other Derelict 2002 to Autocrosser

[BigIrish]

Well I bought the EL-13 flasher and hooked it up as several other had and nothing.  I may have hooked up the EL13 wrong and fried it - I did see a little spark inside the unit (oops). 

 

Then I found an old 2-prong flasher (maybe $4?) in my random parts bin, the old-fashioned bi-metal kind.  I only hooked up the 2 green wires and it works great. The only downside is you can't hook up the wire for the dash light. 

[BigIrish]

Update and a couple of questions for you guys:  

-Rebuilt the old 32/36 with the "CDs RX" recipe for jetting and I can hardly believe how sweet it runs.  The old setup was completely wrong and appeared to be the out-of-the-box jets that came with the carb (both bbls jetted exactly the same and too lean).  Big win there.

 

Qs:

- The engine runs great and pulls smoothly but the power seems to taper off starting at about 4k rpms.  Is this normal for a stock engine?  I haven't checked the timing yet.  Will upgrading to a Tii mechanical advance distrib help the top end?  The car has headers and the weber but otherwise I think it's stock, including the vacuum advance points style distributor.

 

-Someone put a Borla muffler on it.  I like a strong sound but it's absolutely deafening.  I think it would be quieter with no muffler at all.  Any rec's for a moderately loud muffler?  Doesn't need to be specific for this car as the rest of the system is muffler shop stuff.  

 

-Steering - takes a lot of effort to turn the wheel, even while moving.  Steering snaps back strongly to center.  Too much caster?  There is no binding or worn parts in the system, checked all that.  

 

Thanks!

[zinz]

Such great news to hear that the project is moving along so well!!!

 

Heavy steering? Have you checked the fluid level in the power steering pump?    Check your tire pressures.  Increase the front pressures until it lightens up.  Put about 2 pounds less in the rears.  I run about 35/33 ish... with 195/50/15 Yoko S Drives.

 

My 71 has the Ireland exhaust system.  Sidedrafts and long-tube headers... about as sweet a exhaust note as you will ever hear. I love it.  Make sure you properly suspend it at all points or it will break.

 

The 75 project has some crappy glasspack center resonator and some who-knows-what muffler.  It's crap...  Quiet when toodling around but WHHHAAAAAAA...Super noisy when you step on it.  Awful.

 

Timing???  Check it. With. A. Light. Set the points with a dwell meter THEN set timing to spec and run it.  Maybe try adding a few degrees and see what you get.  Better yet, use an advancing timing light and plot your dizzy's curve to know what you have.

 

Here's a good read about timing... it's worth your "time"  http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/67587-ignition-timing-methodology/

 

and this http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/124816-using-an-advance-timing-light/

 

and plotting curves  http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/155102-plotting-vacuum-advance-distributor-curves/

 

Ed Z

Edited September 3, 2015 by zinz

[peterschop]

My car sounded kind of like yours, ran good to about 4K but not much after that. It would go to 6K but it was like "what's the point"? I rebuilt the 32/36 and that helped some but it still didn't run the way a 2002 should.

 

I found the car needed more advance. Make sure the flywheel ball (which is 25 deg) is set to 1400 rpm.  Here is a good adjustable timing light with a tach and dwell meter built in. 

http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-5568-Pro-Timing-Light-Tool/dp/B000EVU8J8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441302914&sr=8-1&keywords=INNOVA+5568+Pro-Timing+Light&pebp=1441302920008&perid=1V54EWGQZ99FN03RZ2VJ

 

Old distributors can wear out and get sloppy, advance weights can stick and vacuum units can leak and fail. I just bought a 123/Tune distributor which is the best thing I have done to my engine. Highly recommended. I am able to copy or modify  any advance curve into it. It also has vacuum advance capability which plays in at low load and cruising speeds. Now my engine will run right up to 6K with no problem.  

http://123ignition.nl/

 

Here is a thread on the 123/Tune distributor.

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/topic/159824-123-ignition-distributorany-info-or-personal-experience/

[BigIrish]

I agree it needs more timing or the weights are stuck.  You can actually hear the exhaust sound taper off too.

 

OK, I am really struggling to understand this bizarre "flywheel ball" concept.  I've set timing on lots of cars but cannot understand how you set timing without a crankshaft pulley marked in degrees.  I've only ever used a normal timing light, set at idle speed.

 

I searched a bunch of threads but I can't comprehend it.  Can anyone explain this?  I need some sort of special light that calculates the degrees??

[BigIrish]

...also I talked to Ireland about thier Tii style distributor.  He said I need an "optical timing light".  What the heck is that?  Mr. Google did not tell me.

 

He could not explain it either.  How is this different than a normal timing light that you hook to the #1 cylinder lead?  

 

This car is making me feel like a real moron....

[zinz]

A non-advancing timing light is used to set "by the ball" (or an advancing light set to zero degrees).  Pull the vacuum line from the dizzy and plug it, bring the engine revs up to the appropriate rpms, point the light down the inspection hole and squint to see the "Z" ball bearing... can be challenging!

 

There is a TDC mark on the flywheel as well. Called the OT line.  Many of us use that mark and an advancing light to set our timing.  If you can see the front pulley marks, you can use them as well...unfortunately, many of the M10s have had the front pully messed with and the marks no longer coincide properly.  Use the flywheel first, then check the front pulley.

 

Here are the flywheel marks (I painted the flywheel and marks while I had it off the engine)  This can also be done thru the inspection hole...though it's a more delicate operation.

 

 

...."optical timing light"????  beats me...  Standard timing light will get you there.  A digital advancing one is better.

 

Timing by the ball instructions:

 

Edited September 3, 2015 by zinz

[BigIrish]

Ok THANK YOU!  This makes much more sense to me now.  Good lord the Germans love to make things difficult.  

[peterschop]

The flywheel ball is visible through the inspection sight hole located on the top of the block where it bolts to the transmission. The flywheel is marked with a tdc line marked "TO" and at 25 degrees is the ball which looks like a BB embedded into the FW next to a "Z" mark. The idea is to aim a timing light into the hole at 1400 to 1500 rpm and turn the distributor until you can sight the ball. By that time the rpm has changed and you need to repeat  the process over till you get right. With an adjustable timing light you can set it at 1400 and look for the TO line. The ball is difficult to see and some people just use the crankshaft pulley. On my car the pointer is nowhere near the pulley and I can't do that .

 

1400 rpm is for a carbureted car. The TII is done the same way but  set to 25 deg at I think 2500 or 2800 rpm. This give the TII less advance.

 

In this picture you can see the sight hole. My USB cable is also attached to the 123/Tune distributor. 

 

I painted the flywheel to make the marks easier to see.

[peterschop]

...also I talked to Ireland about thier Tii style distributor.  He said I need an "optical timing light".  What the heck is that?  Mr. Google did not tell me.

 

He could not explain it either.  How is this different than a normal timing light that you hook to the #1 cylinder lead?  

 

This car is making me feel like a real moron....

 

I think an optical is just a standard strobe timing light.

[zinz]

No problem!

 

Another helpful tip...

 

Go ahead and set your valve lash as part of the tune up process.  While you are doing so, there is a line on the front of the camshaft which marks TDC when it's at the 12:00 position (under the oil bar).  

 

 

Use that mark to get the engine to TDC, then peek down the timing inspection hole and use a long Qtip, or tiny paint brush to paint the OT Line, and/or rotate the engine around 336 degrees and also paint the Z ball.

 

Ed

[zinz]

I guess I typed faster than Peter, our replies are scarily similar.... 

[Dev02]

I used a long thin eraser, and with the engine idling I lightly ran it down the inspection hole. I was a little worried it would get pulled out of my hand, by magic stop the flywheel from rotating, and the entire car would blow up in my face... but that didn't happen. Cleaned up the flywheel very nice. I then painted the front pulley and have timed off of that since.

[BigIrish]

Well another mystery solved  - the vacuum plate in the distributor is frozen so solid I can't even move it with pliers.  I hate messing with points anyway, so time for an upgrade!

 

Now for something really strange.  Sometimes, when I'm holding the clutch down and in 1st gear, the clutch starts engaging and pulling the car forward.  This only seems to happen on the slight incline of my driveway.  I assumed the master or slave is shot and letting fluid escape, releasing the clutch. 

 

However the pedal box is dry and so is the outside of the slave & master cylinders.  What's happening here?  

[peterschop]

It sounds like you have an internal leak in the clutch master cylinder allowing the clutch to slowly engage as fluid seeps by. Best to replace both the master and slave at the same time.

 

You should be able to check the vacuum plate by sucking on the hose to see the plate move. Check the mechanic advance by grabbing the rotor and it should turn clockwise about 1/16 of a turn and then spring back. Check the shaft for lateral wear by moving the rotor left and right. You should have very little movement. Whenever servicing the distributor, pull the rotor off and put a couple of drops of oil in the top of the shaft to keep the mechanic weights lubricated.

 

Did I tell you how much of a difference my 123/Tune distributor made?