larry_in_socal

Tzei -- thanks... 'm going to have to tear into them to find out..I'll need to set a plan to work on them. Mike -- Yup.. I left it parked with the parking brake engaged.. Isn't that what a parking brake is used for? LOL... and I'm sort of OCD when it comes to pulling up on my brake levers, (I have three cars - two Audi's and the 2002) and I really yank on the parking brake, sometimes to the point that my wife needs me to release it because I over tighten the brakes. So when I look at them (soon) what should I look for, just rust and would some brake grease and sand paper at those locations free up the issue? do they stick to the plate or the actual drums? I'll need to start looking at what I'm up against. Thanks, larryf_in_socal

I had sometime this weekend and was getting ready to start wrenching.. my main goal was to install the new distributor, however that didn't take place as the new garage with all my tools in boxes and in disarray, I just wasn't feeling it... Since the 2002 is in a single car garage, I had to move it out to start organizing the garage to make the garage ready for proper wrenching. Can't properly wrench when I'm looking all over the place for tools and parts. I crammed everything into the small garage, well now that I'm settled, I will need to work on that first.. as for the car, it starts fine and can be driven out of the garage, which is awesome, no need to remove car covers and all that bulls$i$ that I had to deal with in the past... The only one issue and I know it needs to be addressed, is that I know something is just not right with the brakes. The car has always been outside and covered. The car was parked outside at my sisters house while I got situated here... on the day that I moved it on a trailer over to my house, the car would not move, something was sticking, we tried to push it in neutral, but it just wouldn't budge so my brother in law and pulled it with his truck enough to unstick the wheels, I know that it is the back wheels as when he was pulling it to "loosen" up the wheels, I could see all wheels rotate, except the driver's rear as it dragged in the dirt, till it came lose and started to roll. That was back around March 2nd, and the car has been in the garage ever since. This weekend in order to back the car out of the garage, I had to use force (clutch and gas) to get the car to move, enough to brake lose the binding. I replaced the lines and calipers in the front and was getting ready to replace the wheel cylinders and lines in the rear, but the move last year got in the way. I also replaced the brake reservoir, reservoir lines to the master and master grommets. I'm still using the old brake master, but I don't think that is the problem. I still need to replace the rear wheel cylinders and lines. For now I just left the old lines and cylinders in the rear. I was still able to bleed the lines all the way around, but something is just not right. First of all the parking brake is all the way at the top of the range of motion, even after I was able to un-stick, drive into the garage, and now 9 weeks later the rear brake is sticking again? I don't see any leaks and didn't seem to have trouble bleeding the lines a year ago. What would make the rear drums stick? Perhaps I'm pulling the parking brakes up to the top and when I'm releasing them, the mechanism is sticking or the cylinders are shot. Any ideas on what I'm up against as I chase why the rears are locking up? Thanks, Larry_in_socal

After reading some of the replies, it got me thinking, what port do I have the distributor hooked up on. so I took a picture of the carb really good and here is what I found: I only have one vacuum port on the carb, as shown above, the other port is actually on the manifold, and while I was checking this out tonight, I discovered that the rubber plug on the manifold port has a crack in it, so that will definitely be replaced, I have a vacuum gauge and I will be checking to see if the port that I currently have the distributor hooked up to is a ported "port" but I will look into it when I start wrenching on this in a few days... these are the only two ports that I see on or near the carb, one on the carb and one on the manifold as shown. I'm sure glad that I checked this out else I may have missed the cracked plug. This carb only has one vacuum port, and without testing it I really don't know if it is "ported" or "non-ported" I'll need to figure that out. larry_in_socal

Tom, no Jeff didn't tell me which port to use, I assumed that it would be manifold port. I was told to set at idle between 12 and 15 degrees and there would be no need to time to the BB, he said that is not needed. John76, I have all of the smog stuff disconnected, I have a straight vacuum line from manifold to distributor as shown below: Port at manifold with vacuum line going to distributor. Line from above port going to old distributor. \ Picture of new distributor with retard port blocked off, vacuum port used. I'm going to only use the vacuum port and not the retard port. That was probably used when all the smog stuff was hooked up to regulate spark and keep emissions low, but that is no longer needed, and I will use only the vacuum port. So here is the plan: with the car at operating temp...find TDC, drop in distributor, start engine, set the Innova Timing at 12 deg, slowly move distributor to see the TO at the straight mark on flywheel peek hole, tighten distributor. Plug in vacuum line as shown above, and this should be all that I need to do. The instructions were to set the distributor in and time at 12-15deg, at idle with vacuum disconnected. I was told no need to time to the BB. So I would assume that once the vacuum is connected, the mechanical weights and vacuum port would work in sync and basically would do their "magic" and operate the car based on the curve set by the rebuilder. Since the car is starting and idling on its own, I don't think that there would be much tweaking to get to the final idle speed, as I think I'm already in the "idle speed ballpark" so to speak. My plan is to get this in the car by the weekend, and I'll keep you posted on the outcome. larry_in_socal

All, Long read... I'll looking to change over distributors on my car. To begin, this is a continuation from my post " Rough and surging idle - suggestions " over a year ago.. back then I had got my the engine running but had a difficult time timing the engine... several replies pointed towards the distributor. And the game plan back then was to have my distributor rebuilt. I was also in the process of selling my house and moving to a new one, now that I'm all settled in ( for now!!!!) I'm sort of ready to start wrenching again. I bit the bullet and had my distributor rebuilt at Advanced Distributors, and that the rebuild distributor sat in a sealed box for almost an entire year.. Well now I'm getting around to replacing the current distributor with the rebuilt one, and the reason for my post today is to get my thoughts straight on what I need to do to change over the distributor. I just want to put down on paper (and in this post) what I think I need to do to make the change over as smooth as possible, and I will be basically listing down from memory the steps that I think need to follow. Before I list the steps here are the specifics to my engine and distributor. The car is a '75 BMW 2002, non-tii, but I installed a 1600 engine (1565171+ ) so it's not the original. The head is a 118 head, and I adjusted the valves as a place to start. I have a stock manifold with coolant running through it and a Weber 32/36 with the following Carburetor settings: Primary Idle 60, Main 140, Air Correction Tube 145, and F50 Emulsion Tube Secondary Idle 55, Main 135, Air Correction Tube 175,and F50 Emulsion Tube I'm running a bone stock mechanical fuel pump with a brass float that was adjusted using a gauge made of paper. I don't think that the Carburetor is the issue at the moment, as I think that the distributor that is currently on the car is not allowing a good timing of the engine, so here is where we are... The engine runs fairly good, but the idle is off but it does idle, and revs pretty good for such an old engine. When I say off, the timing marks are dancing and shaking like a Hawaiian hula doll figurine on a dashboard.. lol .. I want to change the distributor to make the engine and idle smooth so I can work on other items, the brakes, CV, all other components so I can get the car road worthy, and that is the goal. The car currently has 0-231-176-059 with 7mm copper leads and stock points, rotor and rotor cap, all Bosch components, that are in great shape. The distributor that I had rebuilt is a 0-231-181-011, and this was the distributor that came with the 75' engine that is currently in boxes in my garage. Also the car has the “clear-resistor” wire so I have a Bosch 0.9ohm coil, the car runs so I know that I'm getting spark, so that is not the issue. I'm getting ready to install the 011 Distributor and when I finally get to opening up the box, here are the instructions from AD, .. “12-15deg BTDC @ idle w/o Vac”, with these instructions here is my game plan to install the rebuilt distributor: Note: I checked with the rebuilder and the dwell was set at time of rebuild. Place car at TDC on the compression stroke Check Flywheel marks Check mark at cam gear and valve oiler tube. Check that both valves are closed Check that distributor rotor is pointed to number 1 wire on cap. Remove cap from old distributor with wires attached. Remove distributor. Install New distributor, noting where gear “swing” will place rotor to point towards number 1. Verify that distributor rotor is approximately where the old distributor rotor was at. This will get me at base timing and at least enough to get the car started. I should mention that I should have at least had the car running (with the old distributor) to the point that the car is at operating temperature and that the idle (with the old distributor) was good. So now that I have the new distributor installed, here is where I sort of need guidance... With the new distributor installed, I should only tighten the hold down enough so that it doesn't allow the distributor to move, but enough so that I can physically move the distributor. Remove the vacuum line from the distributor and or do not install it at this time. On my Innova timing light, I need to set the advance to somewhere between 12-15deg, then with the car idling, turn the distributor till I see the TO mark at the flywheel, and that should be it. Tighten the distributor hold down. Install the vacuum line at the distributor. I'm leaving out the idle adjustment do I set the idle after I time the car, or before? Also I was told to ignore the “BB” on the flywheel as the rebuild distributor would work best at setting it at idle. I think I'm on the right track, just sort of hung up on the idle before or after timing, the way I see it is how can I set the idle if the timing is off, so I think that I should set the timing first, then the idle, but the instructions are saying to set the timing off idle, so should I just check the idle first get it at around 800 rpm, (somewhere between 700 and 900 rpm) then do the timing? Sorry for rambling on.... Larry_in_socal

why not check the flywheel. I wouldn't trust the pulley marks.

This is the classic.. no pun intended… case of selling value. How do you sell a pen to someone? The seller is going to use terms like patina, upgrades, vintage, just needs some tlc.. the buyer is going to pick apart with statements like, looks like it’s going to need some work, the tires are bald, oh what is that oil there.. then there’s the starting offer, counter offer, best last offer and walk away… with both parties starting at their respective dollar amounts to get to a mutually agreed price… there will be tension which is understandable, silence and harboring your information is key.. too much info as a seller and the buyer will use this info to low ball. Keep emotions intact, hold your ground.. you should get somewhere close to what you are asking for.. within the range of reason. The key is getting the customer to see the car, that’s when their emotions will be in your favor… they low ball over social media and texting, get them to see, smell, hear the car, you got this. If they are truly interested, they will come to you.. if you are in no rush to sell you got nothing too lose, time will be on your side and you can wait for an offer that is fair.

I'm trying to understand what the rubber grommet is used for? I assume it gets rolled down to protect from the metal lugs from hitting the body of the car?

Hi Pablo, I've been reading your posts, when you put in the rebuilt head, did you do a valve adjustment? did you use the old eccentric at the valve adjustment. just my too cents here. When I was getting my 93' Toyota pickup back on the road, I did some reading about the valve adjustment studs and how they can basically mushroom to look like a turtle shell, in other words they are not perfectly flat when measuring the valves. I purchased new totally flat adjustment screws and the valve adjustment was perfect. Are the eccentrics in your engine the originals and are they in good shape? If they are all "chewed" up perhaps they are not allowing a proper valve adjustment. Can't speak for the BMW eccentric , but on my Toyota, the new valve adjustment screws allowed me to dial in a great valve adjustment. Just going back to basics here.. did you do a simple compression check across all cylinders to verify that the compression was withing range across the engine. Not sure exactly what the percentages are but having compression that is off could make the engine run like crap. If you are past all of this, that's cool.. just adding my 2 cents here..

Sorry for hijacking this thread. This is actually very helpful.. I'm trying to pass smog on a '93 Toyota pickup, that has High HC and CO. and I have about 3 weeks to do so, when my temporary tags run out.. wish me luck. I think I might have a leaking injector, in my case I have zero oxygen, as the truck is running extremely rich and using up all the oxygen..... sort of totally opposite from what we have here... I "found" this graph of the 5 air fuel gases, so I thought I would share... I didn't create it but whoever did, thanks for the graph, helps put it all into perspective.

As noted in previous posts.. Selling my home.. its currently in Escrow... so I had to pack everything up...including the original engine to the 2002... the plan is to find a new place with a three car garage.. so I can give more attention to the 2002... and some day have a proper rebuild... paint job... to be continued. What you see is an entire engine all boxed up...

This is how the world is evolving, everything digital, texts, emails, contact forms, I'll get back to you. Is it more efficient? Perhaps. I was getting ready to purchase a throttle rod from IE, but I had a simple question that I wanted answered, after about 4 phone calls and 1 email with no response, I was able to find what I needed from a different vendor, and that company didn't mess around, everything over the phone, a 3-4 min conversation turned into a quick PayPal invoice, throttle rod delivered 3 days later. Businesses are meant to run like businesses, plain and simple .. every unanswered phone call, text, or email is a potential loss in sales. The problem with some of these vendors is that they put the their personal interests (car rebuilding) at a higher priority then the business. Just my observation.

Mark92131, thanks for the information, so now I know what size engine I have. I decided to go ahead and send off my distributor to get it rebuilt. I figured with the cost of the parts alone, getting it rebuilt is a better option for me. Eventually a 123 distributor would work, but I'll save that for the engine that I plan to rebuild. I figured getting it professionally rebuilt will take the distributor out of the equation, and it should run decent, and I think it is cool getting the old dizzy back in order is a cool thing too.. FYI.. my plan for this year is to relocate down to the Murrieta area by the end of the year..that's close to where you are, right ?

... Fast forward to 2023.. checking to see if you perhaps have one of the clips mentioned in this post. ... email sent to the hotmail address above.

Engine number is 1565171+ -- photo of engine numbers below.

Everyone, thanks for the insight. So I'm definitely going down the distributor path here. a couple of items that i should disclose.. The car is a 75' CA Manual 2002 - 4 speed. The numbers matching engine is torn apart and in boxes -- to be rebuild at a later date. The used engine that I installed is what I think a 1802 engine. The head on the used engine has 118 stamped on it and the guy I purchased it from had an old roundie' all torn apart in his garage, he said he didn't need the engine anymore and that he was going to install a different engine.. anyway I have it installed and if it can be a good temporary engine, that is fine too. The 0-231-176-059 Distributor is the distributor that came with the used engine. However I have the distributor from the original engine, and it is showing up as a 0-231-181-011 distributor. So I was thinking that I would go ahead and rebuild the 0-231-181-011 because i have it out of the car and I can keep the 059 in the car to keep the car in a movable state... I do see that the 011 has a different vacuum advance with two ports I guess one for retard and one for advance.. I checked the 011 and it measures 2 MM of distance between the washer and gear at the bottom, so it is definitely in need of a rebuild. With the engine being a 118, is there anything that is different that I should know about ? Also, I see a brand new Bosch 009 distributor from J bugs for $35 bucks, perhaps I could salvage the washers and other internal parts from the 009, and this would save quite a bit of cash, but I don't know to what degree the washers and internal parts are interchangeable etc. I would imagine if they have the same inner diameter, and same thickness, they could be readily interchangeable. Oh and yea $140 bucks for a rebuild kit..ouch!!! Where did you see the $9 dollar fiber washers ? perhaps that is all that I need. i don't mind paying the $140, but really ? for 5 cent washers !!! Like I said they have us by the cahonies...

Matt -- thanks for the reply, I haven't tested the Dwell yet, I plan to do so with my new timing light. I adjusted the valves (cold) I know that I did adjust the valves because I had to file down a 10 mm socket to get one of the adjuster nuts loose. I think I need to concentrate on my distributor.. John -- thanks for the reply I have a brass float and used a "ghetto - gauge" that I made out of thin cardboard. I used the 25 degree BB -- but timed it with my old HBF timing gun. Vacuum port on manifold (near the carb) I will need to check the black electric valve The choke was not adjusted, however once the car warms up, I can see it fully open up. 76mintgrun'02 -- regarding the distributor This is where I think I will need to concentrate my efforts. 0-231-176-059 -- this is the distributor I got with the used engine that I bought. When I timed it with my HBF timing light, the timing light was definately jumping all around, making it extremely difficult to time, like the timing has a slight hic-cup. I'm running points and condenser -- and this is something that I think I will replace. My gut instinct is that I will need to rebuild my distributor. I read many of your threads on this subject and I suspect that my distributor is completely out of wack, something that I should have checked. Thanks for the quality write-ups. PaulyG -- yup, I gapped the spark plugs, and I did rebuild the weber and did perform the adjustment procedure. All, I think that this is spark or ignition related as I just couldn't seem to get the car to time with the HBF timing gun, and I really didn't pay much attention to the distributor when I bought the engine, the guy that I bought it from said that he used to use the engine and the car too drive his car around town and it ran super smooth, but again you get what you paid for, and I think that over all the engine is good but a tired engine at that, hopefully i'm not trying to polish a turd here... but this will buy me time, when my utimate goal will be to rebuild the engine that I have in boxes in my garage.. for now I just need a driver to get the car at minimum on the road, which is something that it hasn't done in over 25 years... I'm also in the middle of selling my home and moving down south towards the Temecula Valley area, and there I'm going to find a house with a third garage, to spend time with the 02, as it deserves to be restored to a presentable state...

75 - 2002, Manual, --- With the hydraulics (brake and clutch) now operable, I now have a car that is slowly coming back to life... I'm trying to smooth out the idle, and a little direction might help. Any Suggestions ? IMG_2225.MOV

Many of these suppliers have the ability to negotiate volume incentives with the carriers, there are even some low weight / low value shipping options available to mitigate shipping costs, however IMHO these suppliers either know what they are doing and are passing their savings to their customers, or are just lazy and keep this profit at the cost of losing a future sale. However, and this is a big however, since these suppliers know that the availability of parts is getting scarce, they pretty much don't care and have a take it or leave it mindset. Sort of like they have us by the cahonies... if you know what I mean. The ones that are professional and understand, get my money.

Yea, I'm sure that the car has some rust in that area and in due time I'll start working on that, but for now I just need the car to run as I'm getting ready to put my house up for sale... if things go as planned I'll have a three car garage in my future.. I'll keep posting along the way...

Replaced my Clutch Master Cylinder.. Just waiting on some brake fluid to be delivered. and my clutch hydraulics will be complete.

This is where I want my car to be... being that I have a 75-(square taillights) ... these two pictures are very inspiring, indeed.

Started working on the Hydraulics this weekend. Replaced master cylinder grommets, new elbows, new front brake hoses and calipers, brake fluid reservoir, lines from Brake reservoir to MC, and small hose from reservoir to clutch input line and new slave cylinder. Everything is on track, except I should have taken advise from posts here on the forum. I put everything together, no leaks on the brake side, but on the clutch side, I have a leak at the clutch master cylinder. I'm sort of pressed for time and just wanted to get the car enough to have it mobile, but now i will need to replace the clutch master cylinder.. No worries, I'll get to it installed, boy do I love that tight space with all that fluid all over what fun.... Installed grommets and elbows. Frog tape to keep everything as clean as possible, leave no chance of particles entering the system Stainless Hoses and New Calipers. New Slave Cylinder and stainless Steel Hose. As they say.. there's your problem lady.... Looks like all that pressure blew out the clutch master cylinder, man.. I should have taken the advise here on the forum, what's crazy... Is I have the new clutch master cylinder in a box, been in that box in my office for over a two-three months, I thought that I could "get by" with the old Clutch Master Cylinder, I checked and the slave cylinder was leaking so I assumed that I could just replace the Clutch Slave Cylinder... not the case.. Live and Learn. At least the brakes are not leaking for now.. I still need to get the rear hoses replaced ( I have stainless steel ones to match the front ones) and I also have new wheel cylinders, but again, I'm biting the bullet here and hopefully the rear hold out for now, as I need to get this car in a drive-able state, as my time is being stretched thin at the moment. Little by little....

Perhaps it is a fuel injector situation? I know that you probably do not want to go down that rabbit hole, but maybe the drive loosened up debris and now you have a clogged injector? I had an Audi 5000 once that had been sitting for a while, and I couldn't get the damn car to idle smooth, I used a bottle of super concentrate injector cleaner and it smoothed it right up. Being that the Audi 5000 and BMW TII are both designed with mechanical injector system, perhaps injector cleaner is not a bad idea? I don't know enough of the TII system and if it even responds well to injector cleaner....perhaps someone could add to this

Perhaps you had a vacuum leak before, and when you replaced all the hoses, you sealed it up, so now the car is starving for air? is this possible ? Sorry just a quick response, I briefly read through the topic...