Fuel Gauge Problems

Tools required:

Thin Nose Pliers, Hammer, Large flat Screw driver, Soldiering Iron & Soldier, Thin Wire, Nut Spinner. A Friend to help hold the unit whilst soldiering.

Note what wire goes to which connection. (Write it down).

Carefully remove the unit using the large screwdriver turning it anti clock wise. You may need the hammer to help loosen the unit with a gentle tap . Lift out the Sender. Don't lose the rubber gasket.

Pop out the filter at the bottom of the sender unit.

Undo the nut at the bottom of the unit, the outer casing should then pull off (Gently).

The Thin wire (this is usually the cause of the problem) should run from the Earth connection, then loop round the base (do not touch the electrical connections when wrapping the wire around the base or it won't work.) & back up to the connection marked "G". Soldier the wire as shown making sure it runs between the contacts on both sides of the float. The Float should move freely up & down.

The thicker Copper colour wire should go directly to the contact on the base to the contact marked "W". Via the cutout in the side of the float.

Carefully replace the outer casing & tighten the nut. Replace the filter with rubber gasket & put into the petrol tank, tighten & reconnect the wires as removed.

02 Misfiring?

I broke down on the M25 the other week. The car started coughing & spluttering with the revs going all over the place. Also loss of power. After a quick investigation the contact points looked a little burnt, but I didn't have any spare on me. However, I did have a spare Condensor, I replaced it in minutes & to my surprise all worked as it should.

A lesson to be learnt from this; A Condensor costs a few quid & takes up no room in your boot so it's worth carrying a spare. The symptoms can be misleading thinking it could be a fuel problem. Beware & always carry a spare.

5-Speed Overdrive

The 02 had an optional 5-Speed Close Ratio gearbox available as a costly option from the factory, the gearbox was the Getrag 235/5.

.As with the 4-Speed unit the top gear in the 235/5 is direct (1.0:1 ratio), the difference is that the other four gear ratios are space closer to fifth gear. For example, the gear ratios in the standard 242 gearbox are 3.764, 2.02, 1.32, and 1.0 for the first, second, third and fourth, respectively. With the 235/5 gearbox, the gear ratios are 3.368, 2.16, 1.579, 1.241 and 1.0 for the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth for the Close ratio gearbox. But beware a lot of the 235/5 internal parts have gone NLA.

However, the overdrive gearbox now fitted to my Tii is from the early 3-Series (E21) the 245/4 unit. The 02 must have a hydraulically operated actuated clutch. Some early cars have a mechanically clutch release mechanism that must be upgraded before any attempt at the conversion can be made. The 245/4 unit was designed with “CAFÉ” (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards in mind. The ratios for the 245/4 are, 3.68, 2.00, 1.33, 1.00 and 0.80 for fifth. The overdrive fifth gear reduces engine speed by 20%, thus increasing fuel economy. The slave cylinder and clutch release lever on the E-21 gearbox are entirely different from the 2002. On the 3-Series, they are positioned higher on the side of the gearbox at approx. 3 o’clock (when viewed from the front). This position necessitates reshaping the transmission tunnel around the area of the clutch slave cylinder. The 2002 clutch slave cylinder is pressed into a bore cast into the bellhousing, and has an exposed pushrod that pushes towards the rear of the car, while the 320i clutch slave cylinder is bolted into a lug on the side of the bellhousing, with a pushrod that is hidden inside the bellhousing, pushing towards the front of the car. The four-speed gearbox mounting brackets have also be moved and re-wielded under the car. It is also recommended that you replace all the worn parts including the Guibo, thrust bearing, and fit the heavier duty mount. The conversion is mentioned in Mike MaCartney’s superb “02 Restoration Guide”.

Dodgy Brakes?

Brakes Pulling to the side?
Can be caused by seized brake calipers. Check rubber flexible brake pipes, they can rot from the inside & act like a one-way valve. Can also cause brake fade. Remedy: Replace faulty components.

Suspect Servos?
With engine off - Pump the brake pedal 10 times. Leave your foot on the brake pedal & start the engine. If the pedal goes down further, the servo's should be good. If the pedal pushes back on your foot, the servo's may be faulty & need to be replaced.

Brake Servo Problems

It has come to my attention that there is a major shortage of brake servos in the World. My Tii has recently required reconditioned servos & nobody seems to have any. I phoned Wallothnesch in Germany only to be told there were none there & they also knew that there was none to be found in Australia & the Far East, Jaymic in the UK don’t know when they are going to get anymore either. There’s loads lying around various breakers etc. but they rot inside if not stored properly so they are effectively useless. If BMW ever remakes them they are likely to cost four figures for a pair, which of course could out-weigh the value of the car for which they are required. This is bad news as it could false a lot of runabouts off the road & be only be suitable for breaking when only the servos need replacing. The German cars have a single servo, but all UK cars had to have dual-system for safety reasons. Maybe its time to upgrade the braking system with a more modern answer.

Adjusting the Window regulator

If your front side windows don’t shut fully there may be a cheap easy answer before buying a second-hand window regulator as new ones are NLA:

Tools required: Large flat blade & Phillips screwdrivers, block of wood, 10mm socket or spanner, old wire coat hanger, some spare plastic door panel clips.

1. With the wire coat hanger, poke out the disc from the quarter light knob, by poking it through the hole at the back of the knob & push out the blanking disc way from the door, this will expose the screw holding the knob on – Remove.
2. Remove all screws holding the door handle rest, carefully leaver off the top chrome surround to expose top screw. Plastic insert on door handle also pushes off away from the centre.
3. With all handles, winders removed carefully pull lower part of door panel away from door, there are plastic clips that will properly brake, but cheap & easy to replace, keep going all around the door working to the top until all clips are dismantled.
4. Door panel should now lift upwards, it might need some wriggling.
5. Loosen the x3 10mm bolts holding the Window winder to the Regulator.
6. Temporarily put the window winder handle on, & wind the window fully up. Either pull window up with your hands to gain another 5mm or so. Or use a block of wood & place it in the bottom of the door wind the window down onto the wooden block & then give it an extra quarter of a turn. Tighten the x3 10mm screws. The window should now wind up fully.
7. Refit is reverse of the removal process, replacing any broken clips where necessary.

Windscreen wiper repair

The symptoms: your wipers move slow, and in very cold weather may not move at all.

The repair: remove the motor and add modern grease, and a drop or two of oil.

I actually replaced my entire wiper mechanism because someone had put on the wrong size button where the wiper arm attaches. One button was loose when I got the car, and had been crudely drilled for a set screw. The other one was brazed (welded) onto the shaft.

I used the mechanism from a 1972 car that I am parting out. I kept my original motor.

The late 1972 motor is sort of compatible with later year model cars if it has the round barrel electrical connector. However, the 1972 motor seemed wired in reverse. Low speed on my switch was high speed on the motor, and visa versa.

My motor was fine after being lubricated.

1. Unplug the electrical connection, and pull it through the metal between the air inlet and the engine compartment.
2. Run the wipers, and make sure they are correctly parked. Carefully note the position of the arm attached to the drive shaft coming out of the motor (actually a motor and a right angle gear drive).
3. Remove the 10 mm nut on the drive shaft, and loosen the arm.
4. Remove the 3 10 mm bolts holding the motor to the wiper mechanism. The front two bolts are easy. The rear bolt you'll have to get by alternating the open end wrench from one side to the other. I was only able to get 1/8 turn on each side. Slow, but not all that difficult. Save the bolts and star lock washers.
5. Lift out the motor. Carefully wiggle off the plastic cover.
6. Remove the 4 screws holding the driver gear cover in place. Carefully lift the cover to add a couple of dabs of grease to the worm gear. I added a couple of drops of engine oil too. Replace the cover. Be sure that the gasket seats correctly. There are a couple of plastic alignment pins. Be sure to get the ground wire under the correct screw.
7. Loosen but do not remove the two Phillips head screws holding the motor case.
8. Remove each screw and it's associated anchor, but do not allow the case to wiggle.
9. Pull the case straight off. If you must move it, wiggle in a direction that will force the worm gear against the large drive gear. At least in a VW Beetle motor, it is possible to remove the case at an angle and pull the motor armature out too. This is not a disaster, but is certainly a headache. The BMW motor armature may not come out, but you don't want to find out. There are large stationary magnets inside the case, so it will seem to stick.
10. Lubricate the bearing in the inside end of the case.
11. Reassemble the motor, and plug in the electrical connector for a test.
12. The motor should run smoothly at both speeds, and park. These little motors have quite a bit of torque, and if you hold it while an assistant turns it on and off, you'll feel it twist when it starts or stops. It makes a quiet whirring noise.
13. Make sure that the motor is parked. Put the motor back into the car.
14. Check that the wipers park correctly.

With Thanks to Tom @: http://laudeman.com/bmw2002.html

Jaymic Fuel Injection Bulletin here