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
EWS
II
transmitterlreceiver
module,
replacing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.
CAUTION-
Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
viii
.
2
.
Remove
lower
left
dash
trim
panel
and
knee
bolster
as
described
in
513
Interior
Trim
.
3
.
Unclip
auxiliary
relay
panel
under
steering
column
and
lower
it
to
access
relays
and
harness
connectors
.
See
Fig
.
24
.
Fig
.
24
.
Lowering
the
left
side
auxiliaryrelay
panel
.
CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT
515-11
0013164
4
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
transmitter/receiv-
er
module
.
Unclip
module
from
panel
.
See
Fig
.
25
.
5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
0
A
0013035
Fig
.
25
.
Position
of
EWS
II
transmitter/receiver
module
(A)
on
left
side
auxiliaryrelay
panel
.
LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND
ELECTRONIC
IMMOBILIZATION
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
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
.
612-4
SWITCHES
AND
ELECTRICAL
ACCESSORIES
Fig
.
6
.
Ignition
switch
set
screws
(arrows)
.
Ignition
lock
cylinder,
replacing
NOTE-
On
cars
with
EWS
11(production
date
1/95
and
later),
the
ring
antenna
surrounding
the
ignition
switch
must
be
removed
.
See
515
Central
Locking
and
Anti-theft
.
1
.
Insert
master
key
finto
lock
cylinder
and
turn
60°
to
"ra-
dio"
position
.
See
Fig
.
7
.
Fig
.
7
.
Turn
ignition
switch
60°
to
"radio"
position
(arrow)
.
2
.
Insert
a
thin
piece
of
stiff
wire
into
opening
in
lock
cylin-
der
and
pull
lockcylinder
out
.
See
Fig
.
8
.
NOTE-
On
early
cars
(up
to
production
date
1ol95),
turn
lock
cylinder
back
12°
to
release
.
INTERIOR
SWITCHES
0012555
0011807
0011808
Fig
.
8
.
With
ignition
key
in
"radio"position,
insert
stiff
wire
into
lock
opening
to
release
cylinder
.
Headlight
and
Foglight
Switch
Assembly
The
headlight
and
foglight
switches
are
retained
in
the
left
dashboard
insert
.
This
alsocontains
the
driver's
side
face
lev-
e¡
air
vents
.
To
service
either
switch,
remove
insert
byremov-
ing
a
single
screw
.
See
Fig
.
9
.
NOTE-
Access
to
electrical
hamess
connectors
behind
dash
insert
may
be
easier
if
lower
left
dash
trim
and
driverside
knee
bolsterare
removed
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.
Fig
.
9
.
Remove
retaíning
screw
to
pull
out
left
dash
insert
(arrow)
.
640-6
HEATING
AND
AIRCONDITIONING
Heater
core,replacing
1.
Drain
engíne
coolant
.
See170
Radiator
and
Cooling
System
.
WARNING
-
Allow
the
cooling
system
to
cool
before
opening
or
drainíng
the
cooling
system
.
2
.
Remove
center
console
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.
3
.
Remove
Multi-Information
Display
(MID)
module
.
See
620
Instruments
.
4
.
Remove
lower
dash
panel
and
knee
bolster
on
driver
side
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.
Fig
.
17
.
Wire
harness
retaining
clips
and
wire
ties
at
heater
box
cover
5
.
Working
under
driver
side
of
dash,
remove
coolant
(arrows)
.
flange
from
heater
core
.
See
Fig
.
16
.
0012651
Fig
.
16
.
Bolts
at
3-way
coolant
flange
under
driver's
side
of
dash
(ar-
rows)
.
NOTE-
Residual
coolant
in
heater
core
will
spill
.
Protect
thecarpet
.
6
.
Working
at
front
of
driveshaft
tunnel,
unclip
wire
har-
nesses
and
move
to
one
side
in
front
of
heater
box
.
See
Fig
.
17
.
7
.
Remove
heatercore
temperature
sensorsas
described
later
in
this
repair
group
.
8
.
Remove
front
heater
box
cover
.
See
Fig
.
18
.
9
.
On
right
side
of
heater
box,
unclip
heater
air
duct
actu-
ating
lever
.
Remove
cross-rod
(with
flaps)
from
frontof
heater
core
.
See
Fig
.
19
.
HEATER
AND
CONTROLS
0012662
Fig
.
18
.
Screws
retaining
front
heater
box
cover
(shown
removed)
to
heater
box
(arrows)
.
0012661
Fig
.
19
.
Pry
heater
flap
actuating
lever
in
direction
A
.
Pull
offair
flap
cross-rod
in
direction
B
.
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
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
.