General
Data
and
010
FundamentalsfortheDo-lt-YourselfOwner
Maintenance
020
Maintenance
Program
Engine
Transmission
Suspension,
Steering
and
Brakes
4
Body
100
Engine-General
110
Engine
Removal
and
Installation
113
Cylinder
Head
Removal
and
Installation
116
Cylinder
Head
and
Valvetrain
117
Camshaft
Timing
Chain
119
Lubrication
System
200
Transmission-General
210
Clutch
230
Manual
Transmission
510
Exterior
Trim,
Bumpers
520
Seats
Bo
y
Equipment
512
DoorWTdws
540
nr
t
513
InteriorTrim
541
Convertible
Top
515
Central
Locking
and
Anti-Theft
600
Electrical
System-General
620
Instruments
Electrical
S
stem
610
Electrical
Component
Locations
630
Exterior
Lighting
611
Wipers
and
Washers
640
Heating
and
Air
Conditioning
6
612
Switches
and
Electrical
Accessories
650
Radio
Equipment
and
720
SeatBelts
Accessories
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
Electrical
Wiring
Diagrams
Foreword
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v
Warnings
and
Cautions
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Index
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back
of
book
300
Suspension,
Steering
and
330
RearSuspension
Brakes-General
331
Final
Drive
310
Front
Suspension
340
Brakes
320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
400
Body-General
411
Doors
410
Fenders,
Engine
Hood
412
Trunk
Lid
120
Ignition
System
121
Battery,Starter,
Alternator
130
Fue¡
Injection
160
Fuel
Tank
and
Fuel
Pump
170
Radiator
and
Cooling
System180
Exhaust
System
240
Automatic
Transmission
250
Gearshift
Linkage
260
Driveshaft
020-
4
MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM
L
~
~
c
.c
a
a>
mL
~
~L
L
w
a
£
'S
d
E
Maintenance
ítem
z
3
c
Engine
compartment
maintenance
Change
oil
and
oil
filter
Check
fluid
levels
(coolant,steering,
brake/clutch,
ATF)
Under
car
maintenance
Check
steeringrack
and
steeringlinkages
for
leaks
andexcess
play
.
Repair
Group
320
Inspect
brake
system
.
Check
brake
calipers,
rotors,
and
brake
pad
thíckness
.
Inspect
for
dam-
aged
hoses
and
lines,
leaks
or
damage
.
Check
hand
brake,adjust
cable
if
necessary
.
Repair
Group
340
Check
and
adjust
tire
pressures,
including
spare
Body
and
interior
maintenance
Check
operation
of
exterior
and
interior
lights,
including
glove
box
light,
engine
compartment
light,
trunk
light,
instrument
panel
lights,
horns,
headlight
flasher
anddimmer
switch
.
Check
headlight
and
driving
light
aiming
.
6
Electrical
System
Check
function/condition
of
seat
belts
.
Repair
Group
720
Check
windshield
washer
fluid
level
and
concentration,
add
as
necessary
.
Check
operation
of
washer
system
.
Check
condition
of
wiper
blades
.
Repair
Group
611
Road
Test
Check
braking
performance,
steering,
heating
and
ventilation,
manual
or
automatic
transmis-
sion,
and
mirrors
Service
Interval
Reset
Reset
service
indicator
using
specialreset
tool
.
MAINTENANCE
TABLES
Table
a
.
Oil
Service
Table
b
.
Inspection
I
Service
MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM
020-5
ad
d
d
ID
a
r
c
d
a~
;v
a
:
Q~
wE
y
a
r
E
R
:
L-
0
Maintenance
ítem
1
z
3
~
c
d
Engine
compartment
maintenance
Change
oil
and
oil
filter
.
Check
brake/clutch
fluid
leve¡
Check
battery
acid
leve¡
and
correct
asnecessary
.
Repair
Group
121
Check
engine
coolant
level
and
anti-freeze
protection
and
addasnecessary
.
Inspect
for
cooling
system
leaks
.
Repair
Group
170
Lubricate
throttie
linkage
Under
car
maintenance
Check
transmission
for
externa¡
leaks
.
Check
manual
transmission
oil
leve¡
andadd
asnecessary
.
Repair
Group
230
Check
final
drive
lubricant
and
addasnecessary
.
Check
fue¡
tank,
fuel
lines,
and
all
connections
for
leaks
.
Inspect
exhaust
system
.
Repair
Group
180
Check
steeringrack
and
steeringlinkages
.
Check
power
steering
system
for
leaks
.
Check
(luid
leve¡
.
Repair
Group
320
Inspect
brake
system
for
damaged
hoses
and
fines,
leaks
or
damage
.
Remove
calipers
and
check
brake
pad
wear
.
Check
brake
rotors
for
scoring
damage
.
Repair
Group
340
Check
parking
brake
operation,
adjust
cable
if
necessary
Repair
Group
340
Inspect
front
and
rear
suspension,
including
wheel
bearings,
for
play
.
Repair
Group
320/330
Inspect
wheelsand
tires,
including
spare,
check
tire
pressure
and
condition
Body
and
Interior
Maintenance
Lubricate
door
hinges
and
hood
latch,
hood
hinges
Check
headlight
and
driving
light
aiming
and
adjust
as
necessary
.
Check
operation
of
headlights,
parking
lights,
back-up
fights,
licenseplate
lights,
interior
lights,
glove
box
light,
engine
compartment
light,
trunk
light,
instrument
panel
lights,
turnsignals,
emer-gency
flashers,
stop
fights,
horas,
headlight
flasher
and
dimmer
switch
Replace
ventilation/A/C
micro-filter
.
Check
functionof
air
conditioning
.
Repair
Group
640
Check
function
of
seat
belts
.
Repair
Group
720
Check
tightness
of
mountfng
screws
on
airbag
front
crash
sensors
(Airbag
I)
.
Repair
Group
721
Check
windshield
washer
fluid
leve¡
and
concentration,
add
as
necessary
Check
operation
of
washer
system
.
Check
condition
of
wiperblades
.
Repair
Group
611
Tighten
nuts
and
bolts
for
door
locks
and
striker
plates
Replace
batteries
for
alarm/remote
control
in
masterkey(where
applicable)
.
Road
Test
Check
braking
performance,
steering,
HVAC,
manual
or
automatic
transmission,
and
mirrors
Service
Interval
Reset
Reset
service
indicator
using
specialreset
tool
.
MAINTENANCE
TALES
ENGINE
HOOD
Hood,
raising
to
service
position
CA
UTION-
Do
not
switch
on
the
windshield
wipers
wlth
the
engine
hood
raised
.
As
a
precaution,
remove
the
wiper
motor
fuse
.
See
610
Electrical
Compo-
nent
Locations
.
1
.
4-door
models
:
Open
hood
fully
.
Remove
bolt
from
hood
hinge
behind
hood
supports
(left
and
right)
.
Raise
hood
to
service
position
.
See
Fig
.
5
.
2
.
2-door
models
:
Open
hood
fully
.
Fig
.
5
.
Hood
support
bracket
boltto
be
removed
(A)
on
4-door
cars
.
Remove
bolts
at
left
and
right
hinges
.
Swing
bracket
in
direc-
tion
of
arrow
to
raise
hood
into
service
position
.
"
Remove
ground
cable
atright
hood
hinge
.
"
Whilean
assistant
supports
hood,
detach
both
hood
supportsfrom
hood
.
"
Remove
detent
screws
at
back
of
hood
hinges
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
"
Lift
hood
while
pulling
hinge
forward
.
Support
hood
at
higher
position
.
3
.
When
service
work
is
complete,
return
hood
to
lower
position
and
instaf
screws
or
bolts
.
FENDERS,
ENGINE
HOOD
410-
3
Fig
.
6
.
Torx
screw
at
base
of
hood
hinge
(arrow)
.
Hood,
removing
and
installing
0013147
1
.
Raise
hood
.
Where
applicable,
partially
remove
hood
acoustic
insulation
to
access
rear
of
hood
.
See
Fig
.
7
.
Fig
.
7
.
Hood
insulation
retainer
being
pried
out
3
.
Detachgas-charged
hood
supportsfrom
hood
.
CAUTION
-
The
hood
is
heavy
.
Before
removing
the
hood
sup-
ports
or
hood
retainingbolts,
be
sure
to
have
an
assistant
help
support
the
hood
.
0013148
2
.
Disconnect
washer
fluid
hoses
from
washer
nozzles
.
Where
applicable,
disconnect
electrical
harness
con-
nectors
fromheated
nozzles
.
ENGINE
HOOD
Dashboard,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
CAUTION-
Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautionsgiven
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
vi¡¡
.
2
.
Remove
center
console
as
described
earlier
.
3
.
Remove
glove
compartment
as
described
earlier
.
4
.
Remove
lower
left
dash
trim
piece
as
described
above
.
Remove
lower
right
dash
trim
panel
.
See
Fig
.
4
.
Fig
.
4
.
Lower
right
dash
trim
piece
retaining
screw
(arrow)
.
WARNING
-
Store
the
removed
airbags
in
a
safe
place
.
Position
the
airbags
facing
up
.
8
.
Remove
instrument
cluster
.
See
620
Instruments
.
5
.
Remove
driver
and
passenger
airbags
.
See
721
Air-
bag
System
(SRS)
.
6
.
Remove
steering
wheel
.
See
320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.
INTERIOR
TRIM
513-
3
Fig
.
5
.
Driver
side
knee
bolster
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.
9
.
Remove
headlight
switch
.
Remove
turn
signal
and
windshield
wiper/washer
stalk
switches
.
See612
Switches
and
Electrical
Accessories
.
10
.
Remove
A/C
control
head
and
module
.
See
640
Heat-ing
and
Air
Conditioning
.
11
.
Remove
radio
.
See650
Radio
.
12
.
Remove
A-pillar
(windshield
pillar)
trim
on
left
and
right
sides
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
UU13156
Fig
.
6
.
A-pillar
(windshield
pillar)
trim
removal
.
Right
side
shown,
left
7
.
Remove
driver
side
knee
bolster
.
See
Fig
.
5
.
is
similar
.
DASHBOARD
600-
4
ELECTRICAL
SYSTEM-GENERAL
Voltage
and
Voltage
Drops
The
wires,
connectors,
and
switches
that
carry
current
are
designed
with
very
low
resistance
so
that
current
flows
with
a
minimum
loss
of
voltage
.
A
voltage
drop
is
caused
by
higher
than
normal
resistance
in
a
circuit
.
This
additional
resistance
actually
decreases
or
stops
the
flow
of
current
.
A
voltage
drop
can
be
noticed
byproblems
ranging
fromdim
headlights
to
sluggish
wipers
.
Some
common
sources
of
voltage
drops
are
corroded
or
dirty
switches,
dirty
or
corroded
connections
or
contacts,
and
loose
or
corroded
ground
wires
and
ground
con-
nections
.
A
voltage
drop
test
is
a
good
test
to
make
if
current
is
flowing
through
the
circuit,
butthe
circuit
is
not
operating
correctly
.
A
voltage
drop
test
will
help
to
pinpoint
a
corroded
ground
strap
or
a
faulty
switch
.
Normally,
there
should
be
less
than
1
volt
drop
across
most
wires
or
closed
switches
.
A
voltage
drop
across
a
connector
or
short
cable
shouldnot
exceed
0
.5
volts
.
Voltage,
measuring
1
.
Connect
digital
multimeternegative
lead
to
a
reliable
ground
point
oncar
.
NOTE-
The
negative
(-)
battery
terminal
is
alwaysa
good
ground
point
.
2
.
Connect
digital
multimeter
positive
lead
to
point
incir-
cuit
you
wish
to
measure
.
See
Fig
.
1
.
If
a
reading
is
ob-
tained,
current
is
flowing
through
circuit
.
NOTE-
The
voltage
reading
shouldnot
deviate
more
than
1
volt
from
the
voltage
at
the
battery
.
If
the
voltage
drop
is
more
than
this,
check
for
acorroded
connector
or
cose
ground
wire
.
ELECTRICAL
TROLIBLESHOOTING
from
Battery
Fig
.
1
.
Digital
multimeterbeing
used
to
test
voltage
.
No
voltage
r_l
-1
Load
LJ
Switch
NOTE-
The
maximum
voltage
drop
in
an
automotive
circuit,
as
recommended
by
the
Society
of
AutomotiveEngineers
(SAE),
is
as
follows
:
0
voltsfor
small
vire
connections
;
0
.1
Volts
for
high
current
connections
;
0
.2
volts
for
high
current
cables
;
and
0
.3volts
for
switch
or
solenoidcon-
tacts
.
On
longer
wires
or
cables,
the
drop
may
be
slight-ly
higher
.
In
any
case,
a
voltage
drop
of
more
than
1.0volt
usually
indicates
a
problem
.
0013238
NOTE-
"
A
voltage
drop
test
is
generally
more
accuratethan
a
Voltage
drop,
testing
simple
resistance
check
because
the
resistances
in-
volvedare
often
too
small
to
measure
with
most
ohm-
Voltage
drop
can
only
be
checked
when
current
is
running
meters
.
For
example,
a
resistance
as
small
as0
.02
through
the
circuit,
suchasby
operating
the
starter
motor
or
ohms
would
results
in
a
3
volt
drop
in
a
typical
150
turning
onthe
headlights
.
A
digital
multimeter
should
beused
amp
starter
circuit
.
(150
amps
x
0
.02
ohms
=3
volts)
.
lo
ensure
accurate
readings
.
"
Keep
in
mind
that
voltage
with
the
key
on
and
voltage
with
the
engine
running
arenotthe
same
.
With
the
ig-
1
.
Connect
digital
multimeter
positive
lead
to
positive
(+)
nition
on
and
the
engine
off
(battery
voltage),
voltage
battery
terminalor
a
positive
power
supply
close
lo
bat
should
be
approximately
12
.6volts
.
With
the
engine
tery
source
.
running
(charging
voltage),
voltage
should
be
approx-
imately
14
.0
volts
.
Measure
voltage
at
the
battery
with
2
.
Connect
digital
multimeter
negativelead
to
other
end
of
the
ignition
on
and
then
with
the
engine
running
to
get
cable
orswitch
being
tested
.
See
Fig
.
2
.
exact
measurements
.
3
.
With
power
on
and
circuit
working,
meter
shows
volt-
age
drop
(difference
between
two
points)
.
This
value
should
not
exceed
1
volt
.
Fig
.
5
.
Splice
panel
under
left
side
of
dash
.
SplicePanel,
Right
ir1!
1,
111lí~lll
.
'
ELECTRICAL
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS
610-3
0013091
1
.
Unloader
relay
4
.
Starter
immobilization
2
.
Wiper
relay
relay
(1994
only)
3
.
Wiper
motor
relay
F47
&
F50
Fuses47
and
50
The
right
splice
panel
contains
three
relay
positions
.
It
is
lo-
cated
under
the
right
side
of
the
dashboard
.
To
access
the
panel,
remove
theglove
compartment
as
de-
scribed
in
513
Interior
Trim
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
Fig
.
6
.
Splice
panel
under
right
side
of
dash
(arrow)
.
Glove
compart-
ment
and
right
side
vents
shown
removed
.
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS
On
the
following
pages
are
illustrations
and
photos
showing
the
location
of
major
electrical
components
in
E36
vehicles
.
NOTE-
-
Every
component
is
not
installed
in
everycar
.
"
Due
to
changes
in
production,
component
locations
may
vary
from
what
is
illustrated
.
Consult
your
BMW
dealer
for
the
latest
information
.
"
The
gear-position/neutral
safety
switch
ís
also
some-
times
referred
to
as
the
automatic
transmission
range
switch
.
"
The
EWS
11
system
is
also
sometimes
referred
to
as
the
Driveaway
Protection
System
or
the
electronic
im-
mobilization
system
.
"
All-Season
Traction
(AST)
is
also
sometimes
referred
to
as
ASC
or
ASC+T
.
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS
610-18
ELECTRICAL
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS
Tablea
.
E36
Component
Locations
Component
Model
Year
Location
Refer
to
Transmission
Control
Module
1992-1998
Right
rear
engine
compartment
behíndpanel
Fig
.
7
.
Transmission
Range
Switch
(Gear
1992-1998
Next
to
gear
shift
lever
in
center
console
Fig
.
29
.
Position/Neutra
l
Safety
Switch)
Transmission
Valve
Unít
1992-1993
In
transmission
oil
pan
Transmission
Valve
Unit
1994-1998
On
left
side
of
transmission
Trunk
Lid
Microswitch
1994-1998
In
trunk
lid
Trunk
Lid
Relay
1994-1998
Behind
glove
compartment
(convertible)
Fig
.
8
.
Fig
.
9
.
Trunk
Light
Switch
1992-1998
Left
underside
of
trunk
lid
TrunkLockMotor
1992-1998
Rear
of
luggage
compartment
UnloaderRelay
1992-1998
Inleft
splice
panel
behind
footwell
speaker
grille
Fig
.
5
.
Variable
Camshaft
Control
Module
1994-1996
I
Rear
right
side
of
engine
compartment
(VANOS)
Variable
Camshaft
Control
(VANOS)
1993-1998
Front
ofcylinder
head
Veh¡cle
Speed
Sensor
1992-1998
On
final
drive
Volume
Air
Flow
Sensor
(M42
1992-1995
Left
side
of
engine
compartment
Fig
.
7
.
Engine)
Washer
Fluid
Leve¡
Sensor
1992-1998
Right
frontof
engine
compartment
Washer
Pump
1992-1998
Right
side
of
engine
compartment
on
windshield
washer
reservoir
Fig
.
7
.
Wiper
Motor
1992-1998
Rear
engine
compartment
Wiper
Motor
Relay
1992-1998
Inleft
splice
panel
behind
footwell
speaker
grill
Fig
.
5
.
Wiper
Relay
1992-1998
(
Behind
glove
compartment
I
Fig
.
8
./
Fig
.
9
.
Wiper/Washer
Module
1992-1993
Left
side
of
footwell
under
foot
rest
(early)
Wiper/Washer
Module
1993
(late)-
Behind
glove
compartment
Fig
.
8
.
1998
1
Fig
.
9
.
ZAE
Airbag
Control
Module
1
1994-1998
1
On
center
tunnel
under
rear
seat
cushion
ZKE
IV
Control
Module
1994-1998
I
Behind
glove
compartment
Fig
.
8
.I
Fig
.
9
.
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS