Hi Rob, I recently (last weekend) purchased a 2002 here in Florida. I have spent the last 1.5 years looking for the right one, and definitely identified with your article "The Two That Got Away" as I used a similar process to keep my self out of trouble, especially with my wife, haha. Anyways, I was finally able to spend a few hours with the car yesterday which at the present moment is not running, but is very close. Pretty much the entire underside and engine compartment have been rebuilt or replaced with OEM or Ireland Engineering components and reconnected with the exception of the transmission lines, some wiring (not looking forward to that) and some odds and ends. The task I am attacking at the moment is the auto shift lever. I am missing a couple of key components at this time associated with the handle area, specifically parts 6 and 7 as well as possibly other components of parts 1-4. I attached the diagram which I pulled up on BMW's classic shop website. I was wondering if you can offer advice on where to get or if its really just easier to procure another shift lever handle that will suffice for now. I have a 5 speed tranny I was able to procure with the deal as well, which I plan on putting in at some point, but want to get the car up and running with the auto first, which was also completely rebuilt. Thanks for the help!
Hi, sorry I've taken so long to respond. A combination of not seeing the notifications for some reason, and work-related travel. Regarding availability of the parts in the diagram, I looked up a '73 2002 on realoem, see the same diagram, and parts 1-4 and 6-7 are showing up as "ended," which is probably the context of your question. I've never owned an automatic, so I'm not privy to knowledge of secret stocks. You might try Carl Nelson at La Jolla Independent (www.bimmerdoc.com). You also might look on the classifieds on 2002faq.com, but you probably already know that too. As you probably know, having an automatic makes the 5-speed installation much easier, since the tunnel is already widened, relieving you of the task of beating it with a hammer. Good luck! --Rob
Look up Matthew F. Guilbault on the Facebook Nor'East 02ers page. He's parting out a car with an automatic.
Rob, First off Happy New Year. No worries and thank you for the info; probably to late for the parts car, but my attention, when I have been able to spare it, has been prioritized on getting the thing running. I was just able to find all of the loose ends that connect to the neutral safety switch just today actually, so I am now able to turn over the engine with the key, and not the negative battery terminal with a jumper to the starter, haha. Small victories, but this was actually pretty clutch in terms of me continuing on with the process below. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. I am also trying to find useful posts on 2002FAQ. Anyways, the last few months have been spent mainly wire diagram reading and wire hunting, along with learning...a lot. At this point the engine cranks over extremely slowly, like 1 rev per 3-4 seconds on average slow. I took the alternator and battery to get tested, battery is solid, however alternator stator voltage is bad. I know that will cause an issue once the car is running, but will that put drag on the system and make it more difficult for the engine to turn over? Other culprit from what I have read would be the starter for the slow cranking. In addition I am in the process of verifying the coil/distributor/spark plug system is up to snuff. I have a multimeter and have tested the numbers coming off the coil and compared to a few different sites out there, but haven't gotten anything definitive on what I should be seeing. I also have inspected all the connections for corrosion/good contact/etc and all looks good. The spark plugs were also removed, the gap's checked (they are brand new and the correct type from what I have read), and are in the proper firing order, however, I am not convinced they are actually emitting sparks. I checked the distributor and attempted to align as best as possible but I think I need to take off the valve cover and do the TDC method to be absolutely sure. Lastly is the Carb, which is a Weber 32/36. Seems to be in decent shape. There is no electrical connection to the terminal on it as shown in the photo attached. Also the butterfly/venture valves on the top are not being manipulated when I move the accelerator pedal/linkage. There seems to be some component that is missing just near the carb on the right side. I can see the accelerator linkage move and the linkage that is connected to the valves move when I move them, but they don't move each other. I am pretty sure that is an issue. I'll leave it there, if you get a minute I would appreciate any help. Thanks! Pat
