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Hello all! Been quite some time. Despite being MIA, I haven't stopped loving 02s. I'll be brief: I've had a 74 Grey market euro car for a couple of years now and was gearing up to send it over to California where I currently reside. Car has been registered legally in NY for quite some time and has some federally mandated changes (ugly side markers added, mph speedo) already, done by the PO. Now, the law on the subject is a bit vague, but I want to know if I will run into any trouble trying to register it at the CA dmv. A Vin decoder will reveal its a European market car, but I highly doubly any dmv system will be able to decode the 7 digits to anything meaningful. The car is very original and I have a full restoration planned, but I wanted to hear from some other owners on the subject first. Thoughts?

Hi guys, I'm currently taking apart my 2002 to prepare it for painting, I'm the 4th owner, 3rd "enthusiast" owner. I've come across a few wires which aren't connected to anything. I'd like to identify them and their use, if useless, I'll go through the harness to remove them completely. Unused connecters/wires Bellow windshield: 3x small connectors Around brake booster: 2x large connectors, 1x medium, 2x small, 2x single Next to distributor: 1x small connector thanks a lot guys! Anthony

Ok so I have noticed that when I park my car for more than 15-20 min it was hard to start. I thought it was the usual 32/36 behavior. I would have to floor it and then it would eventually catch. It seemed to get much much worse lately, so I decided to take a close look. I opened up the air filter and the primary throttle bore had 1cm of fuel floating on top of the butterfly valve. So the carb is new ( about 4 months old). I set the float properly, plastic float at 35mm etc.. I am suspecting that it may be the smog do-hickey that is keeping the additional pressure in the line after I shut off the car. My car is a 1975 so it still has the device in line with the fuel line, with a Vac hose coming off it and a return line going back to the tank. Should I bypass that and run straight from the pump? Change the needle valve? Take a look at the video, it is kinda funny. This is after sitting for about 20 min in a Walmart parking lot. IMG_1756.MOV

Finishing up an m42 swap and had some questions on my options regarding purge control valve, vapor tank etc. The car (1976) did not have the in-trunk expansion tank and the tank filler was vented directly out of the trunk when I bought the car, and its been that way ever since. The m42 did not come with a purge valve. The way I see it is my options are keep venting straight out and either add a dummy purge valve or resistor to eliminate the CEL. Do the same but add a charcoal canister before venting to slightly offset the eco-damage/fuel smell. Buy a used stock expansion tank, m42 purge valve, run the vent all the way up the car to the TB and hook it up as intended. Although I am a certified tree-hugger, the last option seems like far too much work and expense for a car that will be driven occasionally at-most. Am I completely misunderstanding how this stuff works? I know a proper operating system should have slightly better mileage since it burns the vapors instead of dumping them, but is it that big of a deal? Can I add the expansion tank and still avoid running another hose to the engine bay and collect and return the vapors in some other manner? Best, Peter

A newbie looking for a complete set of these parts if at all possible. I'm in L.A. but would probably be happy to pay shipping if you're not local. Email me: merobi at gmail dot com. Thanks.

Looks like the CA Senate passed an amendment last Friday, to exempt model year 1976 to 1980 from smog testing: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billVotesClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1239 I have been following this for a few months now, and the hearing last Friday ended with a 7:0 vote. Only catch is that the new law is temporary for 2 years (1/1/17 to 12/31/18), unless they make it permanent, and you have to insure your car as a collector vehicle. Daily drivers might still have to smog their cars. Dieter

Hello 02 Fam!!! Im in CA. I have a 1976....and am having trouble with smog. Broken record right..BUT someone told me about Historic Vehicle Plates. Anyone with experience with these? Please give me some input. I want to hear from you guys! Fee: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr11 Form (info): https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/25ed8797-b74c-4aba-a717-3e8cdae51255/reg17a.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=25ed8797-b74c-4aba-a717-3e8cdae51255 Thanks, Roshee

Ive searched as much as i can stand and i still have not found an answer. I have a 1976 2002 and because i live in silly california it a smog tested vehicle. Ive had a stumbling issue and recently an odd grinding noise coming from the engine bay. After fully inspecting the ignition system i noticed the rotor on the distributor has some deep scratches on it and the contacts inside the cap have some pretty deep scratches and marks in them. I think the grinding noise i have been hearing is the rotor striking the contact points and its causing my stumbling issue. The shaft of the distributor seems fairly loose (1/8 inch of movement up/down and right/left) and I'm sure the bushings inside are shot. I was looking for a rebuild kit without any luck and my next option was the IE Tii distributor with electronic ignition but because my distributor Bosch 0 231 176 059 is a vacuum advanced model i wasn't sure if I would still pass smog with it. Does anyone have an answer for me?

Just a very quick question - how do you plug the vacuum lines when not in use? Hose and a zip tie? Special caps? Chewing gum?

Howdy! My car - 1976 49 State - passed CA smog! Woo! Okay now let's make it purr. The engine right now likes to ping / pop when I decelerate from 4,000 rpms to ~3,500 rpms. I put in 93 octane gas, but it still happens. I have a 32/36 Weber (not sure on the jet sizes yet) and I have an electronic ignition. The distributor cap was changed and I have new spark plugs. So! A few questions: Should I attempt any tuning while the smog equipment is attached? Or will that disrupt the balance? What was likely done to make it pass smog that killed performance? I figured they would've leaned out a bit too much (hence pinging)? What is the order of operations for general tuning? Distributor Timing? -> Idle screw? -> Enrichener screw? Floats? -> Measure jet sizes? Possible gotchas? I need to check all the vacuum hoses are sound and that contacts are solid. I am reading all the articles I can find, but none found so far that address what they would've done to help pass smog. Thanks!

California requires a visual inspection and an actual test to pass smog. I have the smog gear still (although it is currently removed), but would like to keep my car in a state to where I could still possibly pass smog by throwing my old 32/36 back on come smog time. I am a novice when it comes to smog abatement, but would a car running larger manifolds, hotter cam, new exhaust, but with the smog equipment attached with a weak jetted 32/36 still be able to pass a CA smog check? How tough is it to differentiate a larger ported manifold vs a stock one? The visual inspector is looking at the carb, air filter and smog equipment (EGR, return hose, etc.) which could all be hooked up in a day fairly easily I imagine. Thoughts?

Anyone out there that can help with a smog? PM me please.

Howdy - so I am looking at a 1976 2002 CA car. It comes with all the EPA gear (which is nice in a way since I live in California) and it passed smog back in October. I've read that the 76' CA is the same as the 75' and is therefore the "least desirable model." This would be my first 2002, and I wanted to due all my due diligence. I don't really have the time to modify the car - no maintenance garage you see - and was curious if getting a 76' was even worth it, or if I should wait for a 74 or earlier. Are 75' / CA 76' really that bad? Is there a clear difference that spoils a lot of the 2002 pep? Or would a novice / first time owner like myself even notice? Thanks!

Looking to get the thermal reactor, air pump, and whatever else is needed to restore the smog equipment of an original California 02 that has been living in Oregon and the equipment was removed long ago.

I am looking daily for a 2002 to buy. I But they are either sold, out of my price range, or the seller will not provide pics of the under carriage, trunk, ect... common rust areas. or just do not respond to questions. I would like a 71-73, but I do have interest in one that I missed buying that was listed here in the classifieds, A 76 2002, Automatic, I would like a 4 speed tho, but my be willing to compromise. Specifically this one had a sunroof and a/c. which would/is a necessity (a/c) where I live if I want to drive it more than 7-8 month out of the year. Summer here is 100-120 degrees typically. My questions are: any known issues with 76's passing smog in california? the car is titled in AZ. Is an automatic that much of a bad idea? Do the emmision control systems on this year significently affect the performance? Any thoughts appreceated. Thanks, Walt

Hi All, First time posting. First and foremost Thanks to all of those who posted to this forum; all great information that has helped me become familiar with a car that I've wanted for so long. This is my first 2002 and I plan to make this into a daily driver, but it needs to be smogged (familiar subject on this forum). I believe I have all of the smog required parts; air pump, EGR valve, etc (big assumption)....and more. I've scoured the forums to see "how" the smog equipment is configured/installed in the 1976 models and I've found nothing. I've read the diagrams and they're helpful, but if someone has photo(s) of their '76 with the smog equipment installed or point me to a URL with the same I'd really appreciate it. It'll help me understand how the belts and pumps are supposed to be correctly installed and configured. Also, if anyone has pictures of their factory air conditioning pump installed (engine compartment) I'd appreciate it as well. Thx! Here's what I know about the car; -New crate motor -New clutch and flywheel -Came with new 32/36 Weber carb -has factory airconditioning (pump not installed) Here's what I've done so far: -Adjusted all of the valves, rechecked head bolts -New valve cover gasket -New alternator (to be installed today) -replaced rear tail light (cracked) -Installed new license plate lights. -Installed a used Bosch distributor with new o-ring, coil, points, rotor, cap, plugs and wires. -Installed an electric fuel pump w/relay and kill switch -replaced most of the vacuum hoses in engine compartment. -Installing new HID lights ....and more on the project list.

Hi all, first time posting, but have read various posts over the years. I think my '76 is doomed, please tell me how to help save my BMW 2002 ! Basically, I have a 1976 BMW 2002 that I was not able to fully register because the engine blew after I first bought it, but before I was able to get it smogged and registered. When we bought it we had the oil and other fluids changed, but on the highway the oil filter fell off and well...you can guess from there. I also had collected quite a lot of great parts and even have another engine that drove really well. We have all the parts for a 5-speed conversion, LSD and axles, brand new 3-core radiator, new old stock kidney, etc... The purpose was for me to do a custom restoration to make it the way we wanted it, but I realized the work was beyond me. My wife was going to have it as her daily driver and has been waiting years for me to get this done. Now we have the money to pay an expert mechanic to do the restoration. The problem is that since it is a 1976, the smog laws seem to have created a situation we cannot legally get out of. We also have a parts car, I think it is a 1975, but would require more serious restoration work. We really need help here. I don't want to end up just parting it all out and scrapping the bodies, but I can't see any way to avoid this fate! Anyone out there who can help me save our '76 ?