engine and drivetrain She's at it again...fuel issue

[darrinos]

Simeon,

 

I appreciate what you're saying. The problem with that is that while I'm at home and just driving to work, nothing much ever happens to it. It's always when I'm off in some small town that one of this issues arises and I'm left to fix it in the parking lot so that I can get back home. From that perspective, I've always made it back. From your perspective, I understand completely. I'm using the shotgun method of repair a lot of times, just throwing a bunch of things at it hoping something works. Not my preferred method. Along with that, it's also my  daily car right now for work and I can't have it down for more than a few hours. It has performed rather admirably in this role as I am expecting an awful lot out of it. Soon, the Infiniti will be repaired and the BMW will resume its more comfortable role as 2nd car/Hobby car. Thank you for the careful selection of your words.

['76mintgrün'02]

Points and condensers are of such poor quality these days it makes sense to eliminate them...

 

 

 

 

 Focus on the distributor, points, condenser, coil, and associated wiring.

 

 

 

 

When was the last time you changed your condenser?

 

 

 

 

Condensers are dirt cheap, so just pop a new one in and see if that helps. A dead/dying condenser could also explain why you car keeps destroying points.

 

 

 

 

And still replace that condenser if you can, it's only these things that can affect the tach like that.Points open, condenser prevents arcing, coil fires, and flyback voltage from the coil drives the tach!

 

what do all these quotes have in common?

[Simeon]

I have definitely have been in your situation where my only car is one with personality but I just wouldn't allow this situation to continue (especially if you need to make all of these long trips).

 

The low tension ignition wiring is very straight forward, you could run new wires point-to-point outside of the wiring loom in about an hour plus another hour to swap out the condenser and points for ones specifically for your distributor and then set dwell and timing.

[darrinos]

Common thread?  I dunno but these pretzels are making me thirsty...AND I have sudden and overwhelming urge to replace my condenser all of a sudden. Guess I'll get that ordered at the local parts store...they don't stock those here in Slow-klahoma....gonna get some points too, which are amazingly readily available. Must fit in some lawnmower...  Will let you know in a couple of days. Thanks for the historical compilation, Mint...the condenser was replaced late spring, but since they're cheap as they are, I'm all for switching it out.

['76mintgrün'02]

Where you live does not matter that much any more, when it comes to buying parts.

I live less than a mile from the NAPA store, yet I do not buy my 2002 parts there.  (Except for oil and brake fluid).

 

In this modern age, it is possible to order parts from sources such as Blunttech and have them in the mail in short order.

Steve, at Blunttech, will set you up with quality ignition parts, as well as your other BMW needs.

Buckeye was kind enough to list some actual part numbers for you in an earlier post.

 

 

I would invest in a pair of crimpers while you are at it.

The connectors appear to have been skwooshed with pliers (hence the wires falling out of them).

I would suggest removing and replacing all of those connections, carefully.

 

Buy the timing light and dwell meter (combined units are nice).

 

Triple check the wires around the one that melted and make sure more are not damaged.

The wire on the top of your new coil appears to have clear insulation.

If that is the case, it is likely your resistor wire and you probably do not need that ceramic one.

I cannot say for sure, with the coil you purchased, but you would not need both with the stock coil.

If you get a multimeter, you can test the resistance in that wire, as well as your new coil, to see if you have it right.

 

Most of that is a repeat of previous posts, hope that helps.

 

Pete and Repeat went out in a boat.

Pete fell in, who was left??

[darrinos]

I understand that we're in the "new age" of internet shopping...I was just making a point that Oklahoma seems a little slow at times. Like to get my digs in since I'm a Missouri boy. I'll take a look at the Blunttech site.

 

I have crimpers....at home...didn't have them with me in the parking lot in Springfield, Mo...so yes, I used a pair of vise grips to crimp the wires. I will take care of those connections PDQ. The timing light and dwell meter are on the way. I will continue to check the wires. The clear one that you see on the coil goes to my electric choke.

 

The manufacturer of the coil (MSD) says that this one requires a ballast resistor when used with points, so that's why I installed it that way. Still, I'm not sure if it's on the right wire or not. I took a guess and put it on the wire that was melted "the most" before replacing the wire. I'm guessing by testing the wire, I would find that one has more resistance than the other? What values am I looking for? And as you say, I may not need both, but what happens if I use both? I apologize...I love mechanical work, but when it comes to electrical stuff, my brain pushes back...yes, I'm afraid I have electrical resistance in my skull. Nevertheless, I will be doing as Simeon suggested very soon and replacing the wiring as my schedule allows. Add to this that it's still starting hard....like it's flooded. But after it starts, no issues...so I've got to work on that too. And wheel bearings. And brake hoses. And...

 

I've got the points/condenser ordered...but I still worry that I don't have a distributor number. Thinking I might need to take it out and look. And don't get me started with Pete and Repeat, or I'll start singing "The song that never ends".....

[Simeon]

Ignoring the fact that I don't know the exact figures off the top of my head, a ballast resistance ignition works with a coil that is effectively rated to deliver its spark at say 20,000v when the primary voltage is say 9v. To get the 9v from a 12v electrical system, the notional 3v are dropped across the ballast resistance in series with the coil primary. When the car is starting, relay contacts within the starter solenoid bridge out the ballast resistance during cranking. This gives the full 12v to the 9v rated coil which boosts the secondary voltage to, say, 25,000v. The coil is designed to take this for short periods but not all the time.

 

Having two ballast resistors in series would see your coil primary voltage dropped to a notional 6v level. This and no circuitry to bridge them out on cranking would give you the hard starting.

[jimk]

When the car is starting, relay contacts within the starter solenoid bridge out the ballast resistance during cranking. This gives the full 12v to the 9v rated coil which boosts the secondary voltage to, say, 25,000v.

   When cranking, battery voltage does not remain at 12v, it drops to about 10V.

[darrinos]

WELL...this is all very interesting how the battery voltage plays in with cranking and the coil and the ballast, and here's why. Since I've started having trouble...um, starting....I was worried that it would cause trouble with the starter due to over-use and more cranking. (I had the hard starting before the new coil and ballast). So today, I go to lunch...make a few stops...all is well...then on my final stop, the car won't crank. NOTHING. Dead. Battery was good, but when I turned the key it just went "clunk". I was eventually able to start the car by jumping across the solenoid with a screwdriver, and got back to work. To leave work, had to do the same thing. But here's where it gets REALLY exciting. I'm sitting at a stop light and the car dies. Well, crap. Won't start without the screwdriver so I get ready to push it to the side...but then I smell something...and notice a lot of smoke coming from under the hood. I jump out, open the hood... and I see the battery and the positive battery cable are both smoking. The cable is having a meltdown. So I jump back in the car to turn off the key...apparently I still had it on. I was worried that it was going to catch fire, but luckily, it did not. I pushed it to the side of the road and let it cool down.

 

I noticed that there was a wire that had come off of the solenoid (no, Simeon...I have not touched this terminal before. ) I slid it back on but still the car would not start. So, I put it in neutral and grabbed my increasingly favorite screwdriver and tried to start it, but could not get the drive to engage. So I pushed it until I got to a decent speed, hopped in, dropped into second and it started up! I was a bit surprised. With trust highly compromised, I was able to drive it the remaining 5 miles home. I'm a little puzzled as to why there would be a short on the starter when the car was running and the starter wasn't being used. Am I missing something here? This is becoming a nightmare for me and I'm seriously considering selling the LRC (Little Red Car) to someone who has more time to invest in it. But before I do that...I'd love to hear if you guys think these problems are interconnected. In the 3-4 years I've had this car, it's never caused as much trouble as it has the past 3 months and the timing of it all is really poor for me personally. So...your thoughts? At this rate, I can't fix one problem because a new one crops up before I can address it.

[AustrianVespaGuy]

Hey Darrin, sorry bit out of things for a bit.  First of all, basically no, there is not much evidence to indicate that your ignition and starting issue are related; for the most part they are two completely different circuits, but there are two places where they ARE related and you should definitely check these out first.  They are of course the battery and the ignition switch.  Make sure that the positive terminal of your battery and any of the solid red wires coming from it are not able to short out against the body/engine ANYWHERE.  Then, once your are absolutely SURE that this is all safe, turn the ignition on and make sure you have the proper +12V at all of the right connectors on the back of the ignition switch (green and purple when in 'run' and the black/white starting wire when in 'start.')