1995 BMW 323i 300

300-8



SUSPENSION,
STEERING
AND
BRAKES-GENERAL

Tableb
.
Suspension
and
Steering
Troubleshooting

Symptom



1



Probable
cause
Repairs
(Repair
Groups
shown
in
bold)

Car
pulís
to
one
side,
wanders



a
.
Incorrect
tire
pressure



a
.
Check
and
correct
tire
pressures
.
020
b
.
Incorrect
wheel
alignment



b
.
Check
and
adjust
wheel
alignment
.
320
c
.
Faulty
brakes
(pulls
only
when
braking)



I
c
.
Check
for
sticking/damaged
front
caliper
.
340

Steering
heavy,
poor
return-



a
.
Worn
upper
strut
bearing(s)



a
.
Replace
strut
bearings
.
310
to-center



b
.
Incorrect
tire
pressure



b
.
Check
and
correct
tire
pressures
.
020
c
.
Power
steering
system
faulty



c
.
Check
power
steering
fluid
level
.
Test
system
pressure
.
320

Front-end
or
rear-end
vibra-



a
.
Worn
strut
cartridgesor
shock
absorbers



a
.
Replace
strut
cartridges
.
310,
330
tion
or
shimmy



b
.
Worn
suspension
bushings
(control
arm
or
trail-



b
.
Replace
worn
bushings
.
310,
330
ing
arm)
c
.
Worn
front
suspension
ball
joints
(control
arm,



c
.
Replace
worn
ball
joints
.
310
steering
arm
orsteering
tie-rod
end)d
.
Unbalanced
or
bent
wheels/tires



d
.
Balance
tires
.
Check
tiresfor
uneven
wear
pat-
terns
.
Check
wheels
for
damage
.
e
.
Loose
wheel
lug
boits



e
.
Tighten
lug
boits
to
proper
torque
.

Poor
stability,
repeated
bounc-
I
a
.
Worn
strut
cartridgesor
shock
absorbers



I
a
.
Replace
strut
cartridges
.
310,
330
ing
after
bumps,
suspension
bottoms
outeasily

Suspension
noise
(especially



a
.
Worn
front
upper
strut
bearings



a
.
Replaceupper
strut
bearings
.
310
over
bumps)



b
.
Loose
front
strut
cartridge



b
.
Check/tighten
strut
cartridge
collar
nut
.
310
c
.
Worn
suspensionbushings
(control
arm
or
trail-



c
.
Replace
worn
bushings
.
310,
330
ing
arm)d
.
Worn
stabilizer
bar
rubber
mounts



d
.
Replace
stabilizer
bar
rubber
mounts
.
310,
330
e
.
Loose
suspension
crossmember



e
.
Check
crossmember
for
damage
.
Tighten
mounting
boits
.

Uneven
ride
height



a
.
Incorrect
coil
springs



a
.
Measure
ride
height
and
replacesprings
as
re-
quired
.
310,
330
b
.
Bent
or
damaged
suspension
components



b
.
Inspect,
repair/replace
asnecessary
.
310,
330
c
.
Sagging
coil
springs



c
.
Measure
ride
height
and
replace
springs
as
re-
quired
.
310,
330

Wheel
noise,
continuous



I
a
.
Worn
wheel
bearing



I
a
.
Replacewheel
bearing
.
310,
330
growling,
may
be
more
notíce-
able
when
turning

Steering
loose,
imprecise



a
.
Incorrect
tire
pressure



a
.
Check
and
correct
tire
pressures
.
020
-



b
.
Loose
steering
gearmounting
bolt(s)



b
.
Inspect
and
tighten
boits
.
320
c
.
Worn
tie
rodend(s)



c
.
Replace
tie
rod(s)
and
align
wheels
.
320
d
.
Faulty
front
wheel
bearing



d
.
Replace
wheel
bearing
.
310
e
.
Worn
or
damaged
steering
gear



e
.
Adjust
or
replace
steering
gear
.
320
f
.
Worn
tires



f
.
Replace
tires
.
010

SUSPENSION
AND
STEERING
TROUBLESHOOTING

GENERAL

310
Front
Suspension

GENERAL
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.......
.
........
.
310-1



FRONT
WHEEL
BEARINGS
..
.
.
.
.......
310-8

SHOCK
ABSORBERS
AND
SPRINGS
..
.
310-2



Front
wheel
bearing,
replacing
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
310-8

Strut
assembly,
removing
and
installing
.....
310-2



STABILIZER
BAR
..........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
310-9

Strut
assembly,
disassembling



Stabilizerbar,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
.
...
310-9

and
assembling
.
.
.
...
.
.....
.
.........
310-4

Ride
Height
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
........
.
310-4



SUBFRAME
CROSSMEMBER
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
310-9

Subframe
crossmember,
CONTROL
ARMS
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.....
310-5



removing
and
installing
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
310-9

Control
arm,
removing
and
installing
....



..
310-5
Outer
control
arm
ball
joint,
replacing



Table

exce
t
M3
models



310-6



a
.
Front
Ride
Height
Specifications
..
.
.....
..
.
..
..
310-5
Control
arm
bushing,
replacing
.
.
.
...
.
.....
310-7

The
E36
front
suspension
is
shown
in
Fig
.
1
.
For
a
general



Specialservice
tools
arerequired
for
most
of
the
work
de-

description
of
the
front
suspension
and
components,
see
300



scribed
in
this
repair
group
.
Read
the
procedures
through
be-

Suspension,
Steering
and
Brakes-General
.



fore
beginning
any
job
.

Stabilizer
bar

Power
steering

fluid
cooler

Control



Strut
assembly
arm

Tierod

Fig
.
1
.



BMW
E36
front
suspension
.
(M3
suspension
shown
.
Others
are
similar
.)

FRONT
SUSPENSION



310-1

Steering
arm
0012132

GENERAL

GENERAL
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.......
.
...
.330-1



CV
boot,
replacing
........
.
.
.
.........
.
.330-8

RIDE
HEIGHT
....
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
330-1



REAR
SUSPENSION
ARMS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
330-9

Trailing
arm,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
....
330-10

SHOCK
ABSORBERS
AND
SPRINGS
.
.
.
330-2



Trailing
arm
bushing,
replacing
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
..
330-11

Rear
shock
absorber,
removing
and
installing
330-3



Upper
control
arm,
removing
and
installing
.
.330-12

Coil
spring,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
330-4



Lower
control
arm,
removing
and
installing
.
.330-12

REAR
WHEEL
BEARINGS
....
.
...
.
.
.
..
330-4

Rear
wheel
bearing,
replacing
.......
.
....
330-5



Final
drive
carrier,
removing
and
installing
.
.330-12

DRIVE
AXLES
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.............
330-6



TABLE
a
.
Rear
Ride
Height
Specifications
..
.
............
330-1
Drive
axle,
removing
and
installing
.........
330-6

GENERAL

Special
service
tools
are
required
for
some
of
the
work
de-
scribed
in
this
repair
group
.
Read
the
procedures
through
be-
fore
beginning
any
job
.

NOTE
-

A
general
description
of
the
rear
suspension
and
a
troubleshooting
guide
can
be
found
in
300
Suspen-
sion,
Steering
and
Brakes-General
.

RIDE
HEIGHT

Rear
suspension
ride
height
is
controlled
by
the
rear

springs
.
If
the
rear
ride
height
is
not
within
the
specifications

listed,
the
rear
springs
should
be
replaced
.

Ride
height
is
measured
from
the
lower
edge
of
the
wheel

arch
to
the
bottom
edge
of
the
wheel
rim
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

Table
a
lists
rear
suspension
ride
height
specifications
.



ooy

98
These
specifications
apply
to
a
car
in
a
normally
loaded
posi-

tion
.
When
checking
ride
heightor
installing
suspension
com-



Fig
.
1
.



Ride
height
measurement
(A)
is
taken
from
center
of
wheel

ponents,
load
the
caras
follows
:



archto
bottom
of
wheel
rim
.

Normal
loaded
position

"
Each
front
seat
..
...
.
.
.............
68kg
(150
lb)

"
Rear
seat
(center)
..
.
.
.............
68
kg
(150
lb)

"
Trunk
.........
.
.
.
.
.
..............
21kg
(46
lb)

"
Fue¡
tank



.....



.
..



.
.
.
................



.



..
..
.
full

NOTE-

M3
ride
height
is
measured
with
the
car
unladen
.

330
Rear
Suspension

REAR
SUSPENSION



330-1

FINAL
DRIVE
CARRIER
.
.......
.
.
.
.
.
..
330-12

Table
a
.
Rear
RideHeight
Specifications

Wheel
size



318,323,325,



M3
modeis
328
modeis

15
inch
std
.
suspension



518
mm
(20
.39
in)
sport
suspension



~
507
mm
(19
.96
in)

16
inch
std
.
suspension



531
mm
(20
.91
in)
sport
suspension



~
520
mm
(20
.47
in)

Continued

RIDE
HEIGHT

330-
6



REAR
SUSPENSION

12
.
Install
brake
caliper
assembly
and
rotor
as
described
in

340Brakes
.

13
.
Install
drive
axie
as
described
below
.

Tightening
Torques

"
Brake
rotor
to
drive
flange
.........



16
Nm
(12
ft-ib)

"
Brake
caliper
to
trailing
arm
........
67
Nm
(50
ft-Ib)

"
Drive
axie
collar
nut
to
drive
flange
..
.
..
..............
250
Nm
(184
ft-Ib)
M3
.....
...
..
.
.............
.
300
Nm
(221
ft-Ib)

"
Road
wheel
to
hub
.........
100±10
Nm
(74±7
ft-Ib)

DRIVE
AXLES

The
drive
axles
use
constant-velocity
(CV)
joints
on
both
ends
.
To
replace
a
CV
joint
or
dust
boot,
the
drive
axie
must
be
removed
fromthe
car
.
The
components
of
the
drive
axie
are
illustrated
in
Fig
.
10
.

Drive
axie,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Raise
rear
of
car
.
Remove
rear
wheel
.

Dust
cover

Fig
.
10
.
Driveaxie
assembly
.

DRIVE
AXLES

Inner
CV
boot
kit

-Reinforcement

WARNING
-

Make
sure
that
the
car
is
firmly
supportedon
jack
stands
designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
stands
beneatha
structural
chassis
point
.
Do
not
place
jack
stands
undersuspension
parts
.

2
.
Pry
off
dust
cap
from
center
of
wheel
hub
.

3
.
Remount
wheel
and
lug
boits
.

4
.
Lower
car
to
ground
.
With
an
assistant
applying
brakes,

loosen
collar
nut
.
Do
not
remove
completely
.
See
Fig
.

11
.

The
drive
flange
collar
nut
is
tightened
to
a
torque
of
250
Nm
(184
ft-Ib)
.
Make
sure
the
car
is
firmly
on
the
ground
.

5
.
Raisecar
andremove
wheel
.

6
.
Remove
brake
caliper
assembly
and
rotor
as
described
in
340
Brakes
.
Leave
brake
hose
connected
to
caliper
.
Suspend
caliper
assembly
from
chassis
using
stiff
wire
.

7
.
Remove
drive
axie
from
drive
flange
.
See
Fig
.
12
.
Sus-

pend
drive
axie
from
chassis
using
stiff
wire
.

Outer
CV
boot
kit

Drive
axle

Outer
CV
joint

Fig
.
11
.
Drive
flange
collar
nut
(arrow)
.

0012111

8
.
Support
trailing
arm
from
below,
using
a
transmission

jackorequivalent
.
Remove
shock
absorber
to
trailing

arm
bolt
.

WARNING
-

It
is
recommended
that
a
restraining
chain
be
in-
stalled
between
the
bottom
coil
of
the
coil
spring
and
the
upper
control
arm
to
retain
thespring
in
case
of
accidental
release
.
Personal
injury
can
re-
sult
if
the
compressed
coil
spring
is
not
released
slowly
and
carefully
.

REAR
SUSPENSION



330-
7

9
.
Lower
trailing
arm
sufficiently
to
gain
clearance
for
re-
moving
drive
axle
.
If
necessary
use
an
appropriate
puller
to
Rmove
drive
axle
from
wheel
bearing
housing
.
See
Fig
.
13
.

10
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

Fig
.
13
.
Press
drive
axle
from
wheel
bearing
housing
using
puller
.

"
Apply
a
light
coating
of
oil
to
contact
face
of
collar
nut,
and
install
it
loosely
.

"
Install
road
wheel
and
lower
car
to
ground
.
"
With
an
assistant
applying
brakes,
tighten
drive
axle
collar
nut
to
its
final
torque
.

"
Install
a
new
collar
nut
retaining
plate
.

Tightening
Torques

"
Brake
caliper
to
trailing
arm
........
67
Nm
(50
ft-Ib)

"
Brake
rotor
to
drive
flange
.........
16
Nm
(12
ft-Ib)

"
Drive
axle
collar
nut
to

drive
flange
.
.
....
..
.
..........
250
Nm
(184
ft-Ib)

M3
......
.
.
.....
.
.
..........
300
Nm
(221
ft-Ib)

"
Drive
axie
to
final
drive
unit
mounting
flange
.
.
.
.....
M8
Torx
bolt
.
...
...
.
............
64
Nm
(47
ft-Ib)
M10
Torx
bolt
...
...............
100
Nm
(74
ft-Ib)

Road
wheel
to
hub100±10
Nm
(74t7
ft-Ib)
0012103



"
Shock
absorber
to
Fig
.
12
.
Drive
axle
to
final
drive
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.



trailing
arm
.
.
...
...
.
............
77
Nm
(57
ft-Ib)

DRIVE
AXLES

512-2



DOOR
WINDOWS

WINDOW
SERVICE,

4-DOOR
MODELS

WARNING
-

When
servicing
the
door
wíndows,
theharness
con-
nector
to
the
window
regulator
shouldalways
be
disconnected
to
prevent
pinching
fingers
in
closing
window
.

NOTE-

If
the
battery
is
disconnected,
the
front
window
regula-

tor
motors
must
be
re-initialized
afterrepairs
are
car-ried
out
.
lf
the
window
motorsare
not
reinitialized,
the
programmed
one-touch
upldown
and
anti-pinchfunc-
tions
will
be
disabled
.
See
Front
door
window,
initial-
izing
.

Front
doorwindow,
removing
and
installing



0013061
(4-door
modeis)



Fig
.1.
Lift
off
window
sea¡
from
door
.
Note
metal
retainer
(arrow)
.
2-
door
car
shown
.
1
.
Lower
door
window
about
12
in
.
(300
mm)
.

2
.
Remove
front
door
panel
and
vapor
barrieras
de-
scribed
in
411
Doors
.

WARNING
-

"
Some
1997
and
all
1998
cars
are
fitted
wlth
side-
impact
airbags
in
the
front
doors
.
When
servicing
the
door
wíndows
on
cars
with
front
side-impact
airbags,
always
disconnect
the
negative
()
bat-
tery
cable
.
See
721Airbag
System
(SRS)
for
cautions
and
procedures
relating
to
theairbag
sys-
tem
.

"
Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
bat-
tery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vi¡¡
.

3
.
On
cars
with
side-impact
airbags,
disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.
Then
remove
airbag
unit
fromdoor
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

5
.
Carefully
remove
window
innersea¡
and
pry
off
metal

retainers
under
sealing
lip
to
prevent
scratchingglass
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

6
.
Remove
retaining
clips
from
window
slides
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

WINDOW
SERVICE,
4-DOOR
MODELS

Fig
.
2
.



Retaining
clipsfor
window
slides
(arrows)
.

0011696

7
.
While
supporting
window
glass,
pry
window
lifting
arms

out
of
left
and
right
slides
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

NOTE-



8
.
Pivot
window
up
at
rear
and
out
of
door
.

In
some
modeis
covered
inthis
manual,
it
is
not
essen-
tial
to
remove
the
side-impact
airbag
to
access
internal



9
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
notingthe
following
:

door
components
.
However,
the
procedure
is
recom-



"
Usenew
mounting
bolts
when
reinstalling
the
side-im-
mended
forsafety
reasons
.



pactairbag
to
the
door(where
applicable)
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.
4
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
window
motor
to



"
Adjust
window
as
described
later
.
prevent
accidental
operation
.



"
Re-initialize
window
regulator
motorsas
described

earlier
.

512-
4



DOOR
WINDOWS

7
.
Push
regulator
stop
tightly
against
window
regulator



4
.
Lower
door
window
about
12
in
.
(300
mm)
.
Remove

sector
and
tighten
nut
.



window
lifting
arm
retaining
clip
from
window
slide
.
Re-

o
Check
for
tight,
even
fit
at
top
of
window
frame
.



fer
to
Fig
.
2
.

"
If
necessary,temporarily
reconnect
negative
(-)
cable

to
battery
and
raise
window
so
it
is
pressing
uniformly



WARNING-

against
toprubber
sea¡
before
final
tightening
.



Once
the
window
is
lowered,
dísconnect
harness
connector
from
power
window
motor
to
prevent
ac-
8
.
Reinitialize
front
window
motorsas
described
earlier
.



cidental
operation
of
the
window
.

Tightening
Torques

"
Regulator
stop
to
window
regulator
....
9
Nm
(7
ft-Ib)

"
Window
regulator
bracket
to
door
.....
9
Nm
(7
ft-Ib)

Rear
door
window,
removing
and

installing
(4-door
models)

1
.
Remove
rear
door
panel
and
vapor
barrier
.
See
411



7
.
Remove
window
glass
from
above
.
Doors
.

2
.
Pul¡
out
rubber
guide
at
front
of
window
frame
.
Remove

three
screws
and
pul¡
off
exteriortrim
cover
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

UJ117U1
Fig
.
6
.



Trim
covermounting
screws
(arrows)
.
To
remove
cover,
slide
upand
off
door
.

3
.
Lift
up
andremovewindow
inner
sealing
strip
.
Remove

clipsat
edge
of
window
channel
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
1
.

WINDOW
SERVICE,
4-DOOR
MODELS

5
.
Pry
lifting
arm
out
of
slide
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
3
.

NOTE
-

Support
window
in
door
before
disconnecting
lifting

arm
from
window
slide
.

6
.
Remove
rubber
channelfromdoorframe
perimeter
.

8
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

"
Rear
window
adjustment
is
similar
to
front
window
ad-

justment,given
earlier
.

"
Reinitialize
window
motorsas
described
earlier
.

Rear
door
fixed
glass,
removing
and

installing
(4-door
models)

1
.
Remove
window
from
rear
dooras
described
earlier
.

2
.
Remove
upper
and
lower
bolts
at
guide
rail
.
Lift
up
rub-

ber
sea¡
to
accessupper
bolt
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

Fig
.
7
.



Rear
guide
rail
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.

640-8



HEATING
AND
AIR
CONDITIONING

0012649

Fig
.
22
.
A/
C
control
head
faceplate
screwson
rotary
knob
version
(ar-
rows)
.
Once
screws
are
removed,
faceplate
must
be
un-
clipped
from
control
head
.

Fig
.
23
.
Push
control
panel
out
ofcenter
console
.

4
.
Remove
harness
connectors
.
Unfasten
heater
duct
control
flex-shaft
on
right
side
of
control
head
by
squeezing
retaining
tab
.
PA
shaftout
of
coupling
in
control
head
and
remove
head
.

5
.
Installation
is
reverseof
removal
.

HEATER
AND
CONTROLS

0012650

Heater
and
A/C
control
head,

removing
and
installing(digital-display)

1
.
Remove
Multi-Information
Display
(MID)
module
from

center
of
dash
.
See
620
Instruments
.

2
.
Reach
into
dash
through
MID
opening
and
push
A/C

control
head
outwards
.

3
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
and
remove
control

head
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal

Heater
andA/C
control
module,

removing
and
installing
(rotary-knob)

1
.
Remove
Multi-Information
Display
(MID)
module
from

center
of
dash
.
See
620
Instruments
.

2
.
Remove
center
console
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.

3
.
Disconnect
wiring
harness
connectors
to
A/C
control

module
in
center
console
and
removemodule
.
See
Fig
.

24
.

0013007
Fig
.
24
.
A/
C
control
module
(A)
in
center
console
.
Arrows
point
to
electrical
harness
connectors
at
A/Cmodule
.

Heater
and
A/C
control
module,

removing
and
installing(digital-display)

TheA/C
control
module
for
cars
with
the
digital
display
is
mounted
on
the
back
of
the
control
head
.
See
Fig
.
25
.

1
.
Remove
control
head
as
described
earlier
and
place
onan
anti-static
mat
.