Fine tuning
1981 BMW 323i TOP CABRIO
MOST OF THE saga of getting my Cabrio back on the road was covered last month. All except the story of its fuel injection. And Bosch K-Jetronic is notoriously difficult to get right.
There was a strong smell of fuel and the car was running rough and revving high at idle. Then, during the early summer months, it started to run hot. The temperature gauge needle should sit exactly in the middle of the dial when the engine is up to temperature, but it was creeping over the ¾ mark.
I tried to diagnose the fault myself, and changed the sender unit – but no difference. So I changed the thermostat, but no. Could it be the water pump? No, that was fine too. Could it be the head gasket? Gulp!
I took the car to Munich Motors in Wokingham, where Clive Sanchez has been specialising in older BMWs for several years. He soon had the Baur running smoothly again. The overheating turned out to be a faulty new thermostat! And fine-tuning the K-Jetronic injection was a relief, as the car had been guzzling fuel, but it was now returning a respectable 28mpg. Felt quicker with it, too.
There have been several other minor problems, such as the alternator which I replaced (from Linwar Motors in Lancashire). I drive the car every day, but I don’t want to continue using it throughout the winter months and it’s too nice to be kept outdoors so I think I will store it until spring.
There are many things that I want to improve, though some parts are near-impossible to find, especially in right-handdrive form. The seats are creaky and could do with re-padding and springing. I have managed to source some original seat fabric from BMW Group Classic which was an absolute find: a project for the winter.