1995 BMW 318i windshield

Starter,
removing
and
installing

(6-cylinder
engine
with

automatic
transmission)

The
starter
on
a
6-cylinder
car
with
automatic
transmission

ís
removed
from
above
.
It
is
necessary
to
remove
the
íntake

manifold
and
disconnect
a
number
of
electrical
harness
con-

nectors
.

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
battery
cable
.

2
.
Remove
air
plenum
from
rear
of
engine
compartment
.

See640
Heating
and
Air
Conditioning
.

3
.
Remove
top
enginecovers
.
See
Fig
.
9
.

Fig
.
9
.



Remove
top
engine
cover
by
prying
out
plugs
and
removing
nuts
(A)
.
Make
sure
rubber
insulators
(B)
on
either
sideof
large
cover
do
not
fall
off
during
cover
removal
.

4
.
Remove
ignition
coil
harness
connectors
.
Remove
ground
connection
at
front
of
cylinder
head
.

5
.
Remove
two
retaining
bolts
and
lift
off
fuel
injector
har-
ness
connector
strip
.
Carefully
fold
away
all
harnesses
toward
right
side
of
engine
compartment
and
place
at
base
of
windshield
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

6
.
Remove
intake
manifold
.
See
113
Cylinder
Head
Re-
moval
and
Installation
.

7
.
Disconnect
wiring
from
starter
.

BATTERY,
STARTER,
ALTERNATOR



121-
9

Fig
.
10
.
Fuel
injection
harness
(A)
and
ignition
coíl
harness
connectors
(B)
being
lifted
off
engine
to
be
placed
at
base
ofwindshield
.
M50
engine
shown
.
Other
6-cylinder
engines
are
similar
.

8
.
Loosen
and
remove
bolts
and
nuts
fastening
starter
to
transmission
bell
housing
and/or
engine
block
.
Remove

starter
support
bracket
.

Fig
.
11
.
Starter
wiring
terminals
and
support
bracket(arrow)
.
Intake
manifold
has
been
removed
.

STARTER
SERVICE

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

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

GENERAL
......
.
........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
512-1



WINDOW
SERVICE,

Front
door
window,
initializing
..
.
.........
.
512-1



2-DOOR
MODELS
.
...
.
......
.
........
.512-5

WINDOW
SERVICE,



Front
door
window,
removing
and
installing

(2-door
models)



.
.
...
.
...............
.
512-5

4-DOOR
MODELS
.
.
.
.
................
.
512-2



Front
door
window,
adjusting

Front
door
window,
removing
and
installing



(2-door
models)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.........
.
.
.
...
.512-7

(4-door
models)
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
512-2



Rear
vent
window
or
vent
latch,

Front
door
window,
adjusting



replacing
(2-door
models)
....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
512-11

(4-door
models)
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.....
512-3

Rear
door
window,
removing
and
installing



WINDOW
REGULATOR
SERVICE
.
.
.
..
.512-12

(4-door
models)
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.....
512-4



Door
window
regulator
and
motor,

Rear
door
fixed
glass,
removing
and
installing



removing
and
installing
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
512-12

(4-door
models)
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
512-4

GENERAL



Front
door
window,
initializing

This
heading
covers
door
glass,
window
regulator
and
pow-

er
window
motor
repair
information
.
Before
proceeding
with
window
repairs,
specifically
on
late
cars
fitted
with
front
side-

impact
airbags,
read
the
procedure
through
to
determine
the

scope
of
the
repair
.

The
bonded
windshield
and
rear
glass
are
replaced
using

special
adhesives
and
tools
.
It
is
recommended
that
bonded

glass
replacement
bedone
by
a
professional
glass
installer
.

WARNING
-

"
Always
wear
hand
and
eye
protection
when
workíng
with
broken
glass
.

"
ff
a
window
is
broken,
all
of
the
glass
bits
should
be
vacuumed
out
of
the
door
cavity
.
Use
a
blunt

screwdriver
to
clean
out
any
remaining
glass
pieces
from
the
window
guide
rails
.

CAUTION-

ff
battery
power
is
lost
or
the
battery
has
been
dis-
connected,
windows
mustbe
re-initialized
.
Both
one
touch
up/down
and
pinch-protection
will
be
in-
active
until
windows
are
re-initialized
.
Sea
below
.

512
Door
Windows

DOOR
WINDOWS



512-1

The
front
door
windows
incorporate
a
pinch-protection
fea-

ture
as
well
as
one-touch
up/down
(1994
and
later
models)
.
In

order
for
these
featuresto
work
correctly,
the
mechanical
stop
reference
point
must
be
re-initialized
after
repairs
are
carried
out
.

1
.
Closedoor
and
turn
ignition
keyon
.
Fully
open
front

window
.

2
.
Fully
close
front
window
.

4
.
Repeat
for
remaining
window
.

5
.
The
windows
should
now
be
initialized
and
the
anti-

pinch
and
one-touch
up/down
functions
should
be
en-

abled
.

GENERAL

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

513-
4



INTERIOR
TRIM

13
.
Remove
reinforcement
bar
below
steering
column
and
remove
steering
column
shear
bolts
.
Lower
steering

only
slightly
and
support
steering
column
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

WARNING
-

Lower
steering
column
only
enough
to
facilitate
re-
moval
of
the
dashboard
.
The
steering
column
sup-
ports
and
swivel
spindles
canbe
damaged
if
the
column
is
lowered
too
much
.

14
.
Remove
glove
compartment
support
frame
.See
Fig
.
8
.

0012643

Fig
.
8
.



Glove
compartment
support
frame
bolts
(arrows)
.

DASHBOARD

0013157

Fig
.
9
.



Windshield
defroster
outlet
being
lifted
off
(arrow)
.
Fig
.
7
.



Reinforcementbar
bolts
(arrows)
.
Shear
(headless)
bolts
at

steering
column
will
have
to
be
drilled
out
and
replaceddur-

ing
reinstallation
.



16
.
Remove
mounting
bolts
on
left
and
right
ends
of
dash-

board
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

Fig
.
10
.
Dashboard
mounting
bolt
(arrows)
.
Left
side
shown,
right
is

similar
.
Some
models
may
have
may
have
two
bolts
oneach

side
.

17
.
Lift
instrument
panel
off
slowly,
making
sure
all
harness
15
.
Carefullypryout
defroster
outlets
(left
and
right
sides)



connectors
and
wiring
are
disconnected
.

a
t
base
of
windshield
.
Remove
screwbelow
each
out-

let
.
See
Fig
.
9
.



18
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

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

541-
4



CONVERTIBLE
TOP

Folding
roof

Frontlatches

Convertible
topframe

i

Lower
mounting
pata
Horizontal
positioning
~~-
bolt
Manual
front
8
e
latch



1
handle

~



O

Visor
latchplata

Fig
.
6
.



Mechanical
components
of
E36
convertible
top
.
Manual,
semi-automatic,
and
fully
automatic
tops
have
similar
mechanical
construction
.

NOTE-

The
electronic
circuits
used
to
controlconvertible
top
operation
arecomplex
.
Diagnosis
of
the
convertible
top
and
the
Rollover
Protection
System
are
beyond
the
scope
of
this
book
.
Your
authorized
BMW
dealer
has
the
proper
diagnostic
equipment
and
tools
to
carry
out
these
tasks
.

Front
Latching
Mechanism

A
close,
tight
fit
between
the
front
bow
of
the
convertible

roof
and
the
top
of
the
windshield
is
critical
for
preventing

moisture
and
wind
noise
from
intruding
into
the
passenger

compartment
.

Visor
Latch
Plate

The
left
and
right
visor
latch
plates
can
be
accessed
by
re-

moving
the
trim
and
moldings
aroundthe
sides
and
top
of
the
windshield
.
Each
latch
is
attached
to
thetop
of
the
windshield
using
three
bolts
.
Latch
position
is
adjusted
as
follows
:

"
Loosen
bolts

Latch
top

"
Align
top

"
Retighten
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

4
a

0012756

Visor
Latch

0012768

Fig
.
7
.



Visor
latchplate
is
heldto
top
of
windshieldwiththreebolts
(arrows)
.

The
semi-automatic
and
the
fully
automatic
top
front
latches

are
of
similar
design
.
For
the
automatic
latching
mechanism

an
additional
motor
has
been
installed
in
the
front
bow
of
the
convertible
top
.
This
releases
the
top
from
the
visor
latch

plates
and
pulís
it
back
far
enough
for
the
main
retracting
mechanism
to
complete
thejob
.

The
latches
and
the
motor
can
be
accessed
byremovingthe
front
cover
trim
from
the
convertible
top
.