BMW 1600 Parts & Accessories

When I drive my BMW 1600 and I go over 55 mph, I can feel the steering wheel shaking. What's happening with my car and how can I fix it?

This problem is actually pretty common not just for the BMW 1600 but for all vehicles. Because you notice the steering wheel shaking only when you go over 55 mph, the most likely cause is a tire or tire balance problem or a driveline issue. To fix this, simply have the wheels balanced. You can do it yourself by cranking the wheels over to the steering stop and checking the inside and outside of the rim. Usually, the amount of the balance weights is split between the two. If you notice that one is missing, then that could be the reason why your steering wheel is vibrating. You will know it since the missing weight should have left a clear outline. You should also check the inside and outside of the rim for signs of damage, and look for packed mud on the inside of the wheel. As for the tires, see if there are any bulges or uneven wear, they might have caused the vibration too.

Black smoke is coming out of my BMW 1600's tailpipe. Should I be concerned about this?

Black smoke coming out of your car's exhaust means that your BMW 1600's engine is burning too much fuel and not getting enough air. Because your car has a carburetor, the black smoke might be caused by a stuck or misadjusted automatic choke, a leaky metal or hollow plastic float inside the carburetor fuel bowl, or a fuel-saturated foam plastic float. It is also possible that the fuel filter is restricted by built-up dirt. You will need to fix the carburetor. If adjusting the automatic choke or float does not restore a normal air/fuel mixture, you will need to rebuild or replace the carburetor or choke.

My BMW 1600 is idling roughly. How do I find what's causing this?

This rough engine idle problem is common but may be difficult to resolve, depending on how you approach the problem. Just be careful not to go on a frenzy replacing parts even if you haven't confirmed they're faulty until your problem is eventually solved. Doing that is inefficient and costly. You need to know that finding the cause of the problem will take more time than actually fixing it, so troubleshoot your car patiently and don't do a rush job or else you might pay a bigger price. The best way to diagnose this is to check the basic engine components as it might simply be caused by something so trivial. It could be a misadjusted carburetor, a vacuum leak, worn or misadjusted breaker points, wrong coil polarity, or fouled plugs. Also, look out for other possible issues such as stalling, lack of power, pinging or detonation, excessive oil consumption, exhaust smoke, and hesitation. These might come with the rough idle as their respective root problems are close to each other and their malfunctioning may impact other components.