'76mintgrün'02

I recently filled my car with ethanol free gasoline. An independent gas station opened up in Quilcene, Wa., which sells it in 87 and 92 octane. The cost was $4.35 for 87 and $4.55 for 92 octane. I filled it with 92 for about the same price as premium with 10% ethanol. I didn't notice a huge difference, but the car seems to like it. Maybe it's just psychological... Does anyone have strong feelings about ethanol in gasoline. Here is a link to a site which maps "Pure-Gas" stations. http://pure-gas.org/ Tom

What measrement can be taken to determine whether a car has lowered seats?

Thanks for all the information. I was hoping they were original. The cloth is a little dirty looking, but I will try and clean them and put new padding in the lower portion. There is an ever-growing pile of horse hair under the seats. I think I will give foam a try. I have found that a coarse sanding disc does a nice job of shaping open cell foam. It may take a few tries to get it right, but foam is cheap compared to the horse hair pads. My car was built in October of seventy-five. Tom

I saw this car come up for sale on Craigslist and have been kicking myself for not persuing it. I had just purchased my 76 and had too many "extra" cars in the yard to add another project. I have been wondering whether someone on this site bought the car. Unfortunately the photos are no longer available, but here is the ad 1973 BMW 2002, 4 speed manual transmission, sunroof - $895 obo currently not drivable as will not start, last driven when parked three years ago. The color was Fjord and generally straight and original. I would just like to hear that it found a good home here on the FAQ page. Tom

My car came with seat covers that have cloth in the center section. I am just wondering if ther is a chance that they are original to the car. My guess is that they were recovered at some point. The padding seems original though, and in need of replacement. http://s1082.photobucket.com/albums/j375/TomBrock/?action=view&current=040.jpg Tom

I have a similar issue with my '76 (weber 32/36). It is slow to start when warm and there is a gasoline smell (no visible leaks). I searched and found this thread, Thread Topic: Flooding and Hot Start http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,361719/highlight,fuel+filter+bypass+valve+fuel+return+line/ It sounds like the "filter fix" you are describing.

Thank you CJ, I will definitely look into that. I actually have a print out of the unibody dimensions in the glove box of my car. I will start by stretching a thin string tightly down the center line and go from there. Based on the numbers from the alignment, I would love to discover the the front subframe needs to shift forward (especially on the right--correcting caster) and slid slightly left (thus correcting the camber). Then I can adjust the toe in from there. Tom

Was the car on its wheels, with the appropriate weight on board, when you torqued the control arm bushing bolts down during the rebuild? If not, there is stress in the bushings and they tend to hold the car up a bit, possibly affecting your camber. Just a thought.

Thank you Toby, "Your numbers are so close to right as to not matter..." MUSIC TO MY EARS! I was very careful to get the washers installed in the proper order when I installed the strut mounts, so I don't think that is the problem. I neglected to replace the idler arm bushings though and didn't think to rotate it while things were apart to check for binding. Things seemed to move freely under there for the most part though, generally speaking. Do these bushings tend to go bad... bind? (the heat shield is still there) It is too bad they were not equipped with zerks. I have yet to check or change the oil in the steering box. Maybe that will losen things up. I will toe in the right wheel first and then maybe a little on the left. Tom

I bought the car last fall and it came with "like new" tires on it. It did not pull at all then; but the struts were shot, as were the control arm bushings, so I decided to freshen up the suspension and front end with some new components. My tape measure toe in adjustment had it going down the road "straight" (as in no pull), but I had the right wheel toe set at -.10 and they set it to .06. (I'd had the left set to .07). I have not tried rotating the tires front to rear, though I have read of that solving a pulling problem for one FAQer. (I have been told that rotating side to side is not a good idea for radials as they do not like to change direction)? I did notice a slight wobble in the left rear rim while it spun, with the car on jack stands. I was hesitant to put a bent rim up front. I will take a closer look at that wobble as well as the rest of my rims. Maybe I should buy a set of these- I sure like them! But I digre$$. Stock steelies on there now. I borrowed lead weights from a friend to wiegh the car down while tightening the bolts for the control arms and such, during re-assembly of the front suspension. He needed them back before I was ready for the alignment. I will use the lead next time, with plastic bags under each wheel whille it is being aligned. With the front camber "...causing the turning-drift-pull to the left", as C.D. pointed out above, there must be something screwy to overcome this force and make it veer right. I've checked the rotors with an IR thermometer, so I know the brakes are not dragging up front (plus it pulled right immediately after the "alignment"... such as it was). There is a chance my strut housings are bent. Blunt has them on sale until Monday, I believe. I have to admit that this has added a sense of urgency to my situation. New housings may or may not put it within specs. though. Uneven tire pressure, bent rim(s?), beauty rings on rims during alignment, no weights in the car... umm... I will do better next time. Just hoping for a little insight and I appreciate what has been offered so far. Thank you. '>http://blunttechclassic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/tii_wheel.jpg I sure like them! But I digre$$. Stock steelies on there now. I borrowed lead weights from a friend to wiegh the car down while tightening the bolts for the control arms and such, during re-assembly of the front suspension. He needed them back before I was ready for the alignment. I will use the lead next time, with plastic bags under each wheel whille it is being aligned. With the front camber "...causing the turning-drift-pull to the left", as C.D. pointed out above, there must be something screwy to overcome this force and make it veer right. I've checked the rotors with an IR thermometer, so I know the brakes are not dragging up front (plus it pulled right immediately after the "alignment"... such as it was). There is a chance my strut housings are bent. Blunt has them on sale until Monday, I believe. I have to admit that this has added a sense of urgency to my situation. New housings may or may not put it within specs. though. Uneven tire pressure, bent rim(s?), beauty rings on rims during alignment, no weights in the car... umm... I will do better next time. Just hoping for a little insight and I appreciate what has been offered so far. Thank you.

After an alignment at the local Les Schwab, my car ('76 '02)now pulls to the right. I took it back and they said they had done all that they could do, by adjusting the Toe-in to within specs. Prior to the alignment I installed H&R Sports front and rear along with Bilstein HDs. Up front I replaced the control arms, ball joints, tie rods, center link, wheel bearings and strut mounts (washers correct). In hindsight I would have replaced the idler arm bushings as well. Tires are new, 185-70-13. My question here is whether I should replace the strut housings. They appear to be original, with some wear on the spindle where the outer bearings ride; but it did not seem too severe. My concern is that they may be bent (although the inserts slid in without binding). Another concern has to do with the quality of the measurements taken when the alignment was done. The technician did not bother to remove the beauty rings and when I got home I noticed that the left rear tire was eight pounds lower than the right. Also, I did not have prescribed weights in the car. (Obviously I could have been better prepared). The measurements were as follows: (SR= Specified Range) Rear Camber= SR -2.50 to -1.50 Left -2.16, Right -2.56 Rear Toe= SR .03 to .22 Left .05, Right .14, Thrust Angle= -.04 Front Caster= SR 3.5 to 4.5 Left 3.10, Right 2.53 Front Camber= SR .00 to 1.00 Left .43, Right -.18 Front Toe= SR .05 to .08 Left .06, Right .06 Total Toe= SR .09 to .16 Actual .12 I did have a body shop visually inspect the car for damage. They did not see anything obvious wrong and said it would cost $200 to put it on the alignment rack. Straightening would increase the cost. This is a daily driver. My goal is to have it steer like it "should." As it is now, it is a little slow to return to center (caster angles low) and pulls to the right. As I see it my options are: 1) Adjust tie rods so wheels point slightly left and track "straight" $.00 2) Have another shop check/adjust alignment (new numbers?) $80 3) Install an Adjustable Camber Kit and have it aligned (new shop) $315+$80 4) Replace strut tubes and have it aligned $500+$80 Of course I would like to have the alignment numbers within specifications, but as far as I am concerned, if it feels right--it is right. This is the first '02 I have owned and the only one I have driven. Not sure how much new housings or adjustable strut mounts would affect the handling. Any input will be much appreciated. Tom

Great link! Not entirely off-topic. There are several 02s shown. There is an inka 02 about a quarter of the way down the page which he labeled a "new-class-bmw-2002-tii-1966" Talk about rare and special cars! Awesome site. Just thought that was funny.

I too have a '76 '02 and a laser thermometer; so, I just idled it up to temp and checked the manifold. What I found is that #1 read 500, 2-615, 3-625, and 4-610 degrees. P.S. The thermometer is sensitive to distance. The closer the better, because it's an average temp. The laser is just for aiming... so "they" say.

Good info from the other day, search for "Guibo / transmission flange gap?" or just scroll back to 12/29 at 6:38. Tom

"Hands down, my first pick. BMW 2oo2 Wins." Got my vote yesterday. Rooting for you! Tom

Sorry for the screwy link Trevor, it didn't like my computer either. I emailed the link to my cousin and it worked fine for him, so I figured it was okay... I have removed it from my previous reply to avoid further confusion. Tom

Mine is also a '76 with VIN # 237xxxx Oct. 1975, I believe.

"What are the odds?" I was born on December 18th, four years earlier than your E3, (1966). I wish I'd weathered the years so well!

Which method to use? How about a combination?? I have read most of the posts on this topic and I will try dry ice on the next pan I strip; because the temperature does make a difference. I will also have this tool on hand. (Mineral spirits cuts the residue just fine) Tom B. [/i]

I have posted a video on youtube showing a tool I made for removing sound deadener form the floor pan. It is not terribly fast, but a whole lot less work and does a very clean job of it. I simply welded a scraper blade onto an air hammer chisel and ran the tool at very low PSI. The impact actually shatters that sticky tar (sending it everywhere--wear goggles). The same tool will cut right through the floor at higher PSI, but is fairly easy to control at around 15-20 PSI. It also helps to round off the corners of the blade a little bit. Here it is in all its glory Tom B. [/url]