Can't believe it is in my garage! Portand,OR

[gdub0717]

I have wanted an E9 for a while now. Against my wife’s better judgment I have made the plunge! 1972 3.0CS 4spd
With the knowledge acquired from this forum primarily, I believe that I have made a purchase that will not break the bank. Thanks. Have looked at the known rust locations time and time again and have only found one location that needs attention.<O</O
The original interior is in essentially pristine condition.<O</O
The car is stock.<O</O
The 2 immediate issues should test my mechanical abilities in a big way as I have not spent much time under a hood for 20+ years.<O</O
1. Idle issue. – Believe it is a carburation issue as indicated by the previous owner. When moving the car runs great but sitting at a stop the car will possibly die.
<OImmediately I would like to move to an electronic ignition system maybe this will help the idle issue but I doubt it.</O
<OFrom reading it looks like I need a Pertronix Ignitor 1867A. Can someone confirm. Attached pictue of current distributor.</O
<O</O2. Ignition issue- Previous owner cut some wires and installed a momentary switch in order to actually engage the starter. When the key is turned all the way to engage the starter nothing happens. Based on my reading here it looks like the back switch. Correct?
Sorry for the immediate questions but my impatience is getting the best of me. Want to get the work started right away.<O</O
I am woefully inexperienced on these cars and will need help along the way.<O</O
Gordon-gdub0717

 

[HB Chris]

Gordon,

Looks like you found a euro coupe from the interior. Yes, you need the 1867A. I put this one in my coupe, if the timing is already close you can just swap it out and it will start fine. Please add you VIN to the Registry and any details and photos you would like.

Chris

 

[vince]

Congrats and welcome from another Portland area e9 owner! Love the interior on your coupe.

I can't help on the ignition question but the idle issue might be solved by having the carbs adjusted. Mine did the same thing when I got it and that's all it took. I've since switched to fuel injection.

Are you a member of the BMW-CCA Oregon Chapter? If not, please join. We still have some fun events left for this summer/fall.

 

[doubledutch]

2800cs

Congratulations! I am sure your new ride will bring you lots of pleasure (as it has for me) from what i understand from the previous owner of my car the idling was off too and he was able to get it right by adjusting the carbs.

 

[gdub0717]

Origianlly sold in Italy I believe

Chris-
The previous owner indicated it was imported by an Italian Doctor. The 100% Italian owners manual seems to indicate this is true.
Also, The side markers for the US market; what year did that become part of the US version of the coupe?
Thanks for the confirmation on the distributer. I will order one now.

 

[HB Chris]

All US and North American coupes got the side marker lights. When euro coupes were federalized they had to have these lights added. Maybe yours were removed if the car was repainted? What is your VIN? Send an e-mail to [email protected] for build date, color, destination, etc. to confirm Italian delivery. Does it have a large square rear license plate holder unique to Italian coupes?

 

[Stevehose]

If you have Zenith carbs, here's a thread on tuning, try the butterfly and mixture screw baseline adjustments to start and go from there.

http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10942&highlight=zenith

 

[61porsche]

Welcome Gordon

Please resist the temptation to start replacing or upgrading things until you have the car running right which basically means fix what the other owner thought he fixed.

Rough idle-

1. The rotor is the wrong one. That's a limiting rotor and it may just be limiting in a bad way. Spend $7. The right one isn't so fat, large, and looks like it just did a Jenny Craig or Subway commercial.

2. Go find and check all your vacuum hoses, caps, etc.

3. Buy a cheap ( or borrow your neighbor's expensive) multimeter with a dwell reading and measure it. Make sure.

4. Timing- If three is off then 4 will be too. If the timing is not steady report back.

5. Spark pugs- take pictures. Report back but number the pictures and plugs just incase the carbs turn out to be only one carb.

Resist the dark force.......unless your plan is replace everything and you know exactly what you're doing.

 

[gdub0717]

Please resist the temptation to start replacing or upgrading things until you have the car running right which basically means fix what the other owner thought he fixed.

61porsche-OK, I Will contain myself and submit to those that know. Thanks for your input. I will update with additional info as I work through your list.

 

[gdub0717]

Congrats and welcome from another Portland area e9 owner! Love the interior on your coupe.

I can't help on the ignition question but the idle issue might be solved by having the carbs adjusted. Mine did the same thing when I got it and that's all it took. I've since switched to fuel injection.

Are you a member of the BMW-CCA Oregon Chapter? If not, please join. We still have some fun events left for this summer/fall.

Vince;
Thanks for the welcome. I will definitely sign up and hope to see you in the future. That is if I get the idle issue taken care of in a reasonable period of time! -Gordon

 

[deQuincey]

Please resist the temptation to start replacing or upgrading things until you have the car running right which basically means fix what the other owner thought he fixed.

Rough idle-

1. The rotor is the wrong one. That's a limiting rotor and it may just be limiting in a bad way. Spend $7. The right one isn't so fat, large, and looks like it just did a Jenny Craig or Subway commercial.

2. Go find and check all your vacuum hoses, caps, etc.

3. Buy a cheap ( or borrow your neighbor's expensive) multimeter with a dwell reading and measure it. Make sure.

4. Timing- If three is off then 4 will be too. If the timing is not steady report back.

5. Spark pugs- take pictures. Report back but number the pictures and plugs just incase the carbs turn out to be only one carb.

Resist the dark force.......unless your plan is replace everything and you know exactly what you're doing.

+1
the carburated e9 is beautifully engineered, so it might be worth spending a little time understanding your engine before making big changes
upgrades do not necessarily mean improvements
just try to calm down your impulses (resist the dark force is a better motto), and go little by little
if you need help with carubretors here you will find some
regards and welcome

 

[m_thompson]

1. The rotor is the wrong one. That's a limiting rotor and it may just be limiting in a bad way. Spend $7. The right one isn't so fat, large, and looks like it just did a Jenny Craig or Subway commercial.

That is the right rotor. It can be replaced by the less expensive one without the rev-limiter.