721-2
AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)
Fig
.
1
.
Airbag
system
components
.
AIRBAG
SENSORSAND
ELECTRONICS
CA
UTION-
"
If
an
airbag
is
activated,
the
following
compo-
nents
must
be
replaced
:
Airbag
with
contact
ring
;
-Pyrotechnic
seat
belt
tensioners
(if
fitted)
;
-SRS
Control
module
;
-Impact
sensors
;
All
airbags
which
did
not
deploy
.
"
Consult
your
BMW
dealer
for
parts
and
service
information
.
TheE36
airbag
system
consists
of
the
following
compo-
nents
:
crash
sensors
(in
earlycars,
through
1993),
an
elec-
tronic
control/monitoring
module
(with
integrated
crash
sensor
in
ZAE
systems),
an
indicator
light
in
the
instrument
panel,
and
inflatable
airbags
equipped
with
gas
generators
in
the
steering
wheel
and
in
the
passenger
side
of
the
instrument
panel
(ZAE
systems)
.
Some
1997
and
al¡
1998
carsalso
have
side-impact
airbags
in
the
front
doors
.
AIRBAG
SENSORS
AND
ELECTRONICS
1.
Crash
sensors
(through
1993)
wheel
2
.
SRS
control
module
in
front
of
5
.
Side-impact
airbags
(1997/98)
glove
compartment
(through
6
.
ZAE
control
module
under
rear
1993)
seat
(from
1994)
3
.
Passenger
side
airbag
unit
in
7
.
Side-impact
airbag
crash
sensors
dashboard
(ZAE
system)
in
door
silis
(1997/98)
4
.
Driver
side
airbag
unitin
steering
8
.
Knee
bolsters
In
addition
to
the
airbags,
the
vehicles
are
equipped
wíth
knee
bolsters
for
extra
protection
.
SRS
Warning
Light
and
Fault
Display
The
airbag
system
utilizes
a
self-diagnostic
control
module
to
detect
and
store
system
faults
.
If
a
fault
is
detected,
the
SRS
indicator
in
the
instrument
cluster
comes
on
and
stays
on
.
When
the
ignition
key
is
tumed
on,
the
indicator
light
will
illu-
minate
for
approximately
4-6
seconds
.
The
illuminated
light
indicates
the
self-testof
the
electronic
control/monitoring
module,
the
ignítors
and
crash-sensorcircuits,
and
the
system
wiring
.
The
airbag
system
should
be
inspected
byan
autho-
rized
BMW
dealer
if
the
indicator
light
does
not
come
on,
ifit
does
not
go
out
in
approximately
4-6
seconds
after
switching
onthe
ignition,
or
if
the
light
comes
on
during
driving
.
If
the
system
has
detected
a
fault,
the
light
will
come
on
and
stay
on
.
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
CA
UTION-
Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
viii
.
2
.
Remove
driver
sideairbag
from
steering
wheel
.
See
Driver
side
airbag,
removing
and
installing
in
this
repair
group
.
3
.
With
wheels
facing
straight
ahead
and
steering
wheel
centered,
remove
steering
wheel
.
See320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.
4
.
Remove
contact
ring
cover
(flat
plastic
ring
containing
warning
text)
from
steering
wheel,
íf
applicable
.
5
.
Disconnect
ground
wire,
if
applicable
6
.
Lift
out
plastic
lock
from
steering
wheel,
if
applicable
.
See
Fig
.
2
.
0011903
Fig
.
2
.
Airbag
contact
ring
lock(arrow)
.
Pry
out
lock
and
remove
spríng
from
behind
lock
.
Some
airbag
steering
wheels
are
not
equipped
with
contact
ring
lock
.
WARNING
-
"
The
contact
ring
lock
holds
the
contact
ring
in
the
centered
position
.
Once
the
lock
is
removed,
the
contact
ring
is
free
to
rotate
.
Do
not
allow
the
con-
tact
ring
to
rotate
once
the
lock
is
removed
.
"
If
the
contact
ring
is
accidentally
rotated
outof
center,
turn
the
ring
either
fully
clockwise
orcoun-
terclockwise,
then
turn
in
the
opposite
direction
3
complete
revolutions
until
the
alignment
arrow
canbe
seen
through
the
lock
opening
.
AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)
721-
3
Airbagcontact
ring,
replacing
7
.
Remove
mounting
nutsor
screws
from
contact
ring
.
See
Fig
.
3
.
Disconnect
wire
lead(s)
andremove
contact
The
airbag
contact
ring
is
mounted
to
the
rear
of
the
steer-
ring
from
rear
of
steering
wheel
.
ing
wheel
and
is
made
up
of
a
wireribbon
that
cofs
and
un-
coils
as
the
steering
wheel
is
tumed
.
The
contact
ring
assures
continuous
electrical
contact
to
the
driver
side
airbag
unit
.
Fig
.
3
.
Airbag
contact
ring
mounting
fasteners(arrows)
.
8
.
Installation
is
reverse
ofremoval,noting
the
following
:
"
Coat
horn
slip
ring
(electrical
contact
ring)
with
CRC
®
copper
paste
before
installing
steering
wheel
.
"
Press
on
lower
lock
until
it
ís
fully
engaged
.
"
When
installing
contact
ringlock,
make
sure
lock
spring
engages
pins
on
lock
and
lock
cover
.
"
Special
instructions
apply
when
installing
airbag
equipped
steering
wheel
.
See320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.
Early
cars
(through
1993)
:
"
Route
wiring
lead
for
horn
through
squareopening
in
steering
wheel
.
"
When
installing
a
new
contact
ring
from
BMW,
remove
locking
screw
after
installing
the
contact
ringto
steer-
ing
wheel
.
See
Fig
.
4
.
"
Lock
contact
ring
mounting
fasteners
in
place
using
lacquer
paint
or
varnish
.
0011904
Fig
.
4
.
Airbag
contact
ring
locking
screw
(arrow),
as
installed
on
new
replacement
part
from
BMW
(early
production
cars)
.
AIRBAG
SENSORS
AND
ELECTRONICS
721-
4
AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)
CAUTION-
A
new
contact
ring
is
held
in
center
position
with
a
screw
.
This
locking
device
must
be
removed
after
contact
ring
is
installed
on
steering
wheel
.
See
Fig
.
4
.
Latercars
(1994
on)
:
"
Connect
ground
lead
at
contact
ring
.
"
When
installing
a
new
contact
ring
from
BMW,
remove
locking
pin
after
installing
contact
ring
to
steering
wheel
.
See
Fig
.
5
.
Airbag
crash
sensor,
replacing
Fig
.
5
.
Airbag
contact
ring
locking
pin
(arrows),
as
installed
on
new
replacement
part
from
BMW
(later
production
cars)
.
Contact
ring
mountíng
screws
shown
at
A
.
CAUTION-
Anew
contact
ring
is
held
in
center
position
with
a
screw
or
pin
.
This
locking
device
mustbe
removed
after
contact
ring
is
installed
on
steering
wheel
.
See
Fig
.
5
.
The
airbag
system
in
cars
produced
through
1993
uses
two
crash
sensors
mounted
in
the
engine
compartment
on
the
left
and
right
wheel
arches
.
The
sensors
are
identified
by
their
or-
ange
color
.
WARNING
-
If
en
airbag
is
deployed,
both
sensors
must
be
re-
placed
.
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
CAUTION-
Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautíons
given
at
the
front
of
thls
manual
on
page
viii
.
AIRBAG
SENSORS
AND
ELECTRONICS
2
.
Remove
lower
steering
column
trim
mounting
screw
and
remove
lower
trim
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
Fig
.
6
.
Lower
steering
column
retaining
screw
(arrow)
.
3
.
Remove
orange
SRS
connector
from
its
holder
and
carefully
separate
connector
.
See
Fig
.
7
.
Fig
.
7
.
Orange
SRS
connector
below
steering
column
(arrow)
.
4
.
Working
in
engine
compartment,
remove
anti-tamper
Torx
screwsfrom
crash
sensor
.
Remove
sensor
and
disconnect
harness
connector
.
See
Fig
.
8
.
5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Make
sure
arrow
on
sensor
faces
forward
when
installing
sensor
.
WARNING
-
Once
the
airbag
unit
is
installed
and
all
other
ser-vice
procedures
have
been
completed,
start
the
en-
gine
and
check
that
the
SRS
warning
light
goes
out
.
If
the
warning
light
stays
on,the
SRS
system
will
not
function
as
designed
.
Have
the
system
diagnosed
and
repaired
byen
authorized
BMW
dealer
.
0012543
0011891
Fig
.
8
.
Airbag
crash
sensor
mountingscrews
(arrows)
on
early
cars
.
Note
Torx
screws
with
anti-tamper
pin
in
screw-head
.
ZAE
control
module,
replacing
NOTE-
Some
versions
of
early
ZAE
control
modules
are
no
longer
available
from
BMW
.
When
replacing
control
modules
on
cars
built
between
September
1993
and
June
1994,
consulta
BMW
parts
department
for
the
lat-
est
information
on
retrofitting
the
later
module
.
3
.
Remove
orange
SRS
connector
from
its
holder
and
carefully
separate
connector
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
7
.
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminalwith
insulating
material
.
4
.
Working
behind
steering
wheel,
completely
loosen
Torx
screws
(T30)
while
holdingairbag
in
place
.
See
Fig
.
9
.
2
.
Lift
rearseat
cushion
.
Unplug
harness
connectors
and
Support
airbag
unit
toprevent
it
from
falling
out
.
remove
ZAE
airbag
control
module,
which
is
bolted
to
top
of
driveshaft
tunnel
.
3
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Front
side-impact
airbag
crash
sensor,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
2
.
Remove
front
seat
.
See520
Seats
.
3
.
Convertible
:
remove
rear
seat
4
.
Remove
plastic
door
sill
trim
.
5
.
Fold
up
carpet
in
back
of
front
seat
.
6
.
Pull
off
connector
from
crash
sensor,
which
is
located
under
rugnext
to
door
si¡¡
.
7
.
Remove
sensorby
removing
screws
.
Note
direction
ar-
row
before
removing
sensor
.
8
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,noting
direction
arrow
on
sensor
.
AIRBAGS
AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)
721-
5
Driver
side
airbag,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
WARNING
-
On
cars
with
ZAE
system
:
If
theairbag
system
has
detected
a
fault
(SRS
indicator
illuminated),
a
wait-
ing
period
ofat
least
ten
minutes
must
be
observed
before
removing
the
airbag
from
the
steering
wheel
.
This
will
allow
the
system
capacitor
to
discharge,
re-
ducing
the
possibility
of
a
trigger
pulsebeinggener-
ated
to
the
airbag
.
CAUTION-
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vi¡¡
.
2
.
Remove
lower
steering
column
trim
mounting
screw
andremove
lower
trim
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
6
.
Fig
.
9
.
Driver
sideairbag
unit
mounting
screws
(arrows)
.
0011893
AIRBAGS
721-
6
AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)
5
.
Carefully
lift
airbag
unit
off
steering
wheel
and
discon-
6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Tighten
right
side
nect
orange
harness
connector
from
rear
of
airbag
unit
.
screw
on
airbag
first
(as
viewedfrom
driver's
seat),
See
Fig
.
10
.
then
left
side
screw
.
NOTE-
NOTE-
In
some
models,
theairbag
electrical
connection
to
the
If
there
is
no
electrical
harness
connector
between
the
steering
wheel
isvia
aplug
in
back
of
the
airbag
unit
.
airbag
and
the
steering
wheel,
be
sure
to
fit
the
push
There
is
no
wire
harness
to
disconnect
.
in
electrical
plug
in
back
of
the
airbag
finto
the
proper
re-
ceptacle
in
the
steering
wheel
.
Fig
.
10
.
Driver
sideairbag
unit
harness
connector
(arrow)
.
AIRBAGS
WARNING
-
"
Store
the
removed
airbag
unit
with
the
horn
pad
facing
up
.
If
stored
facing
down,
accidental
de-
ployment
couldpropel
it
violently
into
the
air,
causing
injury
.
"
Once
an
airbag
is
removed,
the
car
must
not
be
driven
.
"
Do
not
connect
the
battery
with
the
airbag
dis-
connected
.
A
fault
code
will
be
stored,
setting
off
the
SRS
warning
light
.
Special
tools
are
needed
to
reset
the
fault
memory
.
"
Special
instructions
apply
when
installing
an
air-
bag
equipped
steering
wheel
.
See
320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.
"
Once
the
airbag
unit
is
installnd
and
all
other
ser-vice
procedureshave
been
completed,
start
the
engíne
and
check
that
the
SRS
warning
light
goes
out
.
If
the
warning
light
stays
on,
the
SRS
system
will
not
function
as
designed
.
Have
the
system
diagnosed
and
repaired
by
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
.
0013184
Tightening
Torque
"
Airbag
unitto
steering
wheel
........
8
Nm
(71
in-lb)
Passenger
side
airbag,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
2
.
Remove
glove
compartment
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.
3
.
Lift
cover
from
topof
passenger
sideairbag
on
dash-
board
.
See
Fig
.
11
.
0013108
Fig
.
11
.
After
removing
glove
compartment,
lift
out
passenger
side
air-
bag
cover
.
Note
airbag
mounting
bolts
(A)
and
airbag
electri-
cal
connector
(B)
.
4
.
Remove
passenger
sideairbag
mounting
bolts
.
Dis-
connect
electrical
harness
connector
from
rear
of
air-
bag
unit
and
remove
airbag
.
5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Make
sure
wiring
har-
ness
is
not
pínched
when
installing
airbag
unit
in
dash-board
.
Front
side-impact
airbag,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
CA
UTION-
"
Store
the
removed
airbag
unit
with
the
soft
pad
Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
facing
up
.
ff
stored
facíng
down,
accidental
de-
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
ployment
could
propel
it
violently
into
the
air,
manual
on
page
viii
.
causing
injury
.
2
.
Remove
inside
door
panel
as
described
in
411
Doors
.
Remove
vapor
shield
.
3
.
Disconnect
electrical
harness
connectorfrom
door-
mounted
airbag
unit
.
See
Fig
.
12
.
WARNING
-
The
plug
connector
insidethe
door
is
not
marked
in
orange,
unlike
other
SRS
connectors
in
the
car
.
Fig
.
12
.
Front
side-impact
airbag
(inner
door
panel
removed)
.
A
is
electrical
harness
connector
.
AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)
721-
7
CAUTION-
"
The
electrical
harness
connector
of
the
side-im-
pact
airbag
unit
may
be
either
on
the
sideof
the
unít
or
in
the
back
When
removing
and
installing
the
unit,
pay
attention
to
the
routing
of
the
har-
ness
to
avoid
kinks
orbreaks
in
the
wire
.
4
.
Remove
mounting
screws
andremove
airbag
from
door
.
5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
WARNING
-
The
side-impact
airbag
mounting
screws
must
al-
ways
be
replaced
any
time
they
are
removed
.
Usenew
screws
with
factory-applied
locking
sealer
.
Tightening
Torque
"
Side-impact
airbag
to
door
..
.....
8
.5
Nm
(75
in-lb)
AIRBAGS
TOFUSEF16
GGRN
(DIAGRAM
4
OF
5)
TOFUSEF28
HGRN
(DIAL
RAM
4
OF
5)
TOFUSEF24
GRN
(DIAGRAM
4
OF
5)
10437
2
F
-
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ENGINECONTROL
UNLOADER
INSTRUMENTUNCOUPLING
BLOWERNo
DULE(DME)
RELAY
CLUSTER
DIODE
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F44
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154
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TELEPHONE
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GLOVEBOX
I
I
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CONNECTOR
I
LIGHT
LEFT
RIGHT
SEAT
FIGHT
LEFT
ROLLOVER
SUPPLEMENTAL
FRONTFRONT
OCCUPANCY
SIDESIDE
SENSOR
RESTRAINT
SEATBELT
SEATBELTDETECTOR
IMPACTIMPACT
SYSTEM
SWITCH
SWITCH
SENSOR
SENSOR
CONTROL
MODULE
I
IGNITION
SWITCH
I
OFF
START
OFF
START
OFF
START
OFF
/
START
ACC-__U-
_____________
_
ACC
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_____
AC
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FROMFRONTPOWER
DISTRIBUTION
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2
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56
ELECTRONICIMMOBLIZER
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2
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1
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I
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I
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WIPERI
RADIO
WASHER
BODYELECTRONICS
WASHER
Pump
CONTROL
MODULEMODULE
(ZKE
IV)
61
31
5'
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
II
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
LEFT
MAKEUP
CONVERTIBLETOP
TOP
SPATIAL
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RIGHT
MAKEUP
LEFT
RIGHT
MIPROFLIGHT
CONTROLMODULEH
I
FI
SOUND
MAPLIGHT
CONTROLMODULE
MIRRORLIGHT
REAR
FEAR
SWTCH
RELAY
ASSEMBLY
INTERIOR
INTERIOR
______
-
-
-
-
-
_____________________________
-_
FRONTPOWER
FROMFUSE
F43
---
I
DISTRIBUTION
BOX
(OIAGRAM30F5)
J
II
FUSE
FUSE
I
F45
146
7
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-_
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_
_
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_
_
_
_
_
_
_
ELECTRICAL
WIRING
DIAGRAMS
ELE-21
Power
Distribution
1998Except
318ti
(3
of
5)
2B
NOTUSED
0259
231X
7Oat8
5I
4151
51
5
;
4
4
1
2
O
16
I
I
I
I
I
I
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I
I
II
I
I
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I
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f
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ON-BOARD
CHECK
STARTER
TRANSMITTER
INSTRUMENT
BRAKE
LISHT
COMPUTERCONTROL
IMMOBILIZATION
MODULE
CLUSTER
SWITCH
MODULE
MODULE
SWITCH
---
-
-
------
--
FRONT
POWER
TOFUSEF45
I
DISTRIBUTION
BOX
'DIAGRAM
S
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FUSE
"
FUSE
HORN
RELAY
CRUISECRUISE
CONTROLCONTROL
MODULE
SWITCH
I
I
I
I
I
II
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
II
II
II
LUGGAGECOMPARTMENT
II
II
II
TELEPHONE
CONNECTOR
DATALINK
CONNECTOR
84831
HEADLIGHT/
RIGHT
I
I
FOG
LIGHT
I
I
HIGH
I
I
WASHER
I
(BEAM
I
(CANADA)
I_
I
LIGHT
,7
WASHER
BIGHT
I
FLUID
I
I
LOW
I
I
LEVEL
I
I
BEAM
SWITCH
LIGHT
I
I
_
(
GSA
)
I
_I
TURN
I
LIGHT
I
I
I
L_
__--_J
I
I
DIMMER
I
I
I
I
INSTRUMENT
I
I
CLUSTER
I
I
LIGHT
I
I
SWITCH
BRN
1
SPIN
FROMLEFTWASHER
JETHEATER
1
(DIAGRAM20F3)
G202
1993
ONLY
Ground
Distribution
1992-93
(1
of
5)
STARTEP
I
I
RELAY
I
I
1993
ONLY
RIGHT
(
)
FRONT
AUXILIARY
TURN
LIGHT
ELECTRICAL
WIRING
DIAGRAMS
ELE-35
LEFT
I
I
PARK
I
I
LIGHT
I
_I
RELAY
I
I
I
WASHER
PRESSURE
"'
RIGHT
I
PUMP
I
I
SWITCH
(
)
FRONT
I
I
(
(CANADA)
I
I
PARK
I
I
I
II
LIGHT
RIGHT
(
)
FRONT
TURN
Y
LIGHT
_
__
_
_
_
_
_
_
__
AUXILIARY
ENGINE
LEFT
LEFT
LEFT
-
LEFT
r
-1
(
(
FAN
I
(
COOLANT
I
(
LOW
I
(
HIGH
I
(
HORN
)
FOG
I
'CONTROL
FIGHT
I
-
.
I
I
(
MOTOR
I
(
LEVEL
I
(
BEAM
LIGHT
CONTROL
I
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HORN
LEFT
I
(BEAM
I
I
I
(ACTUATOR
II(
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I
I
I
I
I
SWITCH
I
(
LIGHT
I
(
LIGHT
L-1
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_
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L-1
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I
-I
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,
-
LEFT
(
)
FRONT
1-1-
ONLY
1992
T
4
-
ONLY
-
1993
ONLY
I
(TEMPERATURE
I
SWITCH
I
IGNITION
II
II
SWITCH
4L
Gill
I
6111
WIPER/
I
---
I
WASHER
II
SWITCH
_
_
II
CASSETTE
HORN
(
)
BOX
I
I
SWITCH
RIGHT
(
)
FOG
v
LIGHT
BRN
LIGHT
-
I
I
(COMBINATION
~-I
SWITCH)
~f
-
1993
ONLY
ON-BOARD
UNLOADER
LEFT
DIMMER
LEFT
I
I
(
COMPUTER
I
(
RELAY
I
(
SEAT
I
(
SWITCH
I
(
)
PARK
I
I
I
I
i
I
(
HEATER
I
I
_
RIGHT
I
.-
LIGHT
I
I_
-
I
I
-I
I
_(
SWITCH
~
_I
(
)
FRONT
I
I
AUXILIARY
I
I
17
9
4
TURN
LEFT
CIA
ME
¢
BLOWER
BRAKE
RIGHT
LIGHT
I
(
)
FRONT
I
I
(
MODULE
I
I
RELAY
I
(
LIGHT
I
(
SEAT
I
-
TURN
I
I
I
I
I
I
(
SWITCH
I
(
HEATER
I
LIGHT
II
I
I
_I
I
_)
I
_I
I
v
I
SWITCH
"
-
1992
ONLY