1994 BMW M3 light

340-
1
2
BRAKES

ABS
is
self-tested
by
the
ABS
diagnostic
unit
each
time
the
car
is
started
.
Once
the
test
is
complete,
the
ABS
dashboard
light
tucos
off
.
If
the
light
remains
lit
or
comes
on
at
any
time
during
driving,
a
system
fault
has
occurred
and
ABS
is
elec-
tronically
disabled
.
The
conventional
braking
systemremains
fully
functioning
.

ABS
Inspection

A
visual
inspection
of
the
ABS
may
help
to
locate
system
faults
.
If
no
visual
faults
can
befound
and
the
ABS
light
re-
mains
on,
have
the
system
diagnosedbyan
authorized
BMW
dealer
.

Carefully
inspect
the
entire
ABS
wiring
harness,
particularly

the
pulse
sensorharnesses
and
connectors
near
each
wheel
.

Look
for
chafing
or
damage
due
to
incorrectly
routed
wires
.

Carefully
remove
the
wheelspeed
sensors
.
Clean
the
sen-



Fig
.
18
.
Front
ABS
pulse
sensor
mounting
bolt
(arrow)
.
sor
tips
.
Inspect
the
toothed
wheel
on
thewheel
hub
.
Check
for
missing,
clogged
or
corroded
teeth,
or
other
damage
that
could
alter
the
clearance
between
the
sensor
tip
and
the
toothed
wheel
.

NOTE-

If
a
toothed
ring
is
damaged,
the
entire
wheel
hub
mustbe
reptaced
.
See
310
Front
Suspension
or330
Rear
Suspension
.

ABS
wheel
speed
sensors,
replacing

1
.
Raise
applicable
end
of
car
.

WARNING
-

Make
sure
thecar
is
firmly
supportedon
jack
stands
designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
stands
be-
neath
a
structural
chassis
point
Do
not
place
jack
stands
under
suspension
parts
.

2
.
Unscrew
wheelspeed
sensor
mounting
bolt
.
Remove
sensor
from
its
housing
.
See
Fig
.
18
.
Remove
harnessfrom
retaining
mounts
.

3
.
Front
ABS
sensor
:
Working
in
front
wheel
housing,
dis-
connect
and
remove
sensor
.
See
Fig
.
19
.

4
.
Rear
ABS
sensor
:
Working
in
rear
wheel
housing,
dis-
connect
andremove
sensor
.

5
.
During
installation,
apply
thin
coat
of
Molykote
0
Long-
term
2
or
an
equivalent
grease
to
pulse
sensor
and
housing
.

ANTILOCK
BRAKE
SYSTEM
(ABS)

0012122
Fig
.
19
.
Front
ABS
wheel
speed
electrical
connector
(arrow)
in
wheel
well
.

6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

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

400-
4
BODY-GENERAL

INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT

E36
interiors
have
a
unique
character,
with
a
combínation
of
sporty
features
and
innovative
design
.
Al¡
body
versions
were
made
in
a
wide
choice
of
interior
and
exterior
colors
.
New

colors
with
matching
leather
and/or
fabric
upholstery
were
in-
troduced
for
each
model
year,
including
light-alloy
wheels
in
new
designs
.

Driving
comfort
is
enhanced
by
power
steering,
tilt
steering
wheel
(optional),
height-adjustable
front
seats,
and
electrical-
ly
adjustable
and
heated
rear-view
mirrors
.
Inside
thecar
there
are
reading
lights
at
four
seating
positions
.

Seats
and
Seat
Belts



NOTE-

Theseat
base
usedon
cars
with
pyrotechnic
seatbelt

Anatom¡cal
ly-correct
seats
are
constructed
from
polyure-



tensioners
is
not
interchangeable
with
the
earlier
seat

thane
foam
containing
areas
or
"zones"
of
different
firmness
.



base
.

The
seat
bases
have
steel
springs
for
added
support
and
strength
.
The
power
seats
are
provided
with
conveniently
lo-



Instruments
and
Controls
cated
switches
along
the
outside
edge
of
the
seat
.
Heated
seats
are
an
option
in
all
models
.
See
520
Seats
for
more
de-



Everything
in
the
interior
passenger
compartment
essential
tails
.



to
the
driver
is
logically
grouped
and
easy
to
reach
.
Al¡
instru-
ments
and
controls
havebeen
arranged
ergonomically
and
The
M3
sport
seat
is
shown
in
Fig
.
3
.



are
fully
integrated
into
the
overall
design
of
the
vehicle
.

Fig
.
3
.



M3
sport
seat
.

INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT

0013195

The
early
E36
cars
areequipped
with
a
single
(driver
side)
airbag
in
the
steering
wheel
.
Startingwith
the
1994
models,
a
dual
airbag
Supplemental
Restraint
System
has
been
stan-
dard
equipment
.
Side-impact
airbags
in
the
front
doors
are
op-
tional
in
1997
4-door
cars
and
standard
equipment
in
all
1998
models
.

Through
1996,
E36
seatbelts
were
equipped
with
BMW's
original-designspring
tensioners
.
In
1997,
the
seat
base
de-
sign
was
modified
to
accommodate
a
pyrotechnic
(explosive
charge)
seatbelt
tensioner
.
Both
types
of
tensioners
arede-
signed
to
automatically
tension
the
belts
by
about2
inches(55
mm)
in
the
event
of
a
collision
.

The
padded
dashboard
houses
the
instrument
cluster
and
the
ventilation
and
heating
system
.
The
instrument
cluster
uses
large
easy-to-read
analog
instruments
and
is
removable
as
a
unit
without
removing
the
dashboard
.
The
Service
Inter-
val
Indicator
(SII)
will
remind
the
driver
when
thecar
requires
service
.
See
620
Instruments
.

The
Multi-Information
Display
(MID)
unit
in
thecenter
of
the
dashboard
comes
in
a
variety
of
four
configurations,
the
most
advanced
being
the
On-Board
Computer
(OBC)
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

Al¡
versions
of
the
MID
have
a
clock
and
calendar
.
In
addi-
tion,
different
versions
areequipped
with
a
"check
control,"

display
for
fuel-economy
information
and
system
warnings
.
Consult
the
owner's
manual
for
fui¡
operating
instructions
.

Ambient
temperaturelclock

MÍM
Aa
.Mi}rm
-Mil"
IMua~naa~u~itacar
"
za
.~

Central
Body
Electronics

0013028

Fig
.
4
.



Different
versionsof
Multi-information
Display(MID)
installed
in
E36
cars
.

The
E36
cars
are
equipped
with
a
sophisticated
centralized

body
electric/electronics
plan
.
The
system
is
self-diagnostic

and
incorporates
many
functions
into
a
single
control
module
.

The
consolidation
of
several
systems
into
a
single
control

module
minimizes
power
requirements
and
the
incorporation

of
the
diagnostic
link
results
in
more
efficient
and
accurate

troubleshooting
.

Self-diagnostic
codes
are
accessible
electronically
through

the
data-link
connector
in
the
engine
compartment
.
See610

Electrical
Component
Locations
.

BODY-GENERAL
400-
5

Two
versions
of
central
body
electronics
are
used
depend-

ing
on
model
year
.

1992
and
1993
models
are
equipped
with
a
central
locking

module
(ZVM)
which
incorporates
control
of
the
following
sys-

tems
:

"Interiorlighting
"
Central
locking
with
double
lock
feature

"
Output
relays
for
powerwindows
and
sunroof

"
Electronic
power
protection

E36
cars
since
the
1994
model
year
are
equipped
with
ZKE

IV
.
This
is
an
electronic
comfort
and
convenience
system
that

includes
the
following
additional
features
:

"
One
touch
up/down
power
window
operation

"
Power
window
and
sunroof
closure
from
driver
or
pas-

sengerdoor
lock

"
Vehicle
locking
or
unlocking
from
the
trunk
lock
.

Other
features
of
the
system
are
discussed
in
515
Central

Locking
and
Anti-Theft
.

Electronic
Immobilization
System

Beginning
in
model
year
1994,
all
E36
vehicles
incorporate

adriveaway
protection
system
regardless
of
whether
the
vehi-

cle
is
equipped
with
a
BMW
Alarm
System
or
an
On-Board

computer
.
Two
types
of
factory
systems
were
installed,
de-
pending
on
vehicle
production
date
.

On
the
early
system
(model
year
1994
up
to
January
1995),

the
ignition
and
fuel
injection
functions
are
disabled
whenever

the
vehicle
is
locked
in
the
double
lock
mode
.
This
is
referred

lo
as
EWS
or
EWS
I
.

Beginning
in
January
1995,
the
driveaway
protection
sys-

tem
was
upgraded
to
a
more
sophisticated
system,
called

EWS
II
.
This
system
uses
a
wireless
communication
link
be-

tween
a
transponder
chip
in
the
ignition
keyand
the
ring
an-

tenna
surrounding
the
ignition
switch
.
The
EWS
II
control

module
blocksthe
starting
of
the
vehicle
unlessthe
correct

coded
ignition
key
is
used
.

For
further
information
about
drive
away
protection
sys-

tems,
see
515
Central
Locking
and
Anti-Theft
.

INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
replacement
of
the
front
fenders

and
removal
and
installation
of
the
engine
hood
.

NOTE-

The
body
is
painted
at
the
factoryafter
assembly
.
Re-
alignment
of
body
panels
may
expose
unpainted
metal
.

Paint
all
exposed
metal
once
the
work
fs
complete
.

FRONT
FENDERS

Front
fender,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Raise
hood
.
Raise
and
safely
support
front
of
vehicle
.

WARNING
-

"
When
raising
thecar
using
a
floor
jack
or
a
hy-

draulic
lift,
carefully
position
the
jack
pad
to
pre-

vent
damaging
thecar
body
.
A
suitable
liner
(wood,
rubber,
etc
.)
should
be
placed
between
the
jack
and
the
car
to
prevent
body
damage
.

"
Watch
the
jack
closely
.
Make
sure
it
stays
stable
and
does
not
shift
or
tilt
.
As
the
car
is
raised,
the

car
may
roll
slightly
and
the
jack
may
shift
.

2
.
Remove
front
wheel
.
Remove
inner
plastic
liner
from

wheel
well
.

3
.
Remove
front
bumper
.
See510
Exterior
Trim,

Bumpers
.

4
.
Working
atfront
corner
of
fender,
remove
front
grille

panel
bolts
(2
bolts
at
left
and
right)
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

FENDERS,
ENGINE
HOOD



410-1

410
Fenders,
Engine
Hood

GENERAL
...............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
410-1



ENGINE
HOOD
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.410-3

Hood,
raising
to
service
position
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
410-3
FRONTFENDERS
........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.410-1



Hood,
removin



and
installin



410-3

Front
Pender,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
....
410-1



Hood,
aligning
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
410-4

Hood
release
cable
and
latches,
adjusting
...
410-4

001
.145

Fig
.
1
.



Front
grille
panel
to
front
fender
retaining
bolts
(arrows)
.
Front

bumpershown
removed
.

5
.
Remove
front
turn
signalliens
assembly
from
applica-

ble
front
corner
.
Carefully
pryout
side
directional
from

fender
(later
cars
only)
.
See
630
Exterior
Lighting
.

6
.
Remove
fender
attaching
bolts
atfront
underside
of

fender
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

7
.
Remove
bolts
along
top
edge
of
fender
:
See
Fig
.
3
.

8
.
Open
front
door
and
remove
fender
mounting
bolts
in

door
jamb
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

9
.
Carefully
remove
fender
from
body
.

FRONTFENDERS

411-2
DOORS

4
.
Remove
retainer
clip
(early
models
only)
from
doorcheck

pin
onbody
pillar
.
Drive
out
door
check
pin
.
See
Fig
.
3
.



Door
Adjustment

"
Door
gap

to
fender/rear
door
.........
approx
.
5
mm
(0
.189
in)

"
Permíssible
deviation
from
parallel
.
.0
.5
mm
(0
.020
in)

0011651

Fig
.
3
.



Door
check
pin
being
removed
.
Note
retainer
clip
(A)
usedon

early
models
.

5
.
Remove
doorby
lifting
up
off
lowerhinge
halves
.

CAUTION-

Be
careful
not
to
damage
door
or
other
painted
body
surfaces
.
Make
sure
no
load
is
placedon

wiring
harness
.

6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Keep
in
mind
the
fol-

lowing
:

"
Align
doorso
that
panel
gaps
are
equal
on
either
side,

as
described
later
.
If
necessary,
adjust
door
hinges
as

described
later
.

"
Adjust
door
striker
so
that
trailing
edge
of
front
door
is

slightly
higher
(1
mm)
than
leading
edge
of
rear
door
.

See
515
Central
Locking
and
Anti-Theft
.

"
Repair
any
paint
damage
and
paínt
any
exposed
met-

al
.

CAUTION-
.

"In
2-door
models,
removing
and
installing
the
door
may
upset
the
adjustment
and
alignment
of
the
window
.
Window
adjustment,
as
described
in
512DoorWindows,
must
be
carried
out
ater
installation
to
prevent
damaging
the
glass
.

"
If
battery
power
is
lost
or
the
battery
has
been
disconnected,
the
windows
must
be
re-initialized
.
Both
one
touch
upldown
and
pinch-protection
will
be
inactive
until
windows
are
re-initialized
.
See
512
Door
Windows
.

DOOR
CHECK,
REPLACING

Door
check,replacing

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

Al
rbag
System
(SRS)
for
cautions
and
procedures
relating
to
the
airbag
system
.

1
.
Closedoor
window
completely
.

2
.
If
working
on
front
door
with
side-impact
airbag,
discon-

nect
negative
(-)
battery
cable
.,

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery

disconnection
cautions
gíven
at
the
front
of
this

manual
on
page
viii
.

3
.
Remove
interior
door
panel
and
vapor
barrier
as
de-

scribed
later
.

4
.
Where
applicable,
remove
side-impact
airbag
from
door
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

NOTE-

In
some
models
covered
inthis
manual,
ít
is
not
essen-

tial
to
remove
the
side-ímpact
airbag
to
access
internal

door
components
.
However,
the
procedure
is
recom-

mended
for
safety
reasons
.

5
.
Remove
retainer
clip
(early
models
only)
from
door

check
pin
on
body
pillar
.
Drive
out
door
check
pin
.
Refer

to
Fig
.
3
.

6
.
Remove
bolts
and
rubber
cover
fromdoor
check
lock-
plate
ondoor
.

7
.
Remove
door
check
from
inside
door
.

8
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

"
Lubricate
door
check
before
installing
.

"
Use
new
mounting
bolts
when
reinstalling
the
side-im-

pact
airbag
to
thedoor(where
applicable)
.

"
If
battery
was
disconnected,
re-initialize
window
regu-

lator
motors
as
described
in
512
Door
Windows
.

BUMPERS

Front
bumper,
removing
and
installing

Refer
to
Fig
.
6
.
when
removing
and
installing
the
front
bumper
.

1
.
Raise
and
properly
support
vehicle
.

WARNING
-

Make
sure
that
the
car
is
firmly
supportedonjack
stands
designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jackstands
beneath
a
structural
chassis
point
.
Do
not
place
jack
stands
undersuspension
parts
.

2
.
Unclip
left
trim
strip
by
prying
gently
under
plastic
trim
at
front
of
bumper
.
Similarly,
unclip
towing
eyecoverfrom
right
side
.

5
.
Remove
bumper
cover
retaining
screws
in
front
wheel
3
.
Remove
four
mounting
nuts
from
bumper
mounts
(two



well
(left
and
right
sides)
.
See
Fig
.
8
.
nuts
on
eachmount)
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

4
.
Working
underneath
car,
removescrews
from
left
and
right
side
corner
trim,
then
remove
trim
.

Side
brackets

Bumper
cover

Fig
.
6
.



Front
bumper
assembly
.

EXTERIOR
TRIM,
BUMPERS



510-3

Fig
.
7
.



Front
bumper
mounting
nuts
(arrows)
.
Lefttrim
andtow
eye
cover
on
right
have
been
removed
.

6
.
Disconnect
harness
connectors
at
foglight
sockets
(if
applicable)
.

Side
corner
trim



Support
bracket

Impact
absorber

o



O
Foglight
support

LBumner
bracket
bolt

License
plata



0011944
bracket

BUMPERS