BMW 2002 Crane XR700 Install

From John Clarke Mills Project Wiki

This install is extremely simple and I think that anyone even a little bit mechanically savvy cam complete this task, which I would highly recommend. The car idles better, runs better, and even sounds better. I cant even begin to explain how much more responsive it is. Now I can change the spark gap to at least 32 thousands, instead of the usual mid 20's. I am hoping this will also help to get a hotter, more complete burn.

First thing I did was push the car in fourth gear to get the engine to TDC firing on the first cylinder. This will later give a good baseline for timing the car when your installation is complete. Here is a view of the points that we currently in my car. To start, remove the points, held in by one screw, and the condenser on the outside.

Dont worry about the wires that are connected to the condenser anymore. They will not be used. Next, mount the small bracket into the same hole that the points were connected with.

Next, attach the optical sensor to the other applicable bracket and get the proper optical disk ready. Now slide the two nicely into place at the same time. This makes it easier to ensure that the disk is going to fit between the the notch in the sensor.

Now I wanted to reuse the same black plastic protector so I just cut holes in it to route the wires away from the spinning wheel.

As for the rest, follow the simple instructions in the installation guide provided. Ground the unit to a nice place, put the distributor cap back, and fire up the car. For me, it fired up instantly.

The timing was a little off so I loosed the distributor and turned it counter clockwise to advance it. I waited for it to get warn, and tuned it some more. Then I drove her around the block and enjoyed my brand new car. Well worth the money.