1992 BMW 318i Driver

640-10



HEATING
AND
AIR
CONDITIONING

i

El
Radio

Antenna

Rear



.
,



si,-
Left
side



I
d

1
.
Rear
vents
2
.
Fresh
air
3
.
Face-level
vents
4
.
Recirculation
5
.
Footwell
vents
0013017

Fig
.
28
.
Location
oflate
production
air
distribution
motors
in
heater
box(shown
in
rear,
side
and
top
views)
.

Heater
andA/C
air
distribution
motor,

replacing
(rotary-knob)

1
.
Toaccess
left
side
motors
(dash
vent
mixing
or
recircu-

lation
flap),
remove
lower
dash
panel
and
knee
bolster

on
driver
side
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.

2
.
To
access
right
side
motor
(fresh
air
flap),
remove
glove

compartment
.
See513
Interior
Trim
.

3
.
Each
motor
can
be
removed
after
its
electrical
wiring

harness
connector
has
been
removed
.
Squeeze
plastic

clip
to
release
motor
.
See
Fig
.
29
.

Fig
.
29
.
A/
C
air
distribution
motor
plastic
retaíning
clip
(arrow)
.
Re-
lease
clip
and
tilt
motor
out
of
housing
.

Rear
Window
Defogger

0011877

The
rear
window
defogger
switch
is
integrated
with
the
heating
andA/C
control
head
.

HEATER
AND
CONTROLS

Fig
.
30
.
Wiring
diagram
of
rear
window
defogger
and
radio
antenna
.

Rear
Window
Blower
(Convertible
Models)

A
blower
fan,
fitted
into
the
rear
seatback,
defogs
therear

window
.
It
will
only
operate
with
the
engine
nunning
and
the

top
raised
.
A
microswitch
behindthe
rear
seats
provides
the

signal
that
thetop
is
raised
.

To
access
the
blower
fan
motor,
it
is
necessary
to
remove

four
screwsfrom
the
center
seat
back
.
Remove
the
wiring
har-

ness
connector
and
motor
mounting
boits,
then
remove
motor

by
pulling
it
down
and
forward
.
See
Fig
.
31
.

ri

Suppressor
filter

1
0013005

Fig
.
31
.
Rear
window
blower
in
center
of
rear
seat
back
(arrow)
.

The
electric
rear
window
defogger
is
integrated
with
the
ra-

dio
antenna
.
See
Fig
.
30
.



y



/f



0013014

CAUTION
-

Always
replace
O-rings
when
reconnecting
refrig-
erant
fines
.

9
.
Before
recharging,
evacuate
system
for
at
least
30
min
.
Recharge
system
following
equipment
manufacturer's
instructions
.
See
Table
d
.
A/C
System
Refrigerant

Capacities
.

A/C
evaporator,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Followingmanufacturer's
instructions,
connectanap-proved
refrigerant
recovery/recycling/recharging
unit
to
A/C
system
and
discharge
system
.

2
.
Remove
complete
heater
boxas
described
earlier
.

3
.
Remove
expansion
valve
as
described
earlier
.

4
.
Unfasten
evaporator
sensor
electrical
harness
connec-
tor
and
puli
out
sensor
from
ieft
side
of
heater
box
.
See
Fig
.
50
.

Fig
.
49
.
Pull
out
evaporator
sensor
from
housing
in
direction
of
arrow
.

5
.
Remove
rear
heater
box
cover
.

6
.
Remove
clips
retaining
lower
evaporator
housingcover
.
Tilt
outheater
core,
then
pull
evaporator
out
of
housing
.

7
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

CAUTION
-

Always
reptace
O-rings
when
reconnecting
refrtg-
erant
fines
.

8
.
Before
recharging,
evacuate
system
for
at
least
30
min
.

Recharge
system
following
equipment
manufacturer's
instructions
.
See
Table
d
.
A/C
System
Refrigerant

Capacities
.

HEATING
AND
AIR
CONDITIONING



640-17

8
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.



A/C
evaporator
temperature
sensor,

replacing

ou12b46

The
evaporator
temperature
sensor
is
mounted
in
the
left
(driver)
side
of
theheater
box
behind
thecenter
console
.

1
.
Remove
lower
dash
panel
and
knee
boister
on
driver
side
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.

2
.
Remove
left
footwell
ventilation
duct
byremoving
re-
taining
rivet
in
bottom
of
duct
.
Pull
it
down
and
away
from
heater
box
.
See
Fig
.
50
.

Fig
.
50
.
Left
footwellventilatíon
duct
(arrow)
.

0o1300ba

3
.
Disconnect
sensor
electrical
connector
from
heater
box
.
Pull
sensor
straight
out
of
heater
box
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
49
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Table
c
.
lists
evapo-

rator
temperature
sensor
test
values
.

Tablec
.
Evaporator
Temperature
Sensor

Test
Values

Test
temp
.



Resistance

23°F
(-5°C)



11
.4
-11
.9
k
ohms

32°F
(0°C)



8
.8
-
9
.2
k
ohms

41
°F
(5°C)



6
.8
-
7
.2
k
ohms

50°F
(10°C)



5
.3-5
.6
k
ohms

59
°
F
(15°C)



4
.2
-4
.5
k
ohms

68°F
(20°C)



3
.3
-
3
.6
k
ohms

77°F
(25°C)



2
.6-2
.9
k
ohms

86°F
(30°C)



2
.1
-
2
.3
k
ohms

95°F
(35°C)



1
.7
-1
.9
k
ohms

AIR
CONDITIONING

2
.
Using
special
hex
key,
turn
radio
mountingscrews

counterclockwise
to
loosen
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

0011845

Fig
.
4
.



Use
special
hexkey
or
Torx
driver
to
loosen/tighten
radio
mountingscrews
.

3
.
Pul¡
radio
out
of
instrument
panel
opening
.

4
.
Remove
connector(s)
from
rearof
radio
.
See
Fig
.
5
.

Fig
.
5
.



Radio
connector
being
removed
.

5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

0011846

Left
footweil
speaker,

removing
and
installing

Fig
.
6
.



Hood
release
lever
retaining
screw
(arrow)
.

RADIO
650-
3

1
.
Remove
screw
from
center
of
hood
latch
release
lever
.

Remove
lever
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

0012578

2
.
Rotate
plastic
trim
panel
retainer
1
/4
turn
.
Pul¡
off
door

sea¡
from
edge
of
speaker
cover
and
pull
speaker
trim

panel
back
toward
rear
of
car
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

0012579

Fig
.
7
.



Rotate
plastic
retainer
(black
arrow)
andremove
panel
in
di-

rection
shown
(white
arrows)
.

RADIO
AND
SPEAKER
SERVICE

721
Airbag
System
(SRS)

Airbag
Systems
.......
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
....
.
.
.
.
721-1

AIRBAG
SENSORS
AND
ELECTRONICS
721-2

SRS
Warning
Light
and
Fault
Display
.
.
.
.
.
..
721-2

Airbagcontact
ring,
replacing
........
.
.
.
.
.
721-3

Airbag
crash
sensor,replacing
..
.
....
.
...
.
721-4

ZAE
control
module,
replacing
.
.
.
.........
721-5

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
only
removal
and
installation
of
air-
bag
components
.
Airbag
system
repair
and
fault
diagnosis
is
not
covered
here
.
Diagnostics,
component
testing,
and
airbag
system
repair
should
be
carried
out
by
trained
BMW
service
technicians
.

NOTE-

Special
test
equipment
is
required
to
retrieve
SRS
fault
codes,
diagnose
system
faults,
and
resetltum
off
the
SRS
indicator
light
.
The
SRS
indicator
light
will
remain
on
until
any
problem
has
been
corrected
and
the
fault
memory
has
been
cleared
.

When
servicing
cars
equipped
with
SRS,
the
precautions

on
this
page
mustbeobserved
to
prevent
personal
injury
.

Airbag
Systems

The
airbag
system
installed
on
E36
cars
through
the
1993
model
year
consisted
of
a
single
airbag
in
the
steering
wheel
.
This
systemcan
be
identified
by
the
orange
crash
sensors
lo-
cated
on
the
front
wheel
wells
and
the
absence
of
a
passenger
side
airbag
.

The
ZAE
airbag
system,
starting
in
model
year
1994
(pro-
duction
date9/93
and
later),
provides
both
a
driver
side
and
a
passenger
sideairbag
.
On
ZAE
vehicles,
the
crash
sensorsare
integrated
into
the
airbag
control
module,
located
under
thecenter
of
the
rear
seat
.
The
ZAE
control
module
triggers

deployment
of
the
airbags
When
it
sensos
the
vehicle
deceler-
ating
at
a
rate
equivalent
to
a
head-on
collisionof
at
least
13
mph
(18
km/h)
.

In
some
1997
4-door
models
and
all
1998
models,
side-impact
airbags
were
installed
in
the
front
doors
.
The
airbag
units
are

mounted
behindthe
door
trim
panels
.
Caution
mustbeused

when
working
on
vehicle
systems
in
the
proximity
of
air
bags,
such
as
the
steering
column,
the
dashboard,
or
the
doors
.

AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)



721-1

GENERAL
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.......
.
......
.
.
.
.
721-1



Front
side-impact
airbag
crash
sensor,
removing
and
installing
....
.
.....
.
.....
.
721-5

AIRBAGS



..............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
721-5

Driver
side
airbag,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
721-5

Passenger
side
airbag,

removing
and
installing
..............
.
.
.721-6

Front
side-impact
airbag,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.721-7

WARNING
-

"
Airbag(s)
are
inflated
byan
explosive
device
.
Handled
improperly
or
without
adequate
safe-
guards,
the
System
can
be
very
dangerous
.
Spe-
cial
precautions
must
be
observed
prior
to
any
work
ator
near
the
driverside
airbag,
the
passen-
ger
side
airbag
(where
applicable)
or
the
side-im-
pact
airbags
(where
applicable)
.

"
The
airbag
is
a
vehicle
safety
system
.
Serious
in-
jury
may
result
if
System
service
is
attempted
by
persons
unfamiliar
with
the
BMW
SRS
and
its
ap-
proved
service
procedures
.
BMW
advises
that
all
inspection
and
service
be
performed
by
an
autho-
rized
BMW
dealer
.

"
Always
disconnect
the
battery
and
cover
the
neg-
ative
()
battery
terminal
with
an
insulator
before
startingdiagnostic,
troubleshooting
or
service
worknot
associated
with
SRS,
and
before
doing
any
welding
on
the
car
.

"
If
an
airbag
has
been
activated
due
to
an
acci-dent,
BMW
specifies
that
SRS
components
be
replaced
.
For
more
information
on
post-collision
SRS
service,
see
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
.

"
Do
not
allow
the
airbag
unit
to
come
in
contact
with
cleaning
solutions
orgrease
.
Never
subject
an
airbag
unit
to
temperatures
aboye
212°F
(100°C)
.
When
reconnecting
the
battery,
no
per-
son
should
be
inside
the
vehicle
.

"
Always
place
an
airbag
unitthat
has
been
re-
moved
from
its
packaging
with
the
padded
sidefacing
upward
.
Do
not
leave
an
airbag
unlt
unat-
tended
.

"
!f
the
airbag
unit
or
airbag
control
modulehas
been
dropped
froma
height
of
!
1
2
meter
(1
Y2
ft.)
ormore,
theairbag
unit
should
not
be
installed
.

Aírbag
system
components
are
shown
in
Fig
.
1.

GENERAL

721-2



AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)

Fig
.
1
.



Airbag
system
components
.

AIRBAG
SENSORSAND
ELECTRONICS

CA
UTION-

"
If
an
airbag
is
activated,
the
following
compo-
nents
must
be
replaced
:
Airbag
with
contact
ring
;
-Pyrotechnic
seat
belt
tensioners
(if
fitted)
;
-SRS
Control
module
;
-Impact
sensors
;
All
airbags
which
did
not
deploy
.

"
Consult
your
BMW
dealer
for
parts
and
service
information
.

TheE36
airbag
system
consists
of
the
following
compo-

nents
:
crash
sensors
(in
earlycars,
through
1993),
an
elec-

tronic
control/monitoring
module
(with
integrated
crash

sensor
in
ZAE
systems),
an
indicator
light
in
the
instrument
panel,
and
inflatable
airbags
equipped
with
gas
generators
in

the
steering
wheel
and
in
the
passenger
side
of
the
instrument

panel
(ZAE
systems)
.

Some
1997
and
al¡
1998
carsalso
have
side-impact
airbags

in
the
front
doors
.

AIRBAG
SENSORS
AND
ELECTRONICS

1.
Crash
sensors
(through
1993)



wheel
2
.



SRS
control
module
in
front
of



5
.



Side-impact
airbags
(1997/98)
glove
compartment
(through



6
.
ZAE
control
module
under
rear
1993)



seat
(from
1994)
3
.



Passenger
side
airbag
unit
in



7
.
Side-impact
airbag
crash
sensors
dashboard
(ZAE
system)



in
door
silis
(1997/98)
4
.



Driver
side
airbag
unitin
steering



8
.



Knee
bolsters

In
addition
to
the
airbags,
the
vehicles
are
equipped
wíth

knee
bolsters
for
extra
protection
.

SRS
Warning
Light
and
Fault
Display

The
airbag
system
utilizes
a
self-diagnostic
control
module

to
detect
and
store
system
faults
.
If
a
fault
is
detected,
the

SRS
indicator
in
the
instrument
cluster
comes
on
and
stays

on
.

When
the
ignition
key
is
tumed
on,
the
indicator
light
will
illu-

minate
for
approximately
4-6
seconds
.
The
illuminated
light

indicates
the
self-testof
the
electronic
control/monitoring

module,
the
ignítors
and
crash-sensorcircuits,
and
the
system

wiring
.
The
airbag
system
should
be
inspected
byan
autho-

rized
BMW
dealer
if
the
indicator
light
does
not
come
on,
ifit

does
not
go
out
in
approximately
4-6
seconds
after
switching

onthe
ignition,
or
if
the
light
comes
on
during
driving
.
If
the

system
has
detected
a
fault,
the
light
will
come
on
and
stay
on
.

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover

negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.

CA
UTION-

Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
viii
.

2
.
Remove
driver
sideairbag
from
steering
wheel
.
See

Driver
side
airbag,
removing
and
installing
in
this

repair
group
.

3
.
With
wheels
facing
straight
ahead
and
steering
wheel

centered,
remove
steering
wheel
.
See320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.

4
.
Remove
contact
ring
cover
(flat
plastic
ring
containing

warning
text)
from
steering
wheel,
íf
applicable
.

5
.
Disconnect
ground
wire,
if
applicable

6
.
Lift
out
plastic
lock
from
steering
wheel,
if
applicable
.

See
Fig
.
2
.

0011903

Fig
.
2
.



Airbag
contact
ring
lock(arrow)
.
Pry
out
lock
and
remove
spríng
from
behind
lock
.
Some
airbag
steering
wheels
are
not
equipped
with
contact
ring
lock
.

WARNING
-

"
The
contact
ring
lock
holds
the
contact
ring
in
the
centered
position
.
Once
the
lock
is
removed,
the
contact
ring
is
free
to
rotate
.
Do
not
allow
the
con-

tact
ring
to
rotate
once
the
lock
is
removed
.

"
If
the
contact
ring
is
accidentally
rotated
outof
center,
turn
the
ring
either
fully
clockwise
orcoun-
terclockwise,
then
turn
in
the
opposite
direction
3
complete
revolutions
until
the
alignment
arrow
canbe
seen
through
the
lock
opening
.

AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)



721-
3

Airbagcontact
ring,
replacing



7
.
Remove
mounting
nutsor
screws
from
contact
ring
.

See
Fig
.
3
.
Disconnect
wire
lead(s)
andremove
contact

The
airbag
contact
ring
is
mounted
to
the
rear
of
the
steer-



ring
from
rear
of
steering
wheel
.

ing
wheel
and
is
made
up
of
a
wireribbon
that
cofs
and
un-

coils
as
the
steering
wheel
is
tumed
.
The
contact
ring
assures
continuous
electrical
contact
to
the
driver
side
airbag
unit
.

Fig
.
3
.



Airbag
contact
ring
mounting
fasteners(arrows)
.

8
.
Installation
is
reverse
ofremoval,noting
the
following
:

"
Coat
horn
slip
ring
(electrical
contact
ring)
with
CRC
®
copper
paste
before
installing
steering
wheel
.

"
Press
on
lower
lock
until
it
ís
fully
engaged
.

"
When
installing
contact
ringlock,
make
sure
lock

spring
engages
pins
on
lock
and
lock
cover
.

"
Special
instructions
apply
when
installing
airbag

equipped
steering
wheel
.
See320
Steering
and

Wheel
Alignment
.

Early
cars
(through
1993)
:

"
Route
wiring
lead
for
horn
through
squareopening
in

steering
wheel
.

"
When
installing
a
new
contact
ring
from
BMW,
remove

locking
screw
after
installing
the
contact
ringto
steer-

ing
wheel
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

"
Lock
contact
ring
mounting
fasteners
in
place
using

lacquer
paint
or
varnish
.

0011904

Fig
.
4
.



Airbag
contact
ring
locking
screw
(arrow),
as
installed
on
new

replacement
part
from
BMW
(early
production
cars)
.

AIRBAG
SENSORS
AND
ELECTRONICS

Fig
.
8
.



Airbag
crash
sensor
mountingscrews
(arrows)
on
early
cars
.
Note
Torx
screws
with
anti-tamper
pin
in
screw-head
.

ZAE
control
module,
replacing

NOTE-

Some
versions
of
early
ZAE
control
modules
are
no
longer
available
from
BMW
.
When
replacing
control
modules
on
cars
built
between
September
1993
and
June
1994,
consulta
BMW
parts
department
for
the
lat-
est
information
on
retrofitting
the
later
module
.
3
.
Remove
orange
SRS
connector
from
its
holder
and
carefully
separate
connector
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
7
.
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover

negative
terminalwith
insulating
material
.



4
.
Working
behind
steering
wheel,
completely
loosen
Torx

screws
(T30)
while
holdingairbag
in
place
.
See
Fig
.
9
.
2
.
Lift
rearseat
cushion
.
Unplug
harness
connectors
and



Support
airbag
unit
toprevent
it
from
falling
out
.
remove
ZAE
airbag
control
module,
which
is
bolted
to

top
of
driveshaft
tunnel
.

3
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

Front
side-impact
airbag
crash
sensor,

removing
and
installing

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover

negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.

2
.
Remove
front
seat
.
See520
Seats
.

3
.
Convertible
:
remove
rear
seat

4
.
Remove
plastic
door
sill
trim
.

5
.
Fold
up
carpet
in
back
of
front
seat
.

6
.
Pull
off
connector
from
crash
sensor,
which
is
located

under
rugnext
to
door
si¡¡
.

7
.
Remove
sensorby
removing
screws
.
Note
direction
ar-

row
before
removing
sensor
.

8
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,noting
direction
arrow

on
sensor
.

AIRBAGS

AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)



721-
5

Driver
side
airbag,

removing
and
installing

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.

WARNING
-

On
cars
with
ZAE
system
:
If
theairbag
system
has
detected
a
fault
(SRS
indicator
illuminated),
a
wait-
ing
period
ofat
least
ten
minutes
must
be
observed
before
removing
the
airbag
from
the
steering
wheel
.
This
will
allow
the
system
capacitor
to
discharge,
re-
ducing
the
possibility
of
a
trigger
pulsebeinggener-
ated
to
the
airbag
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vi¡¡
.

2
.
Remove
lower
steering
column
trim
mounting
screw

andremove
lower
trim
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
6
.

Fig
.
9
.



Driver
sideairbag
unit
mounting
screws
(arrows)
.

0011893

AIRBAGS

721-
6



AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)

5
.
Carefully
lift
airbag
unit
off
steering
wheel
and
discon-



6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Tighten
right
side
nect
orange
harness
connector
from
rear
of
airbag
unit
.



screw
on
airbag
first
(as
viewedfrom
driver's
seat),

See
Fig
.
10
.



then
left
side
screw
.

NOTE-



NOTE-

In
some
models,
theairbag
electrical
connection
to
the



If
there
is
no
electrical
harness
connector
between
the
steering
wheel
isvia
aplug
in
back
of
the
airbag
unit
.



airbag
and
the
steering
wheel,
be
sure
to
fit
the
push
There
is
no
wire
harness
to
disconnect
.



in
electrical
plug
in
back
of
the
airbag
finto
the
proper
re-
ceptacle
in
the
steering
wheel
.

Fig
.
10
.
Driver
sideairbag
unit
harness
connector
(arrow)
.

AIRBAGS

WARNING
-

"
Store
the
removed
airbag
unit
with
the
horn
pad
facing
up
.
If
stored
facing
down,
accidental
de-
ployment
couldpropel
it
violently
into
the
air,
causing
injury
.

"
Once
an
airbag
is
removed,
the
car
must
not
be
driven
.

"
Do
not
connect
the
battery
with
the
airbag
dis-
connected
.
A
fault
code
will
be
stored,
setting
off
the
SRS
warning
light
.
Special
tools
are
needed
to
reset
the
fault
memory
.

"
Special
instructions
apply
when
installing
an
air-
bag
equipped
steering
wheel
.
See
320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.

"
Once
the
airbag
unit
is
installnd
and
all
other
ser-vice
procedureshave
been
completed,
start
the
engíne
and
check
that
the
SRS
warning
light
goes
out
.
If
the
warning
light
stays
on,
the
SRS
system
will
not
function
as
designed
.
Have
the
system
diagnosed
and
repaired
by
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
.

0013184

Tightening
Torque

"
Airbag
unitto
steering
wheel
........
8
Nm
(71
in-lb)

Passenger
side
airbag,

removing
and
installing

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.

2
.
Remove
glove
compartment
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.

3
.
Lift
cover
from
topof
passenger
sideairbag
on
dash-
board
.
See
Fig
.
11
.

0013108
Fig
.
11
.
After
removing
glove
compartment,
lift
out
passenger
side
air-
bag
cover
.
Note
airbag
mounting
bolts
(A)
and
airbag
electri-
cal
connector
(B)
.

4
.
Remove
passenger
sideairbag
mounting
bolts
.
Dis-
connect
electrical
harness
connector
from
rear
of
air-
bag
unit
and
remove
airbag
.

5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Make
sure
wiring
har-
ness
is
not
pínched
when
installing
airbag
unit
in
dash-board
.