1993 BMW M3 E36 m3

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
removal
and
installation
of
the

front
and
rear
seats
.

FRONT
SEATS

The
front
seats
installed
in
E36
cars
come
in
either
manual

or
electrically
powered
versions
.
Cloth,vinyl
and
leather
ver-

sions
are
offered
.
M3
sport
seats
have
extra
bolsters
on
the

sides
of
the
sean-back,
a
thigh
support
bolster,
and
extra
con-

trols
for
sean
inclination
.

Seat
removal
and
installation
is
similar
for
all
versions
.
Seat
disassembly
differs
in
details
among
the
many
models
of

seats
.

Front
seat,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
forward
position
and
raise
it
as
far
as

possible
.
Remove
two
mounting
bolts
at
rear
of
sean

rails
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

2
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
rear
position,
keeping
it
raised
.

3
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.



Fig
.1
.



Frontseat
rear
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this

manual
onpage
viii
.

520
Seats

SEATS
520-1

GENERAL
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..............
.
.
520-1



Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

removing
and
installing

FRONT
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
520-1



(fixed
seat
back
models)
......
.
.
.
...
.
...
520-5

Front
seat,
removing
and
installing
...
.
.
.
..'
520-1



Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

Manual
Front
Seat
Assembly
.............
520-3



removing
and
installing

fold-downsean
back
models
(



)
..
.
.
..
..
.
...
520-5
Power
Fronf
Seat
Assembly
..
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
;
520-4



Rear
seat
backrest
side
section,

REAR
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
............
.
...
520-5



removing
and
installing

(fold-down
seat
back
models)
..
.
.....
.
..
.520-6

4
.
Remove
plastic
caps
from
front
mounting
nuts,
and

then
remove
mounting
nuts
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

WARNING
-

Deactivate
front
seat
belt
lock
tensioners
before
proceeding
to
next
step
.
See720
Seat
Belts
.

NOTE-

Use
a
blanket
to
protect
door
sill
from
scuffing
bysean
rail
during
seatremoval
.

FRONT
SEA
TS

Manual
Front
Seat
Assembly

The
non-power
seat
in
E36
cars
is
shown
disassembled
in

Fig
.
4
.
Component
replacement
is
possible
once
theseat
has

been
removed
from
the
vehicle
as
described
earlier
.

Fig
.
4
.



Construction
of
non-power
front
seat
.

SEATS
520-
3

1.
Backrest
padding



4
.
Seat
adjustment
controis



7
.
Seatframe2
.
Backrest
frame



5
.
Seat
adjustmentcables



8
.
Seat
cushion
3
.



Backrest
release
lever
(two-door)



6
.



Seat
tilt
control
(M3
only)



9
.



Knee
bolster
(M3
only)

FRONT
SEA
TS

520-
4
SEATS

Power
Front
Seat
Assembly
The
power
seat
in
E36
cars
is
shown
disassembled
in
Fig
.

5
.
Component,
actuator
and
drive
cable
replacement
is
possi-
ble
once
theseat
has
been
removed
from
the
vehicle
as
de-
scribed
earlier
.

FRONT
SEA
TS

Fig
.
5
.



Construction
of
power
front
seat
.

1
.



Backrest
frame



6
.



Lumbar
support
(to
9/94)



11
.
Seat
track
2
.



Seatframe



7
.



Vertical
adjustment
(rear)



12
.
Seat
tilt
motor3
.



Backrest
release
lever
(two-door)



8
.



Backrest
adjustment
gearbox



13
.
Tilt
motorgearbox4
.
Backrest
release
lever
cable



9
.
Backrest
adjustment
motor



14
.
Forward/backward
driveshafts
5
.
Lumbar
support
(from9/94)



10
.
Wiring
harness



15
.
Forward/backwardmotor

GENERAL
.
...
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
541-1



Visor
Latch
Plate
.....
.
....
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
...
.541-4

Visor
Latch
..
.
............
.
.
.
..........
541-4

MANUAL
CONVERTIBLE
TOP
.
.
.
.
...
.
..
541-1



Visor
Latch
Motor
...
.......
.
.
.
..
........
541-5

Visor
Latch
Plate
.
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
541-1



Convertible
top
and
frame,
replacing
........
541-5

VisorLatch
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..........
.
.....
.
.
.541-1



Convertible
top
drive
motor,
replacing



......
541-7

Convertible
Top
Lid
Release
Mechanism
.
.
.
.
541-2



Convertible
Top
Emergency
Operation
.....
.541-7

Convertible
top
and
frame,
replacing
....
.
.
.
541-2



Convertible
Top
Lid
.
.
.
.
...........
.
.....
541-9

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP
.
.
.
.
....
.
.
.
541-2



ROLLOVER
PROTECTION
SYSTEM
..
.
.
541-9

FrontLatching
Mechanism
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
541-4

GENERAL

The
convertible
top
comes
in
three
versions
:
a
manually
op-erated
top,
a
semi-automatic
power
top
and
a
fully
automatic
power
top
.

NOTE-

The
convertible
top
control
module
(CVM)
is
located
behind
the
left
rearside
trim
panel
.
For
the
location
of
other
convertible
top
electric
components
see610
Electrical
Component
Locations
.

The
rear
window
in
the
convertible
models
is
made
of
a
strong,
flexible
vínyl
which
is
available
separately
.
Replace-

ment
of
the
rear
window
is
not
covered
in
this
manual
.

The
left
and
right
visor
latch
plates
can
be
accessed
by
re-
moving
the
trim
and
moldings
around
the
sides
and
top
of
the

windshield
.
Each
latch
is
secured
to
thetop
of
the
windshield

usingthree
bolts
.
Latch
position
is
adjusted
as
follows
:

541
Convertible
Top

CONVERTIBLE
TOP



541-1

"
Loosen
bolts

"
Latch
top

"
Align
top

"
Retighten
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

BMW
has
designed
a
specialbattery
tray
for
the
convertible

which,
in
conjunction
with
the
mass
of
the
battery
in
the
lug-

gage
compartment,
serves
to
dampen
convertible
body
flex
ing
and
vibration
.



Fig
.
1.



Visor
latchplate
is
held
to
top
of
windshieldwith
three
bolts
(arrows)
.

CAUTION-

The
E36
convertible
requires
a
specialbattery



VisorLatch
which
is
designed
for
constant
vibration
.
A
battery
not
designed
forthis
will
fa¡¡
much
earlier
.



Check
for
ease
of
release
and
locking
of
convertible
top
front
latches
.
Height
of
a
latch
can
be
changed
by
using
the
adjusting
screw
.
To
change
latch
tension,
it
is
necessary
to
re-
MANUAL
CONVERTIBLE
TOP



move
the
trim
on
the
front
bow
of
thetop
.
The
ball-joint
pull-rod
length
can
then
be
adjusted
.
Lubricate
latch
if
necessary
.
See

Visor
Latch
Plate



Fig
.
2
.

MANUAL
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

KL
30
CONVERTIBLE
BATTERY

(ON
TOP
MOTOR)

UP

DOWN

S2
-I
(ON
TOP
MOTOR)

(IN
TOP
STORAGE
WELL)

S4
E36
AUTOMATIC
CONVERTIBLE
S5
(ON
TRUNK
LOCK)I
TOP
CONTROLMODULE

I
LH
SIDE
TOP
LATCH
DRIVE)
1

M-4
m
í
A
7--
Offi-

Íl

ít~~

ENSOR

H
ARD
T
OP
LOCK
SIGNAL
O

1~~11
:i
q
SIGNAL

TOP
MOTOR
POSITION
SIGNAL

Fig
.
5
.



Semi-automatic
and
fully
automatic
convertible
top
system
.
Main
ad-
ditional
components
in
fully
automatic
top
shown
inside
dashed
lines
.

CONVERTIBLE
TOP



541-3

TOP
LID
MOTOR

EM
TOP
n

~
ll
í
9
.1

-----------
II



II
FRONT
I
M
LATCH
I

1



MOTOR
'I
I



1I
L---------
J
X

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

541-
4



CONVERTIBLE
TOP

Folding
roof

Frontlatches

Convertible
topframe

i

Lower
mounting
pata
Horizontal
positioning
~~-
bolt
Manual
front
8
e
latch



1
handle

~



O

Visor
latchplata

Fig
.
6
.



Mechanical
components
of
E36
convertible
top
.
Manual,
semi-automatic,
and
fully
automatic
tops
have
similar
mechanical
construction
.

NOTE-

The
electronic
circuits
used
to
controlconvertible
top
operation
arecomplex
.
Diagnosis
of
the
convertible
top
and
the
Rollover
Protection
System
are
beyond
the
scope
of
this
book
.
Your
authorized
BMW
dealer
has
the
proper
diagnostic
equipment
and
tools
to
carry
out
these
tasks
.

Front
Latching
Mechanism

A
close,
tight
fit
between
the
front
bow
of
the
convertible

roof
and
the
top
of
the
windshield
is
critical
for
preventing

moisture
and
wind
noise
from
intruding
into
the
passenger

compartment
.

Visor
Latch
Plate

The
left
and
right
visor
latch
plates
can
be
accessed
by
re-

moving
the
trim
and
moldings
aroundthe
sides
and
top
of
the
windshield
.
Each
latch
is
attached
to
thetop
of
the
windshield
using
three
bolts
.
Latch
position
is
adjusted
as
follows
:

"
Loosen
bolts

Latch
top

"
Align
top

"
Retighten
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

4
a

0012756

Visor
Latch

0012768

Fig
.
7
.



Visor
latchplate
is
heldto
top
of
windshieldwiththreebolts
(arrows)
.

The
semi-automatic
and
the
fully
automatic
top
front
latches

are
of
similar
design
.
For
the
automatic
latching
mechanism

an
additional
motor
has
been
installed
in
the
front
bow
of
the
convertible
top
.
This
releases
the
top
from
the
visor
latch

plates
and
pulís
it
back
far
enough
for
the
main
retracting
mechanism
to
complete
thejob
.

The
latches
and
the
motor
can
be
accessed
byremovingthe
front
cover
trim
from
the
convertible
top
.

610
Electrical
Component
Locations

GENERAL
...........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
........
610-1



FOSE
POSITION
TABLES
..
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
610-19

FUSE
AND
RELAY
POSITIONS
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
610-1

Fuse
Positions
.
.
.
................
.
.
.
.
.
610-1

Relay
Positions
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
........
.
.
.
.
.
610-2

Auxiliary
RelayPanel
.....
.
...
.
........
.
610-2

SplicePanel,
Left
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
...
.
........
.
610-2

SplicePanel,
Right
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.........
610-3

COMPONENT
LOCATIONS
.
.
.
.
.......
.
.610-3

Component
Location
Table
.
.
.
.
.
.
.........
610-9

GENERAL



FUSE
AND
RELAY
POSITIONS

This
repair
group
covers
f
use,
relay,
and
control
module
lo-



The
front
power
distribution
box,
an
auxiliary
relay
panel,cation
information
.
Electrical
equipment
and
accessories
in-



and
two
auxiliary
splice
panels
contain
most
of
the
fuses
and
stalled
varies
depending
on
model
and
model
year
.
Always



relays
in
E36
vehicles
.
Refer
to
the
component
location
later

confirm
that
the
proper
electrical
component
has
been
identi-



in
this
section,
as
well
as
the
tables
at
the
end
of
this
repair

fied
by
using
the
electrical
wiring
diagrams
.



group
for
electrical
component
location
.

WARNING
-

On
cars
equipped
with
airbags,
special
precautionsapply
to
any
electrical
system
testing
orrepair
.
Air-
bag
units
areexplosive
devices
and
mustbe
han-
dled
with
extremecare
.
Before
starting
any
work
onan
airbag
equipped
car,
refer
to
the
wamings
and
cautions
in
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

CAUTION
-

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

"
Relay
and
fuse
positions
are
subject
to
changeand
may
varyfrom
car
to
car
.
If
questions
arise,
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
is
the
best
source
for
the
most
accurate
and
up-to-date
information
.

"
A
good
way
to
verify
a
relay
position
isto
com-
pare
the
wiring
colors
at
the
relay
socket
to
thecolors
indicated
on
the
wiring
diagrams
located
at
the
rear
of
this
manual
.

"
Always
switchthe
ignition
off
and
disconnect
the
negative
(-)
battery
cable
before
removing
any
electrical
components
.

"
Connect
and
disconnect
ignition
system
wires,
multiple
connectors,
and
ignition
test
equipment
leads
only
while
the
ignition
is
switched
off
.

"
Only
usea
digital
multimeter
for
electrical
tests
.

ELECTRICAL
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS



610-1

TABLES
a
.
E36Component
Locations
...........
.
.
..
...
610-10b
.
1992
E36
Fuse
Positions
..........
..
.
.
.....
610-20c
.
1993
E36
Fuse
Positions
..........
..
..
.
....
610-22d
.
1994
E36
Fuse
Positions



.........
...
.......
610-24e
.
1995
E36
Fuse
Positions
.........
...
.......
610-26
f
.



1996
E36
Fuse
Positions



.........
...
.......
610-28g
.
1997-1998
E36
Fuse
Positions
..
.
..
...
.......
610-30

Fuse
Positions

CAUTION
-

"
Replace
fuses
with
those
of
the
same
rating
.
In-
stalling
a
fuse
with
higher
rating
can
lead
to
cir-
cuit
failure
and
may
also
start
a
fire
.

"
Relay/fuse
positions
vary
by
model
and
equip-
ment
.

Fuses
number
1
through
46
are
mounted
in
the
front
power

distribution
box
.
See
Fig
.
1.

Fuses
31-46

~
Illlllllllll

°
-
Ilmmlmomlmoi

Fuses
1-20

(a
1
:1
E
El

~
~O!7

L~~n

4~
i
Fuses
21-30

Fig
.1.



Fuse
positions
1-46
in
front
power
distribution
box
.

0013034

FUSE
AND
RELAY
POSITIONS

610-2



ELECTRICAL
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS

Fuses
number47
and
50are
mounted
on
the
left
side
splice

panel
.
Refer
lo
Fig
.
5
.

Fuse48
is
mounted
on
the
auxiliary
relay
panel
.
Refer
to

Fig
.
3
.

Fuse
49
is
mounted
in
the
right
side
of
the
luggage
compart-

ment
behind
the
trim
cover
.

Relay
Positions

Mounted
in
the
left-hand
rear
comer
of
the
engine
compart-

ment,
the
power
distribution
box
contains
46
(uses
and
15
re-

lay
positions
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

Fuses31-46

-
Er
a
&QT
MM
~

Fig
.
2
.



E36
front
power
distribution
box
.

FUSE
AND
RELAY
POSITIONS

Fuses1-20

13
EL1
5
]

mmmmmmmmmm
Fuses
21-30
--



0013034)

1
.
Fuel
pump
relay



9
.



Heater/A/C
Blower
relay
2
.
System
(main)
relay



10
.



Rear
defogger
relay
3
.
Oxygen
sensorheater
re-



11
.
ABS
system
relay
lay



12
.
ABS
pump
relay
4
.



Horn
relay



13
.



High
speed
radiator
fan
re-
5
.



Taillight/foglight
relay



]ay
6
.
Low
beam
relay



14
.
A/C
compressor
relay
7
.



High
beam
relay



15
.



Low
speed
radiator
fan
re-
8
.



Emergency
flasherrelay



¡ay

Auxiliary
Relay
Panel

The
auxiliary
relay
panel
contains
five
relay
positions
.
In
lat-

er
modeis
an
additional
fuse
holder
(Fuse48)
and
the
EWS
II
(anti-theft)
transmitter/receiver
module
are
located
on
this

panel
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

The
panel
is
located
nextto
the
steering
column
under
the
driver's
side
dashboard
.
To
access
this
panel,
remove
the
pwer
dash
panel
on
driver's
side
.
See513
Interior
Trim
.

Then
remove
the
driver's
side
knee
bolster
.
Lower
the
relay
panel
by
gently
releasing
the
plastic
retainers
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

During
installation,
be
sure
the
retainer
tabs
are
engaged
in
the
relay
panel
.

Splice
Panel,
Left

3

¡ni

Fig
.
3
.
Auxiliary
relay
panel
under
left
side
of
dash
.

Fuse
48)
0013035

1
.



Comfort
relay
(where
ap-



4
.



Not
used

plicable)



5
.



Not
used

2
.
Crash
control
module



6
.



EWS
II
transmitter/receiv-

3
.



Park
ventilation
relay



er
module
(from
Jan
.
1995)

0013164

Fig
.
4
.



Auxiliary
relay
panel
under
left
sideof
dashboard
(arrow)
.

The
left
splice
panel
contains
four
relay
positions
and
an
ad-
ditional
fuse
holder
(Fuses
47
and
50)
.

To
access
the
left
side
electrical
splice
panel,
remove
the

left
side
dash
panel
and
knee
bolster,
as
described
earlier
.

The
panel
is
located
above
and
lo
the
left
of
the
clutch
pedal
.

See
Fig
.
5
.