or the Alternator, neither of which have much to give... cheers!

Hankook Tires has formed a new company - Laufenn Tires. Their G FIT AS all-season radials are available in multiple aspect ratios in both 13" and 14" sizes. Tire Rack has these starting at about $40 for the 13 inchers. This is a great option for those wanting to keep and use their stock wheels. cheers!

We are having a Minnes02 Group get-together on Sat. 10/20 at the Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter ( http://www.gasthausbavarianhunter.com/ ) in Stillwater ( MAP - http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=&daddr=+8390+Lofton+Avenue%2C+Stillwater+MN+55082&hl=en ). The Gasthaus is an excellent place, a decent drive, and has a large parking area. Several of us discussed this last weekend at Steve's BBQ. Anyway, I have discussed a group gathering with the restaurant and we would need a show of hands (That means Yea or Nay). We'll meet between 2:30 or 3:00pm 'til ..? The Minnes02 Group is a local group of 2002 and other vintage BMWs. We'd also like to invite some of our fellow vintage BMW owners from east-central Wisconsin to join us. Stillwater is only about 80 min. from Eau Claire, for instance. So please, let me know what your thoughts are. We'd love to get even one good Social Gathering in this year, and hope to see you there ! Cheers! jim

OK... Silly question, but did you properly set the air gap between the Pertronix magnet wheel and the sensor? IIRC, the Pertronix has a VERY generous range to the Gap, so it's kinda difficult to get it wrong, still... It's also not impossible that the unit is simply faulty right out of the box. A friend had that happen to one he bought for his Europa several years back. Good Luck ! Cheers!

Doing the E24 here ! Like the look Cheers!

As mentioned, Ride Quality is VERY subjective. I am running the Korman Road Force kit - Bilstein HDs, H&R Springs and Suspension Techniques Sways with ALL Poly (Street, not Track Hard) Bushings - lowered the car 1"-1.25". To me, this is a perfect setup. But, having said that, as you can see by my Sig., I have, and have had, a lot of Sports Cars over most of my life (and they're not all listed). So I'm used to a little more taught suspension/ride, but HATE a Track ride on the Street. Everyone who's driven, or driven in, my 2002 says the ride is great... not too soft, but not a Bone-Rattler either. Something more to add to your considerations is what the general quality of the Roads are in the areas you most travel. I am up in the Snow Belt and we have maybe the worst general Road conditions in the Country... a patch, expansion joint or manhole virtually every 50 feet. NOTHING like the quality of roads I've driven down South, or out West, if I were driving on those roads, I might want it a little more taught, but as I said... it's all subjective. Cheers!

Interesting... thanks for the info! Cheers!

Coil is located where the early cars are too. Tha later cars have the Coil on the P-side inner fender next to the Radiator. Cheers!

I bet your Condenser wire is arcing to ground and shorting out the ignition, which is why everything works once the Condenser is hooked back up with the points. Wrap the Condenser Lead in electrical tape to isolate it, and see if that doesn't fix the issue. Cheers!

@Napes... I totally believe that ! A Coil is a fairly simple and robust thing, and generally the last thing you suspect. But believe it or not, I have come across two cars in our local group in the past 6 mos. where, after exhausting every other possibility, it turned out to be bad Coils. Swapped the Coils out and these cars have run trouble-free since. So, you never know with these 40 y.o. cars. Cheers!

Good Catch !! I was talking about the Bosch Black Coil alone (admittedly an assumption on my part), with no consideration for Ballast resistance or another Bosch Coil such as Blue (built-in resistance) or Red. Cheers!

Easy enough to check the Coil using a DMM by measuring the resistance values. Set DMM to ohmmeter function and test Primary Winding by placing test probes to each of the terminals on the coil (+/-). You want to see values between 0.4Ω - 0.6Ω. Now check Secondary Winding by placing test probes on the + terminal and the Center terminal. Look for values between 5.0kΩ - 7.2kΩ. If you get these values, coil is most likely good. If not, coil is definitely bad. You could get these values and still have a faulty coil, but this would be due to internal shorting which would not become apparent until the coil reached (exceeded) normal operating temperature in which case, the engine would falter/stop. Check Coil temperature after fully warmed up - s/b warm to the touch but not HOT. But, this failure would not affect a cold start. Cheers!

@justin: Seems you're getting just a little disrespectful here so it's time for me to let it go and move to other topics. Use whatever Brake Hoses you're comfortable with, for whatever reason. Cheers!

@tjones: God... I almost forgot about that old brown aviation sealant - that is really nasty to try and remove !! One trick I use to clean up the mating surfaces is to use a cheap $0.15 bakelite (probably Nylon now) blank switchplate available from Loews, Home Depot, Hardware stores, etc. Snapping them in two gives a very sharp edge and since they are much softer than the aluminum mating surfaces, you can use a lot of force scraping the gasket off with no risk of marring the surface. Once the edge goes away, you simply snap off a clean new edge. I always have a couple in the tool chest just for this purpose. Cheers!

@Justin... Not wanting to bring Flames to the discussion, but, sorry, in practical terms, so long as there is no physical damage to the hoses, they should well last the lifetime of the car, but in any event will certainly exceed the life of oem rubber hoses. You wouldn't simply change them on a time-in-service schedule, especially for a non-primary vehicle, as most '02s are. You would change them when there is apparent damage or leaks from any of the likely causes. Also, realize that most quality SS braided hoses today have a synthetic outer coating or tubing over the braid specifically to eliminate abrasives from working their way between the braid and the Teflon inner hoses. For what it's worth, my Late Father held several patents relating to Teflon (actually Teflon II) while he was with 3M Co. in the '70s, so, through him, I know a little more about it than many people. 3M decided not to compete with Dupont (the original patent holder) and so sold the patent rights to them who later marketed Teflon II. Teflon is impervious to Brake Fluid and ages much. much slower than rubber. Sure, any manufactured product can fail, and yes, every manufactured product has a design lifespan. And yes, Safety 1st - ALL brake components should be checked regularly. But there's little doubt that the SS Braided Teflon Hoses are superior to oem rubber ones. OEM may be sufficient depending on your point of view, but they are not superior. Cheers!

Using RTV is Bush-League and not deserving of respect IMHO ! RTV cures to a solid which does NOT move with the piece as it expands and contracts. ALL RTV seals will eventually leak ! A much better sealant is Hylomar ! Hylomar is a polyester urethane based sealant that is non-setting and nonhardening even at temperatures up to 660°F. Hylomar was developed by Rolls Royce Aeospace in the '60s for use in Jet engines which can experience temperature swings as high as 170°F (-55° to 115°F). Because it is non-hardening, it can move with the expansion/contraction of the joint and maintain the seal. It is impervious to all coolants, lubricants and fuels and requires very little clean-up when replacing a gasket. Use it as a gasket sealant on valve covers, oil pans, waterpumps, T-stat housings, even a thread sealant on bolts/studs (not exhaust studs as the temp is too high). Have been using Hylomar for more than 20 years and NEVER developed a leak in a Hylomar-sealed joint. A thin coat to both sides of the gasket, allowed to 'cure' for 15 min. Another source of leaks in the valve covers can be the acorn nuts used. You bottom-out on the top of the stud before the cover compresses the seal. Suggest using the longer acorn nuts used in the M20 and M30 motors to eliminate this. Also, hand-tighten ONLY ! Tighten too much and you risk warping the valve cover, creating a leak. NEVER re-use a paper gasket - these are designed for single-use. Once they're compressed the first time, they're done. They cannot be re-compressed and will no longer make a good seal. Valve cover gaskets are cheap (relatively) be sure to order them in pairs and always have a spare on-hand so you're not tempted to re-use. Be aware, the ONLY gaskets you should seal are paper gaskets. Cork, Urethane or Butyl gaskets should be used 'dry'. If you use a sealant on these, the sealant will act as a lubricant and allow the seal to 'squish' out of place and not make a proper seal. Cheers!

Some of the wheels had the brass contact ring on the wheel rather than on the column as the 2002 does. I have an E28 (course splined) M-Tech sport wheel on my car which had this 'reverse' configuration. My 'workaround' was to place the spring-loaded contact pin on the column instead of the brass ring which then contacts the ring on the wheel itself. I used a piece of delrin shaped by a dremel to mount the pin, which is then screwed into the front plastic plate on the column (the piece which originally sported the brass ring). All three Horn Buttons work like a charm ! Cheers!

The M10 motor is supposed to sound a little like a sewing machine because they do not have hydraulic lifters. If you don't have some valve noise, your lash is too tight ! The reason you need to adjust the lash over time is because the valve pounds itself deeper and deeper into the valve seat over time closing the gap between the top of the valve stem and the eccentric. You will always open this gap on adjustment, not close it. If set too tight, the valve may not close or seal fully resulting in a loss of power and the valves (esp. the exhaust valves) can only shed their heat when they are in contact with the head which is water-cooled. Proper lash adjustment ensures that the valves are in contact properly. If you have a fresh head w/ new seats, you do not need to adjust the valves for at least 10k mi. - probably more like 15k on a new head (though you should check at 10k). I have found on several cars which have had the head re-done that this lash is set too tight, probably to eliminate valve noise, so whenever having the head done, no matter how reputable the shop, be sure you double-check the shop's work so you don't risk burning a new valve. Cheers!

Sorry... have to disagree. Quality DOT Braided Stainless Steel brake hoses are vastly superior to oem rubber hoses. First, they're not rubber, they're PTFE Teflon inner hoses which are much more resistant, if not totally resistant, to all types of Brake Fluid. Rubber, on the other hand, does slowly react to Brake Fluid over time. Also, Rubber naturally dries out - the Teflon hoses do not. So long as they are never damaged by road debris, the SS Braided Hoses will last the life of the car. And, the Stainless braiding not only insures that more of your 'pedal power' is directed to the caliper pistons (instead of expanding the rubber hoses as oem does), but they also protect the Teflon inner hoses from abrasions such as when driving over debris in the road. The SS couplings are corrosion resistant meaning that you're unlikely to have it sieze to the hard brake line. 'Off Road' SS baided hoses, while less expensive, are prone to loosening over time, which is why the DOT would not certify them, the DOT approved ones are not. Still, it is a good idea to check them semi-annually as you suggest, and also to place a 'witness mark' on them with a paint pen when installing them so you can see whether they have loosened or not. Inspecting and marking the hoses is sound safety practice even if using the oem rubber hose too. Cheers!

As C.D. points out, the batteries could be bad. ANY battery older than 5 years is always suspect. A battery's life is heavily affected by many things including shock, drain, alternator health, wiring harness health, etc. Make sure your battery is securely tied down either with the stock hardware or other means if not using a standard size battery. The physical shocks transmitted to the battery through driving can cause internal damage to the plates. Also, the SAE released a research paper several years ago where they found that a battery's ability to hold a charge is directly related to how many times that battery may have been discharged over it's life. Their research found that, on average, a battery loses it's ability to hold a charge by 15% each time the battery is discharged and the effect is cumulative. On average, a battery became compromised after only 3-4 discharges and was totally ineffective after 6 discharges. This is because as a battery discharges, it's chemistry changes and allows sulfide crystals to form on the lead plates. This reduces the surface area of the plates which can then react with the electrolytes to store current. The paper described a fully charged battery as 'Healthy' if it has no less than 12.6 VDC on a voltage check, with the ideal voltage between 12.8 and 13.2 VDC. A battery with lower voltage, even though it may be 12+VDC, is compromised. To test that the alternator is properly charging the battery, be sure you have a fully charged battery (charged by a charger) at 12.6 +VDC. Start the car and turn on the lights and heater and check voltage across the battery terminals. You should see between 13.5-14.5 VDC - this is the spec for the Bosch alternator. If you have lower/higher, there may be a fault in the alternator/regulator. Putting too many appliances in the car such as Stereo amplifiers, phone charging, iPods, fog lights, FuzzBusters, GPS, etc. can overwork the Alternator which is NOT designed to work constantly and can lead to early alternator failure, and poor battery charging. Be sure you're not exceeding 50% of the alternator's rated output. If you are, you need to up-size the alternator. Hope this helps... Cheers!

Stock US Market Turn Signals. You have two 'HOT' wires coming in through the fender the signal frame is grounded to the Body (fender) through the mounting screws. You need a DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) to determine which is the running light and which is the turn signal. Place one DMM probe on the wire, the other to the Strut bearing stud (ground). Now turn on either the running lights or the turn signal. If you get a steady 12VDC, it's the running light wire. If you get an intermittent 12VDC, it's the turn signal wire. If you don't get 12VDC at all, check wiring, switch and fuses. Cheers!

The very best tool I have used for cleaning up old gasket surfaces on aluminum heads/valve covers is... a $0.15 Bakelight/Nylon switch cover available at any hardware store, loews, home depot etc. You can snap it in two giving a very sharp edge, and being that it is softer than the aluminum, you can really go all 'ahhhrnold' on it with no worry of gouging the aluminum. These really work. I always keep a couple in the tool chest for this purpose. Also, instead of Honda Glue, use Hylomar. Hylomar is a sealant which doesn't harden like silicone, etc., it becomes a semi-solid. This allows it to move with the pieces as they expand/contract so the seal isn't broken. It was invented by Rolls-Royce for use on Jet engines which have to endure temperature swings of -55 degrees to +100 degrees. Also, cleanup is simple for future gasket changes. It is heat tolerant to 600+ degrees making it useful for valve covers, oil pans, waterpumps, etc. I have never had a leak develop when sealing with Hylomar and I've been using it for more than 20 years. Great stuff ! Cheers!

Very nice car.. !! Given your penchant for safety... you'll need to do the LED rear taillight conversion - www.2002s.net And remember, there is a discount to all FAQ members ! Good luck with the car ! Cheers!