Distributor options

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RohJay

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I am looking for a replacement Distributor for my '73 CSL .
I understand some later Injected-M30 distributors can be made to fit?

I am looking at the following two part numbers which are available at the moment:

12 11 1 466 329
12 11 1 361 412

Both are listed for E12 530i and E24 630i.
I think both correspond to the primary Bosch number 0 231 305 070

Appreciate if someone can verify which of these two will best suit .

Thanks in advance...
 
Per realoem, the suggested distributor pt. no for your vehicle seems to be 12111361236

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partxref.do?part= 12111361236&showeur=on

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=3452&mospid=47807&btnr=12_0953&hg=12&fg=05&hl=2

This presupposes your engine is equipped with carburetors. If this is the case, just about any points-equipped M30 distributor could be adapted for use with your engine. Biggest concern would be locating a distributor with advance curve similar to your specific engine. FI engines (at least for the E9) are slightly different than the carburetor-equipped models. (Depending upon your use of the vehicle - this may not be critical.) Also, recalibrating the advance curve should not be all that difficult for anyone with access to a distributor scope and the appropriate springs and weights. In some circles, this used to be fairly commonplace - even without the machine - as long as you had the correct springs and weights.
Dist23.jpg


PN 361 412 seemed better suited to your application since, according to one source, it was not designated for the stricter North American emission controlled engines. However, another source provides contrary information, making one rethink any selection - other than a purely generic one.

Adding to the confusion, Bosch's historical database lists other pt. numbers. Problems arise given that some of these numbers were likely superseded. Still, maybe this will be of some assistance.

http://www.automotive-tradition.de/download/ausruestungslisten/mf0295.pdf

http://www.automotive-tradition.de/...6270f9c1c01fcab64e7a4745c1a7e176&locale=en_GB

http://www.automotive-tradition.de/...6270f9c1c01fcab64e7a4745c1a7e176&locale=en_GB
 
Hi,

If it is worth anything, I think you can fit just about any distributor from E9, E3 and upward to prior to L-Jetronic.
If you have points in your dissy & would like to get rid of the points, use the injected dissy with a suitable Bosch Ignition Module & Ignition Coil. Sorry I don't have part numbers but I did this many years ago and can't lay my hands on details. I'm sure a good Tech or Auto Electrician could come up with the right combination.

Hope this is of some help.

K D
 
Resurrecting this thread. I have a -69 2800 with black coil. Can I swap in this distributor to get rid of the points that I have in my current one? I run triple webers so no vacuum to the dizzy. Or can I simply take out the black "sensor" from this dizzy and replace the points in the dizzy in my car with it?
IMG_20250623_164239.jpg
IMG_20250623_164245.jpg
 
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frogish said:
Resurrecting this thread. I have a -69 2800 with black coil. Can I swap in this distributor to get rid of the points that I have in my current one? I run triple webers so no vacuum to the dizzy. Or can I simply take out the black "sensor" from this dizzy and replace the points in the dizzy in my car with it?View attachment 204501View attachment 204502
Click to expand...

that distributor looks so sad... it seems fitted with a sort of pertronix

whats is wrong with your actual distroibutor ?

if it looks half as crappy as this one i would try to fit the pertronix-esque device into your actual distrbutor

just an idea
 
Thanks. I was going to drive a wedding but the car died on my twice on my way to church. After first stall it took roughly 30 minutes to get it fired again, and then it stalled 150 yards from the church... completely dead. Well, cranking but did not want to start after that.

I have two main "suspects":
-Water in the gas. There were reports of water leaking in to a gasoline-depot around the time I was going to drive the wedding. Have not had time to check it yet, but that will be my first check.
- Coil acting up when hot. Grabbed a spare old coil and hooked it up once we had towed it to my parents place, but it would still not show any signs of starting. I do not know the condition of this coil.

When standing beside the road and checking spark it was yellow-ish, so something in the ignition system is weak. My rotor, cap, wires and plugs are maybe 5 years old.
But when I was looking through my spare parts I found this dizzy with electronic ignition and thought I'd at least give it a go just to be rid of the points. Regardless of it being the fault in this situation.
 
I would start by ignoring the fuel/water issue to start with and do the basic checks on the ignition to make sure that you have the spark you need to light fuel.

Key on - power to the primary side of the coil?
If no, then trace the issue, wire off at the starter?
if yes, then measure with your Volt Ohm meter across the primary side of the coil and note the reading (picture below)
Then measure primary to secondary side (picture below)

You can re-check this when the coil is hot to see if you have an issue with the coil breaking down when hot. Of course you can also just throw a known good coil in.

1750857704182.png


Pull your distributor cap and make sure the secondary side contacts and rotor are clean and the wires are tight
check the points for oxidation or corrosion and sand or file (or replace) as necessary. Gap the points and use a dwell meter if you have one.

The alternative here it to check your Pertronix system and see if the pick-up is working. That is easily done with your volt ohm meter. You should be able to see the pulse if the pickup is working.

Then move on to timing (well documented on this site)

That should help to make sure you have spark, then it is compression and fuel...
 
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I'll offer another suggestion from personal experience. If your distributor is in need of service, as was mine, your timing could be way out of whack. And points can go bad, have you checked to see if they are pitted or are otherwise making poor contact? And I've seen quite a few posts about the horrible quality of new points, even Bosch ones which is why the Pertronix type points replacement is so popular.
 
frogish said:
Thanks. I was going to drive a wedding but the car died on my twice on my way to church. After first stall it took roughly 30 minutes to get it fired again, and then it stalled 150 yards from the church... completely dead. Well, cranking but did not want to start after that.

I have two main "suspects":
-Water in the gas. There were reports of water leaking in to a gasoline-depot around the time I was going to drive the wedding. Have not had time to check it yet, but that will be my first check.
- Coil acting up when hot. Grabbed a spare old coil and hooked it up once we had towed it to my parents place, but it would still not show any signs of starting. I do not know the condition of this coil.

When standing beside the road and checking spark it was yellow-ish, so something in the ignition system is weak. My rotor, cap, wires and plugs are maybe 5 years old.
But when I was looking through my spare parts I found this dizzy with electronic ignition and thought I'd at least give it a go just to be rid of the points. Regardless of it being the fault in this situation.
Click to expand...
Is this a FI car, or a carbed car?

Your problem does not really sound ignition related. The "yellow" spark could just be an ambient lighting issue. If it makes some level of spark, one would think the car would not be dead. If there is NO spark, then yes, it is an ignition issue...

The "bad gas" thought is probably unlikely. Easy to check. Look at the gas coming in from the tank. if it has water in it it is most likely cloudy...But this is very rare in my experience...

I'd check fuel pressure, or possibly just fuel flow, to be sure you have fuel getting into the engine. I am not too familiar with the D-Jet system, but I do know the L-Jet uses a small switch to turn off the fuel pump if there is no air going into the engine, and if that fails you are dead on the road. Same with the fuel pump relay... On the D-Jet, the pump should come on when the ignition is on...Alternatively look for faulty fuel pump wiring, a clogged fuel pump, failed FPR, vacuum leak, etc...
 
Thank you for your replies. Its a triple Dcoe with electronic fuel pump. Fuel is filling up the bowls and entering cylinders.

No water in the fuel confirmed today.

It tried to fire today but did not succeed. Kinda close though.

Spark is yellow/whiteish
Caps, rotor, points, condenser is 5ish years old. Along with wires and plugs.
Points are a little black but not pitted.

Measured my coil
Primary 1.1 Ohms
Secondary 11.4 kOhms

Will buy new plugs tomorrow.
 
When you say that fuel is filling up the bowls and entering the cylinders, are you saying that fuel continues to flow even after the bowls are filled? If so --

Check to ensure that your fuel pump is not putting out too much pressure. A higher pressure "performance" pump will overwhelm the carbs quickly.

If that's ok, I would check that your floats have not taken on fuel and ceased floating.
 
I've used this pump + regulator 7 years so should be Ok unless the bowls has stopped floating as you say. I'll look into that
 
no more than 3lbs psi for DCOE's. If all 3 float valves are leaking then I'd verify post-regulator pressure.
 
To be clear, the floats can fail and take on fuel without regard to the fuel pressure. This was more common with the brass floats, but also occassionally with the newer plastic floats (I had a plastic float fail and take on fuel). I know an old school mechanic who won't use the brass floats for just this reason.
 
Interesting, I didn't realize that the brass floats had a higher failure rate, I would have assumed the opposite. I wonder if it is simply age related...
 
boonies said:
Interesting, I didn't realize that the brass floats had a higher failure rate, I would have assumed the opposite. I wonder if it is simply age related...
Click to expand...
Who knows. I sometimes wonder if some of the things I hear about carburetors should be described as voodoo.
 
boonies said:
Interesting, I didn't realize that the brass floats had a higher failure rate, I would have assumed the opposite. I wonder if it is simply age related...
Click to expand...
Metal fatigue is the culbprit with brass floats. Cyclical stresses will cause cracks over time. As engine temps can range from below zero to over boiling, the atmosphere trapped inside the float will cause positive and negative pressure cycles.
This is true for the plastic floats as well, but the walls are thicker and the material is made of molecules of long chains of hydrocarbons rather than thin sheets of metal whose atoms form rigid crystal grains that don't flex well. In this application, plastic wins over brass. That's not true of many other parts of the engine, as much as BMW keeps trying to find out.
 
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