'76mintgrün'02

What is the number on the distributor in your car? My '76 came with a mechanical only (0231188002) installed and I recently purchased a vacuum/mechanical from a FAQ member (0231170164) which I believe to be the stock unit for my car. I just got off the phoe with Jeff at Advanced Distributors in MN. http://advanceddistributors.com/ and plan on sending him the #164 to be rebuilt/recurved. He was very helpful over the phone. He said that the advance springs on Bosch units are weak and wear out over time, causing premature advance. I noticed that my #002 is all in by 2400 rpm. He will re-bush the shaft and reset the advance on the #164 to match my particular set up. I was surprised to learn that cylinder pressures are very important information for him to dial it in. I will do a compression test, so I can complete the rest of the worksheet before sending it in.

I found this link while searching the FAQ with similar questions, http://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?29320-Mechanical-advance-vs.-vacuum-advance-article Hope it helps. Tom

The wing window on the passenger door of my '76 seems ot be out of alignment. It binds on the rubber seal in the upper corner as if it is tipped too bar back in its frame. I noticed that the label etched on the glass is different than the rest of the windows, so I assume it has been replaced. There is considerable play in that window as well, as in it wiggles back and forth an inch or more once open, where as the driver's side is nice and tight. I am wondering whether the replaced window could be slightly different than the original.... Did they vary over the years? Is sourcing a new (used) wing window and frame assembly my best bet? I could try and purchase new gears, but that does not solve the alignment issue. The large window in that door does not roll up all the way, but stops a quarter of an inch short. I followed the adjustment instructions I found on the FAQ and even enlarged the holes for the regulator screws and rotated the assembly. This helped a little, but did not solve the problem. I have not moved the position of the bottom of the wing window post yet, but its alignment with the rain gutter seems about right. The door itself appears to be properly aligned as well. It seems a little silly to spend much time dialing in the roll up window, if I really need to purchase another wing window assembly and then start over. Any input will be appreciated. Thank you, Tom

I saw one post where somebody cut a bike inner tube and used hose clamps to attach it to the core and then pumped it up using the valve stem.

Points are a PITA in a 2002, but not so much so in a 1972 Chevy Suburban. Chevrolet put a little door in the distributor cap that allows you to adjust the points with a dwell meter hooked up and the engine running. Dial it in, close the door and forget about it. I wish BMW had figured this out! I was thinking of trying to make a set of points work this way in my 02, but there is not much room in there. Drives me NUTS to adjust point gap on the 02. Turn on engine-check dwell-turn off the engine-adjust the gap-start engine-check-turn off engine-adjust-turn on engine-check-to get it right. Running points at the moment. Took the Pertronix out to find the cause of a stuttering issue. Pertronix was not the cause. I plan on putting it back some day. Nice that it is so easy to switch back and forth. Tom

This is a little embarrasing to admit, but I learned the hard way that the idle jets need to be firmly seated. I figured the O-ring would provide a seal with it screwed in rather lightly and it ran MUCH better with them in tight. One more thing you could check. Tom

2842 is the unit they (Pertronix--by phone) specified for my mechanical 002 dizzy. FWIW. T

+2 on the plug wires. I just replaced a set that was only a year old. It turns out two of the wires had failed. Bought a new set of 8mm wires from Kingsborne and it runs "like new." http://www.kingsbornewires.com/category.sc?categoryId=2 I also learned that taking the time to paint the bb on the flywheel white is well worth the effort. You can do it yourself by parking on a slope and engaging the parking brake just enough to allow you to roll it in fourth gear while shining a light in the hole to find the bb. I had a wedge of firewood handy to kick under the tire, but did not need it. I spent more time looking for the bb while trying to time it, than it took to paint it white. Timing is fun now. Tom

If you want "original equip rubber" there is a set on Craigslist in the Seattle area. Thirty-nine year old rubber on original rims for $70 each. http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/pts/3668652818.html The ad reads, "This set of four factory installed wheels and tires were removed from my 1974 2002 BMW shortly after I bought it in 1976, and stored in my garage where they sit today. To have the original installed factory wheels, as well as the tires, would be a great addition to someone who is involved in showing their car. At $70 a piece, this is a geat deal. Sold only as a set of 4. I also have the original lug nuts. If interested call 206-226-****.

I bought the throttle shaft bearing kit from Pegasus. One kit per shaft. Replaces the worn plastic bushings with sealed bearings. No drilling required. $20 per kit. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=5949

I'd suggest contacting Steve at Blunttech. Outstanding service and pricing. I buy everything I can through him.

FunkyLaneO was correct. The number 1 wire was bad also. New wires coming from Kingsborne. The Bremi set proved to be CRAP. I will be putting the Pertronix back in and setting the timing according to the post I read yesterday, which should improve performance at higher RPMs. Toby wrote, "Quote: 2,500 rpm only if you have a tii DISTRIBUTOR! If you set a tii distributor at 1500, it'll be too advanced at 2500. And the whole curve will be too far advanced, too. The mechanical- only curve has more advance in the weights, since there is no vacuum advance to add its two cents and 15 degrees. Now, having said that, you'll probably find that the DCOE's might not like quite as much advance as the tii did, simply because the tii did such a good job at fuel distribution. But you might end up pulling 2-4 degrees at most. The real number I can give you is 36 degrees of total advance at 4500+ Yep, wound way out. That was a totally safe number with any engine combination I put together under 12:1 compression. Others have very similar numbers to match. hth. Thank you for the insight. Tom

I used the "pull a wire" method to isolate the no. three wire when it was bad, but there is not one wire that differs from the rest while running rough now. A friend once told me, "if you think it is a fuel problem, check the electrical... and then when your are sure it is the fuel system, double check the electrical." That said, it could be fuel related.... I am going to eliminate the pertronix RIGHT NOW and will check back with the results. I am pretty sure I have the right cap for the 002 distributor. It is a Bosch part number 1235 522 056 on a 0231 188 002 JFD4 dist. The only cap difference I read about had to do with early/late models and the indexing key is either an "innie or outie." The off center arc marks on the terminals are odd, no? Tom Update: Back to points. Number one wire was bad also. Still missing, especially in 3k+ rpm. wonky distributor maybe.

Yes, I'll admit it, I save my old parts. I looked and the tab is in the same location. Same evidence of "off center" arcing on the old cap. I appreciate the insight and will research cap options. Running well right now. Diagnostics on hold... Timing light on board. Waiting patiently for misfiring-sputtery problems. Tom

All right. Thank you for your input. I was surprised to find that the no. 3 wire was bad right out of the box and maybe it is not just the connection at the end that was bad. I will try hooking my timing light up to each of the wires and see if the spark is consistant while the misfire is happening. One strange thing I did notice is that the copper terminals in the distributor cap have the usual black deposit, but only on half of the terminal. I have always seen an even coating across the whole terminal (with points). I have been wondering whether this is typical with Pertronix. Tom

My car goes from running smooooth to sputtering and missing and running like CRAP. Timing set on BB at 1400rpm. Weber 32/36 with C.D.s prescription. New fuel pump and filter. 002 mechanical distributor (not new). Pertronix module installed (new). New plugs and wires, cap and rotor. I did find that the NEW wire on no. 3 was loose at the plug end and shortened it and re-inserted it with a little sil-glide. That seeeemed to fix it, but apparently there is another problem. I have not lubricated the distributor advance mechanism yet, but the engine runs rough at all rpm when the problem arrises. I am suspecting the Pertronix unit. I installed it with spade connectors, to allow for points should it fail; so returning to points seems to be the next thing to try (as well as lubing the distributor). Wide band install coming soon and I plan on plotting the advance curve to see what the distributor is doing. Place your bets... Failing Pertronix? Tom

I don't know how to block the 'play poker' pop-up, but refreshing the page makes it go away. If I click on the x to close the ad, Norton Antivirus says it had to block an attack. Refresh works for me.

Nope, good and tight. Both sides bent the same way.

I found that refreshing the page also eliminates those pesky pop-ups that sometimes appear on the site. Closing the pop-up triggers Norton warnings, but refresh does not.

Good to know. Thank you for saving me a bit of work. Plenty of other places to put time and energy into this car. Tom

I purchased a strut brace from Ireland Engineering a year or so ago and am noticing signs of fatigue. The aluminum plates have bent a bit and the powder coating is flaking off. I am tempted to triangulate the brace and attach it to the firewall as well. I would purchase SS 1" tubing and cope/weld it to the existing piece, then weld it to a piece of SS angle or rectangular tubing which would bolt to the underside of the flange at the wall. I will replicate the aluminum lugs on the original and bolt it there also. It looks like a fun little TIG project and I am just wondering whether it will make much difference. Opinions? Tom

Here is a photo of the "anchor" currently on my engine. From what I gather, anything is better than this.... Ugly, heavy and constricting are three good reasons to find something better. Mostly a back road cruiser. No track time. Quiet is nice and I do appreciate low end torque. It is sounding like a stock, non-air manifold is the way to go... preferably a tii, if there is in fact a difference!?!?!? : / (There sure is a lot of confusing reading on the topic.) I guess I am shopping for a used manifold, with minimal pitting, and I will use the one I have to weigh my crab trap down. Thank you for the input. T.