170-
4
RADIATOR
AND
COOLING
SYSTEM
A
quick
testat
the
coolant
temperature
gauge
sender
can
The
auxiliary
cooling
fan
comes
on
when
coolant
tempera
determine
if
the
gauge
is
functioning
correctly
.
ture
exceeds
a
predetermined
leve¡
or
whenever
the
air
condi-
tioning
is
on
.
A
dual-range
temperature
switch
for
cooling
fan
lf
the
gauge
needie
remains
at
the
rest
position
with
theen-
control
is
mounted
on
the
right
side
of
the
radiator
.
See
Fig
.
3
.
gine
warm,
remove
the
harness
connector
from
the
sender
and
jumper
the
correct
terminals
in
the
connector
to
simulate
a
high
engine
temperature
.
See
Table
a
.
Turn
the
ignition
on
.
If
the
gauge
needle
moves
upward,
the
sender
is
faulty
.
If
the
gauge
does
not
respond,
the
wiring
to
the
gauge
is
broken
(open
circuit)
or
the
gauge
itselfis
faulty
.
WARNING
-
1996
and
laten
models
are
OBD
11
compliant
.
Dis-
connecting
electrical
connectors
wíth
the
ignition
turned
on
may
set
fault
codes
in
the
ECM
.
It
is
rec-
ommended
that
you
leave
the
diagnosis
of
faults
in
the
coolant
temperature
sensorsystem
to
the
BMW
dealer
service
department
which
has
specialized
OBD
11
scan
tool
equipment
.
If
the
gauge
needle
reads
too
high
when
the
engine
is
cold,
remove
the
harness
connector
from
the
sender
.
Turn
the
igni-
tion
on
.
lf
the
gauge
needle
position
does
not
change,
the
wir-
ing
or
the
gauge
is
shorted
to
ground
.
If
the
gauge
needle
drops,
the
sender
is
faulty
and
should
be
replaced
.
When
re-
placing
a
faulty
coolant
temperature
sender,
the
gasket
ring
on
the
sender
should
also
be
replaced
.
Tightening
Torque
"
Temperature
gauge
sender
to
engine
18
Nm
(13
ft-Ib)
Cooling
fan,
testing
NOTE-
OnM44
engines
with
manual
transmission,
the
primary
electric
cooling
fan
is
mounted
on
the
engine
side
of
the
radiator
and
is
controlled
by
the
engine
control
module
(ECM)
.
Troubleshooting
thiscircuit
should
be
left
to
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
with
the
proper
diagnostic
equipment
An
otherwise
sound
cooling
system
may
still
overheat,
par-
ticularly
with
prolonged
idling,
due
to
a
failure
of
the
coolíng
fan(s)
.
The
belt-driven
cooling
fan
is
controlled
by
a
temperature
dependent
viscous
clutch
.
A
failed
fan
clutch
may
affect
air
flow
through
the
radiator
resulting
in
overheating
orpossibly
overcooling
.
Speed
Low
sp
High
s
With
the
engine
off,
check
thefan
clutch
by
spinning
thefan
.
eed
The
fan
should
spin
on
the
clutch
with
some
resistance
.
peed
Check
for
signs
of
leaking
fluid
from
the
clutch
.
If
thefan
free-
wheels
with
no
resistance,
cannot
be
tu
rned
by
hand,
or
there
are
signs
of
oil
leakage,
the
clutch
should
be
replaced
.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Fig
.
3
.
Radiatorcooling
fan
temperature
switch
(arrow)
.
WARNING
-
"
Use
caution
when
testing
the
electric
cooling
fan(s)
and
coolant
temperature
switch
.
Keep
hands
and
wires
clear
of
thefan
blades
.
The
cool-
ing
fan(s)
can
run
any
time
the
ignition
is
ON
.
"
For
greatest
safety,
coolíng
fan
and
coolant
tem-perature
switch
tests
shouldbe
performed
on
acoldengine
with
the
air
conditioning
off
.
Table
b
.
Auxiliary
Cooling
Fan
Switching
Temperatures
Switching
temperature
196°F(91°C)
210°F(99°C)
0012506
If
a
faulty
thermostat,
trapped
air,
or
a
restriction
in
the
sys-
tem
is
not
allowing
the
coolant
to
circulate
through
the
radia-
tor,
the
temperature
switch
will
not
close
and
the
auxiliary
cooling
fan
will
not
run
.
Before
making
the
tests
described
be-
low,
make
sure
the
thermostat
is
operating
correctly
as
de-
scribed
earlier
.
The
normal
switching
temperatures
for
the
dual
-speed
switch
are
listed
in
Table
b
.
170-10
RADIATOR
AND
COOLING
SYSTEM
Coolant
pump,
replacing
The
engine
coolant
pump
is
mounted
in
the
frontof
the
en-
gine
on
the
timing
cover
.
See
Fig
.
16
.
Fig
.
16
.
Coolant
pump
mounted
on
timing
cover
.
NOTE-
Onlyreplacement
coolant
pumps
with
metal
¡mpellers
should
be
installed
.
Pumps
with
plastic
impellers
should
not
be
used
.
1.
Drain
cooling
system
as
described
earlier
.
0013197
WARNING
-
Allow
cool¡ng
system
to
cool
before
open¡ngor
drain¡ng
system
.
2
.
Remove
primary
cooling
fan
shroud
and
cooling
fan
(belt-driven
or
electric)
as
described
earlier
.
Fig
.
17
.
Engine
drive
belt
tensioner
being
released
on
M44
engine
.
Pry
off
tensioner
cover
and
then
lever
tensioner
in
counterciock-
wise
direction
(as
facing
engine)
and
slip
belt
off
pulleys
.
Fig
.
18
.
Drive
belt
tensioner
being
released
on
M52
engine
.
Pry
off
3
.
Disconnect
hoses
from
thermostat
housing
.
Unbolt
tensioner
cover
and
then
lever
tensioner
clockwise
(as
facing
thermostat
housing
from
front
of
cylinder
head
.
engine)torelease
belt
tension
.
4
.
Remove
coolant
pump
drive
belt
.
See
Fig
.
17
or
Fig
.
18
.
NOTE-
-
Mark
direction
of
drive
belt
rotation
if
reusing
belt
.
"
The
6-cylinder
coolant
pump
¡s
mounted
on
studs
and
retained
by
nuts
.
"
Severa¡
drive
belt
and
tensioner
configurations
havebeenused
in
E36
models
.
Refer
to
020
Maintenance
Program
and
640
Heating
and
Air
Conditioning
.
5
.
Remove
coolant
pump
pulley
from
pump
.
6
.
Remove
mounting
fasteners
from
pump
.
COOLING
SYSTEM
SERVICE
NOTE-
"
The
4-cylinder
coolant
pump
¡s
mounted
us¡ng
two
dif-
terent
length
bolts
.
Note
where
thelonger
bolt
fits
dur-
ing
disassembly
.
0011989
7
.
Insert
twoscrews
(M6)
in
tapped
bores
and
tighten
uni-
formly
until
pump
is
free
from
timing
chain
cover
.
See
Fig
.
19
.
230-
4
MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
Output
shaft
sea¡,
replacing
(transmission
installed)
1
.
Raise
and
safely
support
vehicle
.
Support
transmission
with
transmission
jack
.
WARNING
-
"
When
raising
thecar
using
a
floor
jack
or
a
hy-
draulic
lift,
carefully
position
the
jack
pad
to
pre-vent
damaging
the
car
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
driveshaft
.
See
260
Driveshaft
.
3
.
Remove
transmission
crossmember
and
lower
trans-
mission
at
rear
.
CAUTION-
Tilting
the
engine
to
lower
thetransmissíon
can
lead
to
damage
to
various
componente
due
to
lackof
clearance
.
-On
cars
with
AST
(traction
control)
remove
throt-
tle
body
before
tilting
engine
.
-Remove
brake
fluid
reservoir
if
necessary
.
4
.
Bend
back
and
remove
collar
nut
lockplate
.
5
.
Hold
flange
steady
andremove
collar
lock
nut
(use
30mm
thin-walled
deep
socket
.)
See
Fig
.
5
.
Fig
.
5
.
Use
holding
tool
when
loosening
output
shaft
collar
nut
.
6
.
Remove
flange
.
If
necessary,
use
a
puller
.
7
.
Use
a
sea¡
puller
to
remove
seal
from
transmission
housing
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
8
.
Coat
new
sea¡
wíth
transmission
fluid
and
drive
into
po-
sition
until
it
is
flush
with
housing
.
See
Fig
.
7
.
TRANSMISSIONSERVICE
Fig
.
6
.
Puller
used
to
remove
transmission
seal
.
Fig
.
7
.
Output
shaftseal
being
installed
using
seal
driver
(BMW
spe-
cial
tool
no
.
232
300)
.
9
.
Reinstall
output
flange
(and
shims,
if
applicable)
to
out-
put
shaft
.
NOTE-
On
Getrag
S5D200G
and
S5D
250G
transmissions
BMW
recommends
heating
theoutputflange
to
about
176°F
(80°C)
to
aid
in
installation
.
This
canbe
done
by
placing
the
flange
in
hot
water
.
10
.
Coat
bearingsurface
ofcollar
nut
withsealer
and
install
nut
.
Tighten
collar
nut
in
two
stages
.
Insta¡¡
new
lock-
plate
.
Bend
tabs
into
flange
grooves
.
NOTE-
BMW
recommends
the
use
of
a
sealer
such
as
Loctite
®
242
when
installing
the
flange
collar
nut
to
prevent
oil
from
leaking
past
the
threads
.
330-
8
REAR
SUSPENSION
CV
boot,
replacing
NOTE-
"
The
outer
CV
joint
cannot
be
removed
from
the
axle
shaft
.
In
order
to
replace
the
outer
CV
boot,
it
is
nec-
essary
to
remove
the
inner
joint
and
boot
first
.
"
If
the
CV
joints
are
worn
or
defective,
acomplete
re-
built
axle
shaft
is
available
from
an
authorized
BMW
dealerparts
department
.
1
.
Remove
drive
axle
from
car
as
described
above
.
2
.
Remove
inner
and
outer
CV
boot
clamping
bands
and
cut
old
boots
off
joints
and
shaft
.
Clean
grease
from
joints
.
3
.
Lift
off
dust
cover
from
inner
CV
joint
and
remove
circlip
5
.
Clean
all
old
lubricantoff
shaftsplines
and
inner
joint's
retaining
joint
inner
hub
to
axle
shaft
.
See
Fig
.
14
.
splines
.
DRIVE
AXLES
-0
1
,
1
1,1
1
L
"I
C
OYA
Drive
axle-"
e
:>,
)
0006560
CV
joint
Fig
.
15
.
Support
CV
joint
at
inner
hub
duringpressing
operation
(ar-
rows)
.
NOTE-
To
inspect
a
CV
joint,
clean
away
the
grease
and
look
for
galling,pittihg
and
othersigns
of
wear
or
physical
damage
.
Polished
surfaces
or
visible
ball
tracks
alone
are
not
necessarily
cause
for
replacement
.
Discolora-
tion
due
to
overheating
indicates
lackof
lubrication
.
6
.
Place
new
clamping
bands
and
CV
boots
over
drive
ax-
le
.
NOTE-
When
replacing
CV
joint
boots,
usecomplete
CV
joint
boot
repair
kits
.
A
kit
will
include
a
new
boot,
clamping
bands,
special
lubricant,
and
anew
inner
CV
joint
cir-
clip
.
The
kit
is
available
from
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
parts
department
.
7
.
Apply
Loctite
®
270
or
an
equívalent
heavy-duty
lockíng
compound
to
drive
axlesplines
.
Position
new
CV
joint
on
shaft
so
that
raisedor
taller
side
of
hub
is
facing
shaft
.
WARNING
-
Fig
.
14
.
Dust
cover
shown
removed
from
inner
CV
joint
.
Clean
away
Do
not
let
the
locking
compound
contact
the
balls
in
grease
and
remove
circlip
(arrow)
from
shaft
end
.
the
joint
.
Apply
only
a
thin
coat
to
cover
the
splines
.
4
.
While
supporting
inner
hub,
press
axle
shaft
out
of
joint
.
8
.
While
supporting
axle
shaft,
press
inner
hub
of
CV
joint
See
Fig
.
15
.
onto
shaft
.
Install
new
circlip
.
NOTE-
Do
not
let
the
ball
hub
pivot
more
than
20°
in
the
outer
ring
of
the
joint
.
The
halls
will
fall
out
if
the
hub
ís
pivoted
too
far
.
9
.
Packeach
CV
joint
and
rubber
boot
with
specified
REAR
SUSPENSION
ARMS
amount
of
lubricant
supplied
.
Apply
adhesive
to
large
end
of
boot
and
mount
it
on
joint
.
Secure
boot
with
clamps
.
The
trailing
arms,
control
arms
and
their
mountingbushings
Apply
sealer
to
inner
CV
joint
dust
cover
and
instan
.
control
the
position
of
the
rear
wheels
.
A
damaged
suspen-
sion
arm
or
worn
bushings
will
change
the
rear
wheel
align
NOTE-
ment
and
may
adversely
affect
handling
and
stability
.
"
Before
installing
each
small
boot
clamp
be
sure
to
"burp"
the
boot
by
flexing
the
CV
joint
as
far
overas
it
WARNING
will
go
.
A
small
screw-driver
inserted
between
the
Do
notattempt
to
straighten
a
damaged
suspension
boot
and
the
axle-shaft
will
help
the
process
.
arm
.
Bending
or
heating
may
weaken
the
original
"
BMW
recommends
Bostil101513
or
EppleC4851
ad-
part
.
If
the
suspension
arm
shows
any
signs
of
hesive,
and
Epple®39
or
Curil©T
sealer
damage
or
excessive
corrosion,
it
must
be
re-
placed
.
CV
Joint
Lubricant
Capacity
"
Wheel
hub
end
ex
.
M3
..
..
.
....
.
.............
80
gram
(2.8
oz
.)
M3
..
...
.
..
.................
100
gram
(3
.5
oz
.)
"
Finaldrive
end
.................
85
gram
(3
.0
oz
.)
10
.
Install
drive
axle
as
described
earlier
.
1
.
Final
drive
carrier
2
.
Stabilizer
bar
3
.
Upper
control
arm4
.
Lower
control
arm5
.
Trailing
arm6
.
Trailing
arm
front
bracket
Fig
.
16
.
Rear
trailing
arms,
control
arms
and
final
drive
carrier
.
If
the
rear
brake
cine
is
disconnected
to
remove
a
trailing
arm,
the
complete
braking
system
must
be
bled
as
partof
the
installation
procedure
.
When
performing
repairs
to
rear
suspension
components,
refer
to
Fig
.
16
.
REAR
SUSPENSION
330-
9
0013112
REAR
SUSPENSION
ARMS
6
.
Remove
brake
pads
from
caliper
.
Where
applicable,
carefully
pry
pad
wear
sensor
from
pad
.
See
Fig
.
5
.
Fig
.
5
.
Removing
brake
pad
wear
sensor
.
7
.
Inspect
brake
caliper
for
signs
of
leakage
.
Check
that
the
caliper
piston
slides
smoothly
into
caliper
.
Replace
caliper
if
any
faults
are
found
.
CAUTION-
With
the
pads
removed,
residual
hydreulic
pres-
sure
may
cause
the
caliper
piston
to
slide
out
.
Use
a
wooden
block
to
hold
the
piston
in
place
.
8
.
fnsert
brake
pad
wear
sensor
into
cutout
in
new
pad
where
applicable
.
14
.
Place
inner
brake
pad
(with
locating
spring)
ontobrake
NOTE-
caliper
piston
.
Route
pad
wear
sensor
wiring
through
lf
the
brake
lining
indicator
light
illuminated
prior
to
caliper
opening
and
bleeder
dust
cap
.
brake
pad
replacement,
the
wear
sensor
should
be
re-
placed
.
15
.
The
remainder
of
installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
"
Do
not
lubricate
guide
boits
.
9
.
Slowly
press
piston
back
into
caliper
.
Use
cace
not
to
"
Once
brake
assembly
is
installed
depress
brakepedal
damage
piston
dust
sea¡
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
severa¡
times
before
driving
vehicle
.
NOTE-
"
Open
caliper
bleeder
screw
when
pressing
piston
Tightening
Torques
back
into
caliper
.
Catch
expelled
fluidin
appropriate
"
Brake
caliper
to
brake
pad
container
.
This
procedure
is
highly
recommended
in
carrier
(guide
bolt)
..........
...
.
.
30
Nm
(22
ft-Ib)
the
case
of
cars
with
ABS
.
"
Road
wheel
to
hub
.....
.
..
100±10
Nm
(74±7
ft-Ib)
"
Open
the
bleeder
screw
only
when
applying
force
to
the
piston
.
Do
not
allow
airto
be
drawn
in
through
the
bleeder
screw
.
"
Pressing
the
caliper
piston
in
may
cause
the
brake
flu-
id
reservoir
to
overflow
.
To
prevent
this,
use
a
clean
syringe
to
first
remove
some
fluid
from
the
reservoir
.
BRAKES
340-
5
0012157
Fig
.
6
.
Brake
caliper
piston
being
pressed
into
caliper
to
make
room
for
new
pads
.
Usea
rag
toprotect
caliper
piston
and
seals
.
10
.
Thoroughly
clean
inner
and
outer
surfaces
of
brake
ro-
tor
.
Inspect
rotor
for
cracks,
signs
of
overheating
and
0012156
scoring
.
11
.
Measure
thickness
of
rotor
.
See
Table
b
.
If
rotor
does
not
pass
minimum
thickness
requirements,
or
is
dam-
aged,
replace
as
described
later
.
12
.
Thoroughly
clean
all
contact
points
on
caliper
and
brake
pad
carrier
.
Clean
guide
bolts
and
make
surethey
slide
freely
13
.
Lightly
coat
pad
contact
points
with
brake
anti-squeal
paste
.
Place
outer
brake
pad
onto
caliper
.
Applya
small
amount
of
grease
to
thetop
and
bottom
contact
points
where
the
caliper
contacts
the
pad
carrier
.
BRAKE
PADS,CALIPERS,
ANDROTORS
GENERAL
.
....
.
.
.
.
.
.......
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
400-1
INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT
......
.
.
.
.......
400-4
Seats
and
Seatbelts
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
..
400-4
BODY
ASSEMBLY
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.400-2
Instruments
and
Controls
.
..
....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
400-4
Exterior
and
Aerodynamics
....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
400-2
Central
Body
Electronics
.......
.
.
.
...
.
...
400-5
Coupe
Models
..
.
.
.
.
.
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
400-3
Electronic
Immobilization
System
.
.
.
...
.
...
400-5
Convertible
Models
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
400-3
Heating
and
Air
Conditioning
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
400-6
GENERAL
This
section
covers
system
descriptions
and
general
ser-
vice
information
for
the
repair
groupsfound
in
4
Body
and
5
Body
Equipment
.
When
working
or
servicing
cars
equipped
with
SRS
air-
bag(s),
the
following
precautions
must
be
observed
to
prevent
injury
.
F19
.1
.
The
BMW
E36
coupe
.
400
Body-General
BODY-GENERAL
400-1
WARNING
-
"
Airbags
are
inflated
by
an
explosivedevice
.
Han-dled
improperly
or
without
adequate
safeguards,
airbag
units
can
be
very
dangerous
.
Special
pre-cautions
must
be
observed
prior
to
any
work
ator
near
the
driver's
side
airbag,
the
passenger's
side
airbag
(where
applicable),
or
the
side-impact
aírbags
(where
applicable)
.
See
721
Airbag
Sys-
tem
(SRS)
.
"
Always
disconnect
the
battery
and
cover
the
neg-
ative
(-)
battery
terminalwith
an
insulator
before
starting
diagnostic,
troubleshooting
or
service
work
oncars
fitted
with
SRS,
and
before
doíng
any
welding
on
the
car
.
0013098
GENERAL
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
.