1980 320i Bimi's Second Life

[TomComm]

Hi............Found your BMW 320 Registry, which encouraged me to sanitize our 320i bought new in 1980. California's emission laws permitted only the 1.8 liter, fuel injected engine so it was a no-performer compared to our '70 400ci GTO but my wife thought it was cute and she picked the color, Cornel red. I didn't mind the color, I got the GTO. I inherited "Bimi" in 2004 when she got the Infinity FX35 and Bimi became all mine. We never sell cars so Bimi became my "Town Jalopy". Now after 33 years of benign neglect, I'm getting the assorted dings and paint fading fixed and roof painted. I really like the Cornel red after all and taking a new interest the car. Besides, 1979-82 BMW 320 is a rare car where we live in the country; don't recall seeing another one in maybe 20 years, anywhere! If I required performance I always have the ‘70 400ci GTO hardtop, the ‘56 327ci Chevy hardtop and the beastly 418ci '59 BB Olds powered ‘54 Healey 100

[Jeroen]

So you're saying you've owned the car from new, right? Amazing! And some nice other automobiles as well!

Nice to see Bimi get's some well deserved TLC now, enjoy... both the car and this forum... welcome!

[uwbuurman]

A late but big welcome! If possible I'd like to see some more pics, also interior pics. The colour is great, never heard off Cornel Red but I think you mean Korneol Rot (BMW name). But if I understand you correctly, this 320I is fitted with a 1.8 M10 engine? I always was under the impression that the US specs 320i was a 2.0 m10.

[Jeroen]

BMW maintained the 2 litre K-Jet M20 for the US 320i until the facelift, so say late 1979. After that date the US 320i was equipped with the modernized 1.8 litre we known from the European 318i: both engines have Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection but the M10B20 still had the D-Jet style intake we know from the D-Jet M30 engines. Since the one model available in the US was the 320i and they didn't want to downgrade its successor, the 1.8 litre kept the 320i badge.

Anyway, Tom how about an update?

[TomComm]

Well I'm back after a few years. Bimi suffered a drastic loss of power on the highway but I got it home without being run over.
Seems the Bosch continuous fuel injection is suspect but no one in Central Calif knows anything about it or wants to know about it, not even the BMW service types. So I'm on my own. The high pressure pump was replaced the second time in 6/11 but i didn't replace the hp filter. Obviously I don't have the special fixtures and gauges required to do the structured trouble shoot described in the BMW shop manual but I'm not prepared to do the brainless " keep changing everything until it works" approach either. Anyone have usefull suggestions I might follow to fix Bimi before I send it to the shredder?...........Tom

[uwbuurman]

What happened the last 32 months?

[TomComm]

Aww. It was my "go get pills and occasional hair cut" town jalopy. Ran as good as ever it did, considering it has over 250kmi.

[steed]

quick and easy things to check. examine the CIS fuel pipes in the engine bay to see if any have perished/warped etc. check to see you are getting a spark as it may be an ignition problem? also check the flap in the air flow meter to see if any debris has gotten into it (clogging the mechanism perhaps). let us know how you get on