Andrew Wilson's '73 CSi

adawil2002

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  • When I put my 123 in I replaced this distributor shaft a gasket with a new one from BMW because the one that came on it didn't look like it was going to fit very well. This is likely your problem

Thanks Steve, I will pass that along to VSR.
 

adawil2002

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Last Cars and Coffee of the season today in Newington, NH then a short drive over to Stoneface Brewing.

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vince

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Funny how different Fjord can look on different cars. My 02 definitely had a more lavender hue to it than my coupe.

Your coupe looks more blue than the 02 your parked next to, which looks like it has a little green in it.
 

m73

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Your BMW 'vanity' plate scene is strong in Maine :)

I like it ;)
 

adawil2002

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After driving Jeff "Bwana" Haught's CSi in South Carolina, I asked VSR to perform a compression test on Athena because the bottom end is still original. Received an e-mail from VSR that all the compression & leak down numbers show a very healthy engine.

123 Ignition, has an internal seal failure forcing oil into the cap, also had the same failure on Vern, my '73 Tii. VSR has recommended going back to a Crane Fireball Optical and rebuilding the original distributor which is the system Athena had when I bought her back in July 2011.
 

zinz

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123 Ignition, has an internal seal failure forcing oil into the cap

Bummer... my 123 has a very slight leak within the cap that I noticed last year. I had higher hopes for the 123's longevity, quite honestly. I've got about 15,000 miles on the one in my '71 2002. I've been a big proponent of the 123 over the years, they need to be heartier than this. Perhaps 123 can make a change, or offer a rebuild?

Ed
 

Stevehose

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Where is the leak getting through? When I installed mine I replaced the distributor shaft o-ring with a BMW one because it appeared loose and ill-fitting. I will check mine for leaks this weekend.
 

adawil2002

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Bummer... my 123 has a very slight leak within the cap that I noticed last year. I had higher hopes for the 123's longevity, quite honestly. I've got about 15,000 miles on the one in my '71 2002. I've been a big proponent of the 123 over the years, they need to be heartier than this. Perhaps 123 can make a change, or offer a rebuild?

Ed

Ed, this will be the third rebuild on a 123 for the same internal seal failure. Apparently these distributors need to be either rebuilt or replaced between 16-30K miles have had consistent failures at those mileages. I have also been a proponent of the 123 since 2015. Both Vern & Athena run perfectly with the 123, hope they can resolve this failure and make a manufacturing change.



Where is the leak getting through? When I installed mine I replaced the distributor shaft o-ring with a BMW one because it appeared loose and ill-fitting. I will check mine for leaks this weekend.

Steve, oil is migrating up the inside of the shaft into the cap. There are no external leaks of oil. 123 always claims too much manifold pressure causes the failure. Had my 2002Tii engine rebuilt, which has a crank case/manifold vent and does not have excessive pressure, yet the note sent back from 123 said the failure was due to excessive crank case pressure and recommended an engine rebuild.
 

DWMBMW

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Just checked mine. Installed in 4/17 and driven about 7,000. It’s the newer wireless Bluetooth model so not sure if there were any updates but it looks clean.

I always used to replace my cap and rotor at my yearly tune up when I had points but they both still look fine.

How often have others replaced them on the 123?

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Stevehose

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Any pics of what this oil issue looks like-how much comes out? I checked mine and it looks clean with just some dirt particles in there. I'm considering taking the green plate off to see below it. I love the 123 but don't want it to leave me stranded. For long trips I have always packed my old dist anyway.
 

adawil2002

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Any pics of what this oil issue looks like-how much comes out? I checked mine and it looks clean with just some dirt particles in there. I'm considering taking the green plate off to see below it. I love the 123 but don't want it to leave me stranded. For long trips I have always packed my old dist anyway.

Unfortunately I have no pictures of the oil in the cap. Don’t know anyone who has taken one apart aside from the 123 dealer.
 

adawil2002

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Finally replaced the light bulb in the Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio. Unfortunately in doing so broke the pin off the station selector.

I just purchased 30 3898 bulbs from topbulb.com to meet the minimum order requirements. If anyone would like one, they are $1.98 + postage.

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Markos

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Finally replaced the light bulb in the Blaupunkt Frankfurt radio. Unfortunately in doing so broke the pin off the station selector.

Sorry to hear about the radio station indicator. If you or anyone needs to swap the bulb in the figure, I would be happy to walk you through the process. You can remove the entire front face, but there are a few steps involved. You just need a 5.5mm socket and a small flat screwdriver.
 

adawil2002

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Sorry to hear about the radio station indicator. If you or anyone needs to swap the bulb in the figure, I would be happy to walk you through the process. You can remove the entire front face, but there are a few steps involved. You just need a 5.5mm socket and a small flat screwdriver.

Replacing radio bulbs would make a good thread!
 

vince

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