1994 BMW 325i Convertible

400-2
BODY-GENERAL

4-door
Sedan

Coupe

-
saas3
.7""

351
/



37
.3
O



I
x
`-193



267

o
oa

'3281
model
"M3
model

Convertible

BODYASSEMBLY

55
ass
.e
iss
""
-
66
.9
-

Fig
.
2
.



E36
body
dimensíons
.

BODY
ASSEMBLY

29
.4

29
4

The
BMW
3
Series
chassis
is
a
unibodydesign
constructed
ofhigh
strength
steel
.
Attaching
parts,
suchas
the
front
fend-
ers,
rear
quarter
panels,
doors,
trunk
lid
and
hood
are
also
constructed
of
steel
.

706
.31108
.7"



I
38
.5
174
.5

174
.5

O



oo

196
.3/106
.7'
"



35_5



1.
.
55
.9,566
".

106
.3/196
.7""



i.
358
-1745-

55
9/56
3'/56
6"
-
J

0013099

Windows
bonded
flush
to
the
body
and
the
guided
flow
of
cooling
air
into
the
engine
compartment
provide
a
good
coeffi-
cient
of
drag(CD)
.
TheE36
cars
have
a
CD
of
approximately
0
.30for
the
sedan
and
coupe
models,
and
0
.35
for
the
con-
vertible
models
:

The
exterior
panels
are
corrosion-resistant
zinc
coated

steel
.
The
front
fenders
are
bolted
on
and
easily
replaceabie
.
The
body
styles
of
E36
cars
coveredby
this
manual
arethe



See410
Fenders,
Engine
Hood
.
4-door
sedan,
2-door
coupe
and
convertible
.
Body
dimen-
sions
vary
slightly
betweenmodels
.
See
Fig
.
2
.



The
front
and
rear
bumpers
use
an
aluminum
framework
with
an
overlaid
high-impact,
deformable
plastic
cover
.
This
Exterior
and
Aerodynamics



bumper
system
keeps
damage
to
a
minimum
in
head-on
colli-
sions
of
up
to
10
m
.p
.h
.
(15
km/h)
.
See
510
Exterior
Trim,
TheE36
can
be
immediatelyrecognized
asa
typical
BMW
.



Bumpers
.
With
its
traditionalstyling
features,
suchas
the
BMW
kidney
grille,
circular
headlights
behind
a
glass
cover
(for
reasons
of
streamliníng),
and
the
"kick"
in
the
rearmost
roof
pillar
(C-pil-
lar)
.

TheE36
convertible
is
an
all-season
vehicle
with
a
high
lev-
e¡offunctionality,
excellent
interior
comfort,
and
acoustic
re-

finement
.
Interior
materials
and
colors,
the
soft
top
and
the

light-alloy
wheelshave
been
carefully
matched
.

Various
versions
of
manual
and
automatic
soft
tops
have
been
used,
with
the
fully
automatic
convertible
roof
being
in-

stalled
beginning
in
the
1997
model
year
.

A
hard-top
in
body
color
with
heated
rear
window
is
avail-

ableas
an
option
for
the
cold
season
.

BODY-GENERAL
400-
3

Coupe
Models



The
convertible
body
structure
includes
many
passive
safe-

ty
refinements
over
its
fixed-top
counterparts
.
Some
of
the
en-

TheE36
coupe
is
similar
to
the4-door
sedan,
but
has
a



hancements
include
:

more
stretched
and
sleeker
appearance
.
Thus,
with
the
same

wheelbase
and
identicallength,
it
looks
different
but
still
famil-



"
More
rígíd
underbody
.

iar
.



"
Transverse
seat
members
.

"
Reinforced
windshield
frame
with
bonded
windshield,

The
2-door
variant
differs
from
the
4-door
sedan
by
a
3
.12



and
tubular
door
reinforcements
.

inch
(8
cm)
longer
front
end,
a
flatter
hood
line
with
air
slits,



"
Rollover
protection
system,
which
is
tripped
into
position

and
a
roof
almost
1
.2
inches
(3
cm)
shorter
.
Additional
differ-



in
a
fraction
of
second
.
This
is
available
as
optional

ences
include
wider
doors
with
frameless
Windows,
glass-



equipment
(standard
on
the
1998
328iC)
and
may
be
fit-

covered
door-posts
(B-pillars)
and
a
shorter
and
lower
lug-



ted
to
earlier
convertible
models
.
With
this
feature,
two

gage
compartment
lid
.



bars
fully
independent
of
each
other
come
up
behind

each
rear-seat
backrest
when
the
vehicle
is
in
danger
of

Convertible
Models



turning
over
.

A
convertible
body
normally
flexes
and
vibrates,
transfer-

ring
oscillations
to
the
luggage
compartment
.
In
the
E36
con-

vertible,
BMW
utilizes
a
special
battery
in
the
luggage
compartment,
in
conjunction
with
a
unique
battery
tray,
asa

vibration
dampening
system
to
counteract
thisoscillation
.

CAUTION
-

The
E36
convertible
requires
a
specialbattery
which
is
designed
for
constant
vibration
.

Information
for
the
convertible
top
and
its
related
mecha-

nisms
can
be
found
541
Convertible
Top
.

BODYASSEMBLY

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
front
and
rear
door
repair
informa-
tion,
including
removal
and
installationof
the
interior
doorpan-
els
.

DOORS

WARNING
-

Late
M3
moddis
havealuminum
doors
.
Use
extra
care
in
handling
aluminum
parts
in
order
to
avoid
damage
from
gouging
or
corrosión
.

NOTE-

"
For
information
on
the
power
door
windows
and
door
glass
replacement,
sea512Door
Windows
.

"
Forinformation
on
the
power
door
locking
system,
see
515
Central
Locking
and
Anti-Theft
.

WARNING
-

Some
1997
and
all
1998
cars
are
fitted
with
side-im-
pact
airbags
in
the
front
doors
.
When
servicing
doors
on
cars
with
front
side-impact
airbags,
always
dis-
connect
the
negative
(-)
battery
terminal
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
for
cautions
and
procedures
relating
to
the
airbag
system
.

Front
orrear
door,
removing
and
installing

1
.
If
workingon
front
door
with
side-impact
airbag,
discon-

nect
negative
(-)
battery
cable
.

CAUTION
-

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

2
.
Unbolt
main
harness
connector
at
door
pillar
and
sep-
arate
connector
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

411
Doors

GENERAL
.............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
411-1



DOOR
PANELS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
411-4

Front
door
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
.411-4
DOORS
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.......
.
....
.
.
.
411-1



Rear
door
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
.411-5
Front
or
reardoor,
removing
and
installing
..
.
411-1



Rear
side
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
Door
check,
replacing
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.......
411-3



(coupemodel)
.
.
.
.
.
.
....
.
.............
411-6

Door
Adjustment
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
411-3



Rear
side
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
(convertible
models)
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
411-6

DOORS
411-1

Fig
.
1
.



Door
harness
connector
being
removed
fromdoor
pillar
.
Re-
move
mountingscrews
atA,
then
separate
connector
by
pulling
upon
harness
lock(top
arrow)
.

3
.
Withdoor
fully
open,
remove
pin
bolts
from
top
and
bot-
tom
door
hinges
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

0011650

Fig
.
2
.



Door
hinge
pin
bolt
(arrow)
.
Top
hinge
shown
.
Also
remove
pin
bolt
from
lowerhinge
.

DOORS

Fig
.
10
.
Panel
edge
trim
piece
trim
being
removed
.

Rear
side
trimpanel,
removing
and
install-

ing
(convertible
models)

To
remove
the
rearside
panel
in
convertible
models
it
is
necessary
to
:

"
Remove
rear
seat
cushion
and
rear
backrest
side
sec-
tion
.

"
Lower
side
window
;
open
convertible
roof
.

"
Leftside
:
Remove
convertible
top
lid
release
lever
trim
.

"
Remove
power
window
switch
and
disconnect
harness
connector
.

"
Remove
door
panel
inset
by
pulling
forward
.

"
Remove
corner
protector
rubber
trim
.

"
Pull
off
side
panel
after
removing
screw
fastener(s)
.
Dis-
engage
from
front
shoulder
belt
.

512-
8



DOOR
WINDOWS

NOTE-

To
achieve
an
accurate
window
adjustment
in
2-door
models
with
"close
with
door
shut"
feature,
simulate
a
closed
dooras
follows
:
On
early
cars,
manually
turn
the

latch
on
the
door
to
the
closed
position
.
See
Fig
.
16
.
On

latercars,
insert
a
wedge
of
wood
into
the
striker
on
the

body
to
close
the
striker
switch
.
Be
sure
to
open
thero-
tary
latch
(by
pulling
upon
the
door
handle)
or
remove
the
wedge
before
closing
the
door
.

0013066

Fig
.
16
.
To
manually
close
door
latch,
push
rotary
latch
in
direction
of
arrow
.

CAUTION-

Do
not
close
the
door
with
therotary
latch
in

closed
position,
orwith
a
wedge
in
the
striker
.

WINDOW
SERVICE,
2-DOOR
MODELS

A
Window
insertion
depth
at
A-pillar
B
B-pillar
preload
gap
(measure
gap
at
20
mm
from
top
of
door)
C
Window
insertion
depth
at
roof
line/window
parallelism
(make
measurement
at
3
.5
in
.
and
16
in
.
from
B-pillar
edge)

Fig
.
17
.
2-door
window
adjustment
positions
.

NOTE-

In"



some
models
covered
inthis
manual,
it
is
not
es-

sential
to
remove
the
side-impact
airbag
to
access
in-
terna¡
door
components
.
However,
the
procedure
is
recommended
for
safety
reasons
.

"
After
each
adjustment
step,
fully
lower
and
raise
win-
dow
and
check
adjustment
before
goingon
to
the
next

step
.

"
1f
parts
of
the
front
window
mechanism
were
replaced,

make
sure
initial
adjustments
are
in
the
center
of
their
travel
range
.
Once
the
glass
isinstalled,
position
glass
to
the
rear
guide
rail
as
shown
in
Fig
.
18
.

4
.
To
set
window
preload
B
(See
Fig
.
1
g
.):

0013076

When
making
adjustments
to
the
front
door
window,
see



"
Measure
up
20
mm
(0
.75
in
.)
from
topof
door
and

Fig
.
17
.



mark
position
on
glass
.

"
Close
door
just
until
top
of
glass
contacts
seal
.
1
.
On
cars
with
side-impact
airbags,
disconnect
negative



"
Measure
gap
between
glass
(at
20
mm
mark)
and
win-

(-)
cable
from
battery
.



dow
seal
.

"
If
adjustment
is
necessary,
move
bottom
of
window

CAUTION-



guide
inor
out
to
correct
.
See
Fig
.
20
.

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery



"
If
further
adjustment
is
needed,
move
bottom
ofwin-

disconnection
cautionsgiven
at
the
front
of
this



dow
in
or
out
by
sliding
guide
bracket
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
18
.

manual
on
page
viii
.

2
.
Remove
interior
door
panel
and
vapor
barrier
.
See
411



Preload
Gap

Doors
.



"
B
(Referto
Fig
.
1
g
.)

Coupe
......................
.
.
.8
mm
(0
.32
in
.)

3
.
Where
applicable,



remove
side-impact
airbag
from



Convertible
..................
.
..
3
mm
(0
.12
in
.)

door
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

5tud

center

Window
glass

surface

Fig
.
18
.
Rear
guide
rail
to
rear
guide
bracket
initial
adjustment
.
Top
should
be
setat
30
mm
(1
.2
in
.)
from
glass
to
studcenter
;
bottom
should
be
set
at
34
mm
(1
.3
in
.)
from
glass
to
stud
center
.

Preload
B

Coupe
:
8
mm

Convertible
:
3
mm

0013081

Fig
.
19
.
With
top
of
glassagainst
door
sea¡(top
arrow),
measure
pre-load
B
at
20
mm
(0
.75
in
.)
above
top
of
door
.

DOOR
WINDOWS



512-
9

0013153
Fig
.
20
.
Rear
guide
rail
lower
mounting
bolts
in
bottom
of
door
(ar-
rows)
.

5
.
To
set
insertion
depth
A
(Referto
Fig
.
17
.)
:

"
Lowerwindow
about
10
in
.
t
o
access
window
bracket
at
rear
guide
.
If
necessary,
temporarily
reconnect
bat-
tery
cable
.

"
Loosen
guide
rail
bracket
and/or
rear
guide
rail
mount-

ing
bolts
and
reposition
window
left
to
right
.
See
Fig
.

21
.
orFig
.
22
.

"
Fully
close
and
align
window
.
Check
that
glass
enters
window
sea¡
to
the
specification
listed
.
"
When
adjustment
is
correct,
tighten
loosened
fasten-
ers
.

0013079

Fig
.
21
.
Loosen
nuts
on
rear
guide
bracket
(arrows)
and
reposition
glass
fore/aft
.
Holes
in
bracket
areelongated
to
allow
for
small
amounts
of
adjustment
.

WINDOW
SERVICE,
2-DOOR
MODELS

002262



In
this
system,
three
microswitches
are
operated
via
the
door
lock
cylinder
at
each
front
door
.
Turning
the
key
approximately
Fig
.
17
.
Pufl
off
luggage
compartment
lock
actuating
rod
in
the
direc-



45°
(position
1)
operates
the
door
locking
microswitch
.
Tuming
tionof
arrow
.



the
key
approximately
90°
(position2)
actuates
the
double
locking
microswitch
.
Tuming
the
key
approximately
45°
in
the
opposite
di-
rection
through
position
0
actuates
the
unlocking
microswitch
and
deactivates
the
alarm
system
(position3)
.
See
Fig
.
19
.

Fig
.
18
.
Luggage
compartment
actuatorwire
connectors
and
attach-
ing
screws
(arrows)
.

LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND

ELECTRONIC
IMMOBILIZATION

The
central
locking
system
uses
electrical
lock
actuators
at

each
door
and
at
the
trunk
lid
.
The
locking
system
can
be
ac-

tuated
by
either
front
door
lock
or
by
the
luggage
compartment

lock
.
Onsome
1994
and
later
cars,
an
additional
remote
con-

trol
keypadcan
also
be
used
to
activate
the
lock
and
anti-theft

systems
.

When
the
key
is
tuned
to
the
lock
position,
a
micro-switch

signals
a
central
control
module
to
lock
all
doors,
luggage

compartment,
gas
tank
flap
and,
in
later
convertibles,
the

glove
box
lid
.
Where
applicable,
this
also
arms
the
anti-theft

system
.

CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT



515-7

NOTE-

The
central
locking
system
responds
to
accidents
vía
animpact
(inertia)
switch
.
When
this
function
ís
activat-
ed,
the
doors
are
automatically
unlocked
and
the
haz-
ard
warning
lights
and
interiorlights
are
turned
on
.
The
impact
switches
are
mounted
in
the
left
and
right
foot-
wells
behind
the
speaker
grilles
.

Central
Locking
System
(ZVM)

Different
versions
of
the
central
locking
control
havebeen
used
in
the
E36
cars
.
In
early
production
cars
(model
years
1992
and
1993),
the
locking
system
is
controlled
through
the
central
locking
module
.
This
system
is
referred
to
as
ZVM
.

Fig
.
19
.
ZVM
door
lock
cylinderpositíons
.

CAUTION-

Do
not
engage
double
locking
position
with
pas-
sengers
in
the
car
unless
the
master
key
isavail-
able
.
The
door
cannotbe
opened
from
outside
orinside
without
the
master
key
.

NOTE-

In
case
of
a
discharged
battery,
the
car
can
still
be
locked
orunlocked
using
the
key
.

0011762

LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND
ELECTRONIC
IMMOBILIZATION

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