engine and drivetrain New Gal in a 2002

[fuzzynormal]

Anyway...

Is this what the phrase "Welcome to the insanity" regarding 2002's is all about?

[Collinster742002]

That phrase means many things. One never does a single thing on a 2002, there's always a "Well, while I'm at it" moment- When I did a transmission swap I ended up replacing the whole clutch, exhaust manifold with tii, downpipe and desmogging. You'll never just do 1 single thing

[fuzzynormal]

+1 on 20W50. It's the only oil I'll ever use in the BMW. I use SAE30 only for the lawnmowers...

I just put some SAE30 in my 1960 International 266ci V8 But yeah, never in a BMW motor.

Carl Nelson at La Jolla Independent told me to try the SAE30 if the smoke is really bad (it is), seems like a guy and a reputation I can trust.

I'm in San Diego so it doesn't get too cold here.

[jgerock]

I'm in San Diego so it doesn't get too cold here.

My wife and I miss visiting SD..

[ndog]

2nd photo looks like its from coranado isl,I worked thier @ deep submergence unit (U.S.N)

[BDB]

Fuzzy, et al:

Hello fellow California 76 owner! Like Jay said, next time I'll post under a female pseudo name!

Correct me if I'm wrong but in order to sell a used car, the seller must pay for the smog test and it must pass it too. So Im guessing with confidence that you car passed. Otherwise your seller probably has some es-playnin' to do. I've bought and sold 3 cars in the past 5-6 years and that was the case except when i sold my diesel mercedes to buy my 1976 BMW. Diesels don't require smog, oddly enough in CA. I think the best way to resolve this issue is to call the DMV or send them an email. Believe it or not, the CA DMV is very quick on responding to emails.

While i know many here have said from experience to sell your 1976 (if it is indeed a 76), emissions parts in good order will allow you to pass. Don't get spun up too much. I just passed my smog a few months ago with flying colors. I did have my engine rebuilt though and patched up a very unusual and difficult hole in the exhaust gas return pipe. My 1998 4runner ironically is a little long in the teeth (200k as of today) and barely passed 1 of the tests last March. So what I'm trying to say is that you're not screwed provided you have good emissions parts (air pump, undamaged exhaust manifold, thermal reactor, etc) and the engine is in good shape. I'm blanking out on the name but I think its Casey Motorsports up in No Cal...the owner up there has a lot of posts on passing smog. This includes making sure that the vac hoses routing to the charcoal canister (drivers side engine bay, grey w/ two nipples coming out of it) are routed properly and back to the plastic fume collection box (blanking out on the true name) in the trunk above the passenger rear shock tower. The other vac tube goes to a nipple that is connected to the air filter housing.

Some other things worthy of mention: you probably smell alot of unburnt fuel or some kind of fuel smell. While I still have a veeerry faint fuel smell in the trunk and from the engine bay, it is not nearly as bad as it once was when i bought it. Nite and day. I would highly recommend that you replace all the rubber fuel hoses and make sure you have quality fuel clamps. This made a huge difference for me. Especially on the hoses that connect from and to the fuel tank and fuel tank sender. Related to the topic of "fume management", there are two rubber "elephant trunks" that connect from the rear firewall to the side of the trunk (upper top most area...look high/top in the corner. Both of mine were disconnected. Remove, clean, and let them sit out in the sun to become pliable. I used vaseline on the ends to connect to the rear firewall hole to allow it to fit with less fuss. Not a lot of hand space, you'll see what I mean. Also the fuel tank sender's seal and the rubber boot connecting the tank to the fuel recepticle should be replaced (if cracked). Search "fuel smell" and you'll find a ton of articles/posts.

Lessee...Oh yeah, rubber seals: If in poor shape, re-seal the trunk seal as well as the one that spans the hood in the engine bay. There's two very expensive ones that sit on the ends of the hood release rod that are purported to mitigate the fuel smell coming out of the engine bay.

Ah the other thing is to make sure that your cooling system is in good shape. I am convinced that the PO of my car let it go to hell b/c he didn't do this simple thing as the engine had a cracked head. This is probably the easiest to do for a DIY mechanic and will be a good thing for your 76. Assuming you have an original radiator, it would be prudent to have it (at minimum) flushed out by a professional radiator shop. Up here in So cal, it cost me a mere $40 to have it done. For an additional $5, they added a threaded bung so I could hook up an after market water temp gauge for added monitoring peace of mind. A thermostat is cheap too as are the hoses (mine were good, no need to replace the rubber). Use the BMW radiator fluid (I still need to do this). Does your car have A/C? If yes, consider having it recore'd to 3 rows. If you prefer to buy, Silicon Garage makes 3 cores and are highly touted by the members here.

Good luck!

Bob

[OriginalOwner]

If you can get the DMV clerk to make it a '75 ..... you're golden !!

Certainly worth the effort to bypass the smog testing nonsense now and forever.

----- another reason I don't want to ever sell my '74.

Cheers,

Carl

[Guest Anonymous]

Wow We got the same issue with my 76, luckily up here in Dunsmuir Ca, the next county north is Jackson county Oregon Territory, we dont have annual smog checks, dont miss em at all. Mine smokes bad on start up and decel, I just tell people nothin a new motor wont fix. Welcome to the club, fixin 02s is pretty basic you just have to think like an Egyptian, I mean German Dave

[jgerock]

2nd photo looks like its from coranado isl,I worked thier @ deep submergence unit (U.S.N)

I took that picture on the water taxi that we used from the Island back to our Hotel.

[OriginalOwner]

I've seen that view from Coronado across the water a few hundred dozens of times going over the bridge. I spent a few years of on & off living in the "gated community" of the NavPhiBase.

Cheers,

Carl

[Guest Anonymous]

I gotta admit, just registered my 76 as a 75 with a 11/75 build date, it helps if you loose all previous papers and have to start afresh, find a DMV clerk who likes these cars and you might get lucky, I did. Dave

[tjones02]

FuzyNormal... Hi and welcome!

Your title is rather confusing. So, don't go running off to the DMV looking to change it to '75 just yet. Just have them confirm which year it is first. Have you finalized the title transfer to your name yet? If not, you might be able to get away with being sure it is a '75 or not. See if you can read the date code stamped into the silver sticker on the inside edge of the driver door. If it reads prior to 9/75 it's is definitely a '75. If it reads anywhere between 9/75 to 12/75 it is a '76 model year car.... Then you may be lucky enough to find a sympathetic DMV person that will change the title to '75.

Either way you will know for sure if the registration renewal comes in the mail for the car, if it says "Smog Required" you're SOL. If it doesn't, then wait till the next year to see if it does. remember Smog is Bi-annual, so you could be golden for nearly two years. What is the month sticker on the rear license plate? That will tell you what month the renewal is due. The paperwork usually comes two to three months before that.

OK, on to the oil smoke issue.... Back in the days when these cars were newer it was common for that decelerating smoke to be just the valve guides and seals leaking, but I've seen way to many people rebuild their cylinder heads only to find that it still smokes some on decel. The rings being the second culprit... These days with these motors being as old as they are it is more likely to be both the valve guides AND the piston rings/worn cylinders causing the decel smoke. Using the Castrol High Mil;age 20w50 will help. That and the Lubro Moly MoS additive as well. On severe oil burning/loss issue cars I have switched to straight 50W oil.

If you do indeed have a '76 and you want to keep it (in CA), when you need to get it o pass smog I would be glad to consult you on the operation and parts required to help it pass the smog test. There are many '76 smog related threads I have pages of answers in. If you can't find them in a search I'd be happy to pull them up for you or simply answer direct questions. I feed and care for many '76 2002s in the San Francisco area.

I'm sure Carl Nelson would help with any of your '76 related questions as well. He is a very good person to get to know for the care and feeding of these cars, as well as any and all BMWs. You're lucky to have his shop so close to you.

Cheers and HTH,

[FunkyLaneO]

Hey, did I see your car driving through Del Cerro yesterday? looks like the one I saw driving down Madra Avenue.

[fuzzynormal]

I'm sure Carl Nelson would help with any of your '76 related questions as well.

Hey, thanks for the feedback. Carl was helpful. We told him we have a 2002, the very first converation we had with him he asked, "What year?"

"'76, I think."

"Sell it."

[fuzzynormal]

Hey, did I see your car driving through Del Cerro yesterday? looks like the one I saw driving down Madra Avenue.

Yup, we were out driving around and went through that neighborhood.