What is the casting date on the block, looks like an early oil pan with minimal splash panels.
What did you do to your E9 today?
- Thread starter adawil2002
- Start date
two weeks ago I had a strange encounter getting out of the garage.
I was driving 100 meters, when all of of a sudden the engine would stumble, no acceleration, RPMs would jump from idle to 1500 and then drop to 0, ...Suddenly the engine died and on starting would only run in idle. I got back to the garage, and then the car would not start any more...
I checked fuel pump, carbs, accelerator pump, power to coil and carbs.... and a ton of other things --
in the end got help from my shop:
they quickly found the culprit -the Bosch points (new - installed about 2 years ago) had a hidden break in the wire, that had started to creep in and get more and more prominent, until the points stopped working.
Out with the old, in with the new! Luckily, I had acquired some high quality original BMW NOS points a while ago.
With the NOS points in, the car runs like new - the idle is super-stable , it starts up right at the turn of the ignition, and it accelerates and the auto shifts smoothly again like new....
I would not have believed that the points and properly running ignition have such a broad reach.
I had been observing some small differences and odd behavior over the year, but with a 50+ year old car this can have multiple reasons, so I am super delighted about having my beloved E9 back in shape and running better than before!
Note to self: if you encounter mysterious behavior, consider changing your points.
Foot note: Will swap to 123 ignition going forward .
I was driving 100 meters, when all of of a sudden the engine would stumble, no acceleration, RPMs would jump from idle to 1500 and then drop to 0, ...Suddenly the engine died and on starting would only run in idle. I got back to the garage, and then the car would not start any more...
I checked fuel pump, carbs, accelerator pump, power to coil and carbs.... and a ton of other things --
in the end got help from my shop:
they quickly found the culprit -the Bosch points (new - installed about 2 years ago) had a hidden break in the wire, that had started to creep in and get more and more prominent, until the points stopped working.
Out with the old, in with the new! Luckily, I had acquired some high quality original BMW NOS points a while ago.
With the NOS points in, the car runs like new - the idle is super-stable , it starts up right at the turn of the ignition, and it accelerates and the auto shifts smoothly again like new....
I would not have believed that the points and properly running ignition have such a broad reach.
I had been observing some small differences and odd behavior over the year, but with a 50+ year old car this can have multiple reasons, so I am super delighted about having my beloved E9 back in shape and running better than before!
Note to self: if you encounter mysterious behavior, consider changing your points.
Foot note: Will swap to 123 ignition going forward .
tochi
Well-Known Member
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When typewriters were still in common use, conventional wisdom and auto parts manufacturers typically recommended yearly changes of ignition points, spark plugs, condensers, rotors, etc. This was despite an understanding that most of those parts were perfectly serviceable. Economic considerations of the time made such drudgery “acceptable” and "inexpensive" insurance against future breakdowns and repairs.
When your 50-year-old car was new, its manufacturer recommended routine ignition point replacement (every 8,000 miles/12,000 kilometers). Lest anyone forget, the manufacturer also recommended oil changes - every 4,000 miles/6,000 km or every 6 months (which ever comes first). Times, technology and driving habit changes (economics) may cause many of us to deviate from this recommended preventive maintenance schedule.
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To quote Rob Siegal: "It's always the points."
It would be a lot easier to replace them at recommended intervals if they were still easily available...
I have a Pertronix setup now and that fixed my points issue, though some posters have taken theirs out and gone back to points.
Certainly, it's a good idea to carry a spare set of points.
Very interesting, just two days ago I completed my return to points after my 40 year old Crane electronic ignition blew a transistor and cooked my ignition coil. I Replaced the coil, rewired as per original, installed new points, adjusted timing, car starts right up, idles great. Mine is a CSA too, and in its first drive after all of this, I could not believe the smoothness and liveliness the car was now showing me. Idle, in gear, at a stoplight was "modern car" like. I mean it was impressive! Mike
//My5UV
Member
When you could get a new part for a few bucks at your nearest parts store on a whim it definitely made sense to just throw the part at it. If you’re wrong you now have a good spare 
now that looks like MASSIVE cooling power
Rad pic is upside down? Lower outlet is higher, was that needed? Expansion tank bracket modified to mount it?