The 02 Register Newsletter

The 02 Register
PO Box 726
Crows Nest 2065

The 02 Register is a recognised Register of
BMW Clubs Australia

At the first sign of hesitation under load, suspect a fuel filter.

Fuel is an important ingredient to the running of any engine(!), and if thee is a blockage in delivering fuelt to the engine when it's needed, you've got problems.

With 2002s, there are a number of fuel filters you need to attend to, particularly with the tii. Firstly, there is a fine mesh filter at the base of the fuel pickup line in the fuel tank. This is a use-once-then-throw-away part. Keep a number of these filters on hand. The tii has a fine mesh filter at the inlet of the fuel pump under the rear guard of the car. This is a conical wire mesh type which may be difficult to obtain Clean it out by blowing it with compressed air.

Then there may be one or more in-line fuel filters on the way to the engine. The tii has a cannister filter on the radiator support panel, beside the radiator. Don't skimp on the size of these filters. Many cars have fallen by the wayside when their small filters have become clogged with rubbish. At the first sign of hesitation under load suspect a fuel filter.

Racor fuel filters from Enzed are a good alternative to OEM parts. A nice 2 micron model with a replacement cartridge design works well.

On the tii, there is also a fuel pressure regulator in the return line, on the exit from the Kugelfischer injection pump. This is a simple spring-and-plunger design which should be cleaned and reassembled for continued effective operation.

Just one final tip: if you see a fuel truck topping up the tanks of your favourite station, give it a miss for a few days. In topping up the tanks, any dirt or sediment is being stirred up and put back into suspension. Best to wait for it all to settle back to the bottom of the tank before you fill up.

Of course, ignore this philosophy if you're staring down the barrel of a fuel strike...

Mr Martin young from Tamworth has sent a letter in regard to the article regarding fuel in the last issue. It is printed here in full. Dear Editor,

I take issue with some of the opinion expressed in the article ``The 02 Advantage'' by Gary Speechley in the November/December issue [of the BMW Club NSW journal, or Issue 2 of the 02 Register Newsletter].

Firstly, I can only presume that a ``not'' has been omitted from the sentence ``I suspect they also believe it is politically correct to be seen ...''

But my main disagreement is with the writers suggestion of the addition of methyl benzene (presumably at home and under who knows what conditions) as a way of dealing with the lower than desired octane rating of current leaded fuel - currently 96 RON, reduced from 97 recently, and 98 when 02 cars were new.

Currently available ULP (91-93 RON) and leaded base fuel are essentially are essentially one and the same, and are low benzene fuels - much lower than their European equivalent. Premium ULP (95 RON, not 98) has its octane raised by the addition of benzene, and if octane is the only issue for 02 cars, then Speechley's suggestion may seem at first attractive. I don't know whether the lubricant effect of tetra-ethyl lead in preventing valve seat recession is relevant to the 02 cars.

Speechley's warning about mixing in metal containers only should give a clue as to the nature of the stuff, and its not the sort of thing to add at each fill. (Try some first on a hidden bit of paintwork).

In addition the effects of unburnt exhaust benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons from NON-CATALYSER cars is a significant health issue. Work done in the UK indicates that the highest concentration of unburnt aromatics (eg benzene) may be INSIDE the car, and whilst I know you all drive with the fan on and the windows down, it's certainly something to think about. At least think about your passengers. Opinion of workers in environmental health in the Health Department of NSW is that PULP is not recommended for regular use in non-catalyser cars, and the same would go for using benzene doctored fuels.

Although clumsy, raising octane with AVGAS is more likely to be achievable. It comes in low-lead and normal-lead forms, and you may achieve the desired result with the addition of less than you think. The effect of tetra-ethyl lead on the octane rating is not linear. Mixing equal volumes of say 91/93 RON ULP and say a theoretical leaded 103 RON fuel may give an octane ratin higher than the average 97-98 you expect - it could be 99-100. Adding a bit of tetra-ethyl lead raises octane say 3 points, but add twice as much and you only get a rise of 5 points. Too much lead can be bad for your engine too - valve and exhaust passage deposits and plug fouling.

A further advantage with AVGAS would be reduction in fuel volatility, which has to be low for AVGAS, and has been rising for car fuels. Higher volatility may cause fuel line vapourisation in carburettored cars without fuel recirculation. (If the car has an electric fuel pump, then it should have a recirculating system).

If the currently available 96 RON leaded petrol has inadequate octane for 02 cars, than engine modification to cope with it is really a better and safer solution than playing with fuel chemistry. Whilst we have been reassured by politicians that supplies of leaded will be available for the forseeable future (although most certainly increasingly limited and costly), you may find you'll need to modify to use ULP at some time anyway.

Rest assured that 02 car owners are not alone with this problem. Late 1960s 911S Porsche owners too are worrying about what's happening in those high compression air cooled cylinders.

One thing that may have been overloked in all this is eligibility for club competition. Rules for some single marque clubs with track competition stipulate that pump fuel only is allowed unless in OPEN class. The club committee may need to look at this issue.

I'm grateful to Mr Young for taking the time to contribute to this discussion. It would appear that, put bluntly, there is no single solution to suit all cars.

I've had discussions with people prepared to rework their distributors in an effort to remap the ignition advance curve as well as people who are using methyl benzene, AVGAS or a mixture of leaded and (P)ULP.

The potential lethality of organic compounds such as methyl benzene cannot be overstated. Mixing fuels is something the oil companies spend millions of dollars in perfecting. The backyard mechanic has no hope ensuring the accuracy of what they are doing - as Mr Young points our ``basic quality control''.

Having just attacked the problem of lead in fuel and its gradual accumulation in the body, particularly of our children, attention is now focussing on the level of unburnt compounds like methyl benzene in our air from unleaded fuel.

How about an electric 02 instead? (BMW used an 02 as a testbed for an early electric vehicle. But we know it can't go sa well as the real thing, can it?)

Any further discussions on our fuel problem will be welcomed. In particular, details from anyone who has made or knows of modifications to the engine to cope with our fuels will help us assess our various options. Unfortunately, it's a problem we'll have to try to fix locally. Overseas experience has been with different fuel formulations, so their seems to be no off-the-shelf solution available to us.

There is now a dedicated site on the Internet for 2002 information. The WWW site (for World Wide Web) is called ``The 2002 Page'', and it is run by Erik Frank and Ben Thongsai out of the University of Texas. Using a WEB broswer such as Mosaic or Netscape, connect to the address http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~efrank/2002.html.

Topics listed include engine modifications (tuning, twin-cam head project, injection, etc), transmission (320i and close-ratio 5-speed conversions), and chassis (suspension, shocks, tyres, etc).

A lot of information areas are ``still under construction'', but it's nice to see the progress.

Contact Gary Speechley for more details.

November saw BMW Club NSW's first Track Day for some time, and it was well attended by members from the NSW and ACT clubs, and attracted the attention of David and Sue Burnett from the Gold Coast.

The day was enjoyed by all, not least of whom was Dave Burnett who took most of the awards, including the outright awards for Fastest Time of the Day and Best Overall Performance. Just goes to show what an 02 can do against open competition.

The DCNT Award? ``Don't Come Next Time!'', of course. Congratulations on great driving and a well prepped car. But you have to be there next time to prove it wasn't a fluke!!

And a quick but very grateful thanks to Sue Speechley, Sue Burnett and the others for their help in timekeeping under such testing conditions. Cyclonic wind storms had us blacked-out for most of the day.

If you can help with the following parts, we have a couple of people who'd be grateful.

Firstly, an accelerator pedal for an 02. The rubber has broken away around the sockets holding the base to the floor. Does anyone know of an alternative pedal from another model, perhaps an E21>

On a related problem, does anyone know where to get replacement pins to hold the base of the accelerator pedal? There are welded (I think) to the floor pan and break loose in time, possibly being lost before repairs can be made.

Secondly, a third gear set to suit an original 02 5-speed close-ratio gearbox. Yes, I know you'd all recommend the owner scrap the whole gearbox and donate it to you, but he has his own uses for the darn thing. Seems he wants to go into historic rallying events and third gear is missing a tooth.

An increasing number of us are looking for doors. I know there are the lower door repair kits from Jaymic, but how many of us would like complete, new doors? Please let us know what you want.

Please contact Gary Speechley in the numbers shown below so that we can put you in touch with the people needing these parts.

Please feel free to submit your ads for this space too.

	Directory
ACT	Bill Kinnane	(06) 231-2001
NSW	Gary Speechley	(02) 570-3870
QLD	David Burnett	(075) 35-2473
WA	Graeme Finlayson	(09) 381-7182

Contacts and contributions for the Newsletter:
Phone:	(02) 570-3870 or (015) 01-4879
Facsimile:	(02) 570-3870
Internet:	Gary.Speechley@dsto.defence.gov.au