Conserv

Dave, This thread suggests to me that we have taken a mere nuisance and inadvertently turned it into a full-blown crisis. The plastic intake runners are not some backyard garage project that occasionally work. They work! Many ‘02’s today run their original plastic intake runners. They simply had a failure rare greater than anticipated by BMW Engineering and greater than typical buyers of a brand new tii, ca. 1972, were happy with. Anyone who owns and drives a 50-year-old car will find no untoward surprises coming from plastic intake runners. Over time, you will replace more guibo’s than plastic intake runners! Best regards, Steve

Uhhh... I’m so disappointed that neither of your diagnostic plugs will work on the machine that no longer exists! 😢 I will add the valve cover diagnostic port to my tii as we complete the engine rebuild. I’m happy to know, however, that you’ve set the bar fairly low for my installation! 🙌 Let’s all swear today that we will never again bring up the... “functionality” issue! 😋 Best regards, Steve

Yes, based on Jim’s (@jgerock’s) incredibly helpful find and thread, you’ve got correct 2002ti PHH’s: You might want to also read Jim’s “2002ti wannabe” thread, where he discusses airbox and linkage issues. Regards, Steve

A carburetor is not a “perpetual service” device. If a carburetor, whether it be Solex, Weber, Stromberg, SU, Holley, or whatever, starts giving you trouble, it’s crying out for its periodic rebuild and refresh. My experience is that a carburetor that has not been rebuilt within the shorter of 4 years or 40,000 miles is likely to give you trouble. Full stop. I cynically smile when I read of troubles with old under-serviced Weber replacement carbs that identically mirror the troubles reported from old under-serviced Solexes. The Weber replacement carburetor today installed on most(?) ‘02’s is a great carburetor. No doubt about it. And parts are far easier to find than those for old Solexes. But I’ve lived 45 years with the two-barrel Solex on my ‘76 and have never had an issue that periodic rebuilding didn’t immediately solve. It’s been a great carb for that engine. So feel free to swap carburetors, but you’ll be whining about that no-longer-new Weber down the road if you choose to ignore it, like most owners ignored their original Solexes. Then they replaced their never-been-touched Solexes after 120K miles with a new Weber and declared the difference amazing. If you replace a never-been-touched Weber after 120K miles with a new Solex, you’ll discover a similarly-amazing difference. Whether Solex or Weber, regular service! Regards, Steve

Smart decision. I’ve been fussin’ with ‘02 headlight buckets for more than four decades, and the factory’s plastic “nuts” are absolute crap! Regards, Steve

Ted, Below is U.S.-only data. I haven’t a clue as to the comparable Euro VIN’s, but I’ll bet most of it is in the parts catalogue. By Head Type: VIN’s 2760001 (May 10, 1971) through 2761943 (before June 5, 1972): 121 heads, plastic runners, etc. VIN’s 2761944 (June 5, 1972) through 2762014 (after June 5, 1972): E12 heads, aluminum runners, etc. VIN’s 2762015 (after June 5, 1972) through 2762372 (approx. August 1, 1972): 121 heads, etc. VIN’s 2762373 (approx. August 1, 1972) through 2764521 (approx. July 16, 1973): E12 heads, etc. VIN’s 2780001 (November 1973) through 2782927 (December 1974): E12 heads, etc. By Model Year: 1972: VIN’s 2760001 (May 10, 1971) through 2762629 (approx. August 16, 1972) 1973: VIN’s 2762630 (October 6, 1972) though 2764521 (approx. July 16, 1973) 1974: VIN’s 2780001 (November 1973) through 2782927 (December 1974) (Your 3 W 01852 is exactly 65 pumps after my 3 W 01787, both of which have October 1972 housings. But VIN 2761362 was manufactured April 1972, so not a likely starting point for a pump manufactured October 1972 or later.) Best regards, Steve

Thank you, Rich, First, I’m not certain that the Alpina CMR steelies — like your “accidental acquisition” here (R1-440’s) — were delivered in that distinctive beige-gray color we’ve seen on Borrani CMR steelies (like your R1-561’s). I keep finding original silver when I find Alpina rims. Second, although I’m a big fan of the distinctive Borrani color — it looks a lot like a primer rather than a finish color — it looks awful, or at least underwhelming, with a lot of factory ‘02 factory colors. (Polaris, my ‘76’s color, is NOT a happy companion with a set of original-paint Borrani’s.) Therefore, I would paint an Alpina CMR steelie silver and I would paint a Borrani CMR steelie either silver or the original, middle-era, beige-gray depending on which looked better with my car. Best regards, Steve

Ted, I just want to make certain that someone besides me is worrying about all these 50-year-old details of questionable value. You’re obviously on the job! 👍 Thanks and best regards, Steve

Vince and you are ready to truck on down to the local BMW dealership to get your primary wiring checked on that super-duper, fancy-schmancy, space-age diagnostic computer! Oh, wait, those were discarded by 1982... 😯😳☹️ Regardless, the ports look fabulous! Best regards, Steve

I believe the round canister-style relay in your photo post-dates your car. And... these were often used for auxiliary lighting, as in the second photo below, a factory photo of a 1971 tii with, no doubt, auxiliary lighting. The same or similar relays were also used as horn relays, from the factory. Regards, Steve

Ted, Certainly, yes, the heads changed, as well as the intake manifold, runners, and plenum. CR did not change on U.S. cars, however: it stayed at 9.0. As to the fuel curve of the Kugelfischer, I’m aware of a fuel curve change that occurred with the 1974 model year (VIN 2780001 for U.S. cars). This was reportedly done to improve emissions, as U.S. emissions standards increased for 1974. But I’ve not yet heard of or seen a fuel curve change with VIN 2761944 (along with a reversion at VIN 2762015, and a second change at VIN 2762373). The Euro-spec cars were converted on yet another schedule, making the global changeover even more complex. Your thoughts on a fuel curve change with the head change could certainly be true. It makes sense. I’m just saying I’ve never heard of it previously. And although this forum has fussed on many occasions with the issue of exchanging Kugelfischer pumps between 1974 models, on one hand, and 1972-73 models, on the other hand, I’ve not previously seen a similar fuss between 121 head cars and E12 head cars. I, and probably others, would love to know more about this. How can we know whether a pump is a 121 curve or an E12 curve? I’ll start. My ‘73’s original pump (VIN 2762757, manufactured October 19, 1972) has a housing cast in June 1972, and is number 92004011 B-1 / 1 [maybe 2] W 00325 (first two photos). My spare pump (this came off another ‘73, one I would guess was manufactured in late 1972 or early 1973) has a housing cast October 1972, and is number 92004011 B-1 / 3 W 01787 (second two photos). Strongly believing that both these pumps were designed for E12 heads, what do we see in the model and serial numbers of this and other 1972 (and certainly 1971) Kugelfischers that might allow us to distinguish 121 pumps from E12 pumps? Thanks and best regards, Steve

Looking great, Vince!

They do work, Tom. But at a time when the cars were daily drivers, adding 15K miles annually, the number of failures was simply too high for a non-wear component. BMW was replacing them during and after the warranty period and had to be saying to themselves, “We’ve just begun production of a premium-priced sub-model that promises to be very popular. Do we really want to spend the next ten years replacing plastic runners? It’s bad economics and bad brand image.” The answer was clearly no, and the majority of tii’s were produced with the more expensive aluminum runners. As Ted (@Einspritz) noted, many failed after a lot of miles; some cracked during the installation process. But I’d bet the majority of surviving runners, as in 50% or more, are the original units. Best regards, Steve