1996 BMW 318i Back seat

240-
6



AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION

14
.
Remove
transmission
by
pulling
back
and
down
.
Lower

jack
to
allow
transmission
to
clear
vehicle
.



Tightening
Torques

"
ATF
drain
plug
to
ATF
sump

CA
UTION-



MS
270R/A4S
310R
....
..
....
.
..
25
Nm
(18
ft-Ib)

Do
not
allow
the
torque
converter
to
fati
off
the



ASS
310Z(M10
plug)
..
..
..
.
.
..
.
..
16
Nm
(12
ft-Ib)

transmission
inputshaft
.



"
ATF
fill
plug
to
ATF
sump

MS
270R/A4S
310R
..
..
....
..
..
.
33
Nm
(24
ft-Ib)

15
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
noting
the
following
:



MS
310Z(M30
plug)
......
.
.
..
.
.
100
Nm
(74
ft-Ib)

"Blowoutofcoolerlineswithlow-pressurecompressed



"
ATF
cooler
lines
(A4S
270R/A4S
310R)

air
and
flush
coolerwith
clean
ATF
twice
before
reat-



Coupling
nuts
............
.
.
..
..
.
20
Nm
(15
ft-Ib)

taching
lines
to
transmission
.



Hollow
bolts
.........
.
.....
..
..
.
37
Nm
(28
ft-Ib)

"
Reinforcing
cross
brace

CAUTION-



to
chassis
(M10)
.............
.
..
.
42
Nm
(31
ft-Ib)

"
Wear
safety
glasses
when
working
with
com-



"
Torque
converter

pressedair
.



to
driveplate
(M10)
.........
..
.
..
45
Nm
(33
ft-Ib)

"
Transmissionsupport
crossmember
to
chassis

"
Do
not
reuse
ATF
after
flushing
.



M8
......................
22-24
Nm
(16-17
ft-1b)

M10
................
.
....
..
.
..
42
Nm
(31
ft-Ib)

"
Install
new
sealing
washers
on
hollow
bolts
.



"
Transmissíon
to
engine
(Torx-head
with
washer)

"
Insta¡¡
new
O-rings
on
transmission
cooler
lines,
where



M8
......................
..
.
..
21
Nm
(15
ft-Ib)

applicable
.



M10
.....................
..
..
.
42
Nm
(31
ft-Ib)

"
Inspect
driveplate
for
cracks
or
elongatedholes
.
Re-



M12
................
.
....
..
.
..
72
Nm
(53ft-Ib)

place
if
necessary
.

"
Check
to
be
sure
torque
converter
is
seated
correctly

in
transmission
during
final
installation
.

"
When
mounting
transmission
to
engine,
the
three

mounting
tabs
on
torque
converter
must
be
aligned

with
indentations
on
driveplate
.
Use
an
alignment

dowel
to
line
up
bolt
holes,
if
necessary
.
"
Fill
transmission
with
clean
ATF
until
oil
leve¡
is
even
with
fill
hole
.
Then
check
fluid
leve¡
as
described
ear-
lier
.

"
Adjust
gearshift
mechanism
.
See
250
Gearshift
link-

age
.

NOTE-

Torx-head
mounting
bolts
shouldalwaysbe
used
with
washers
to
prevent
difficult
removal
.

TRANSMISSION
REMOVAL
AND
INSTALLATION

Rear
shock
absorber,

removing
and
installing

1.
Raisecar
and
remove
rear
wheels
.

WARNING
-

Make
sure
that
thecar
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
.
Remove
rear
speakers
.
See
650
Radio
.

3
.
Pryoutluggage
compartment
liner
retaining
clips
and
peel
back
liner
to
gain
access
to
upper
shock
absorber
mounting
nuts
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

Fig
.
3
.



Rear
shock
upper
mounting
nuts
(arrows)
in
luggage
com-
partment
.
Liner
hasbeen
peeled
back
.

NOTE-

On
convertible
models,
the
uppershock
absorber
mount
is
in
the
convertible
top
compartment
behind
the
rear
seat
.

4
.
Support
trailing
arm
from
below
using
a
transmission

jack
orequivalent
.
See
Fig
.
4
.
Remove
shock
absorber

uppermounting
nuts
.

CAUTION-

The
shock
absorber
prevenís
the
drive
axle
and
trailing
arm
from
drooping
too
far,
so
always
sup-port
the
trailing
arm
before
removing
the
shock
.
Damage
to
drive
axle
CV
joints
can
result
.

0013224

5
.
While
supporting
shock
absorber,
carefully
remove

lower
mounting
bolt
.
Lower
shock
absorber
out
of

wheel
well
.

Fig
.
4
.



Support
rear
trailing
arm
from
below
before
removing
upper
or
lower
(arrow)
shock
mounting
.

6
.
Transfer
shocktopmounting
plate,
dust
coverand
relat-

ed
components
to
new
shock
absorber
.
See
Fig
.
5
.

'
Protective
cap

Upper
mounting
nut
14
Nm
(10
ft-Ib)

1120



Shock
upper
mount
,~,--~to
body
nuts
(renew)



I
-



'



~



24
Nm
(17
ft-Ib)



I
1
-Gasket
(renew)



I
1
pper
mount



I



Rear
I
shock
I
absorber
I
I
---spacer

REAR
SUSPENSION



330-
3

Rubber
bumper

Dust
shield

Fig
.
5
.



Rear
shock
absorber
assembly
.

Lower
mounting
bolt
77
Nm
I



(57
ft-Ib)

i

I

I
1
I

0013220
0013236

SHOCKABSORBERS
AND
SPRINGS

330-
4



REAR
SUSPENSION

7
.
Installation
is
reverse
ofremoval,
noting
the
following
:

"
Make
sure
all
threaded
bolts,
nuts
and
makng
surfaces

are
clean
.

"
Instan
shock
absorber
finto
shock
tower
using
a
new

uppermounting
gasket
and
new
self-locking
nuts
.

"
Tighten
lower
boltto
its
final
torque
oncecar
is
on
ground
.

Tightening
Torques

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

"
Shock
absorber
to
trailing
arm

(car
in
normalloaded
position)
......
77
Nm
(57
ft-Ib)

"
Shock
absorber
to
upper
mount
.....
14
Nm
(10
ft-Ib)

"
Shock
absorber
upper
mount
to
body
(M8
self-locking
nuts)
.............
24
Nm
(17
ft-Ib)

Coil
spring,
removing
and
installing

WARNING
-

"
The
coil
spring
is
undercompressive
force
and
ís
extremely
dangerous
until
compression
isre-
moved
.

"
lt
is
recommended
that
a
restraining
chain
be
in-
stalled
between
the
bottomof
the
coil
spring
and
the
upper
control
arm
to
retain
the
spring
in
case
of
accidental
release
.
Personal
injury
can
result
if
the
compressed
coil
spring
is
not
released
slowly
and
carefully
.

"
Make
sure
that
the
car
is
firmly
supported
on
jack
standsdesigned
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
standsbeneatha
structural
chassis
point
.
Do
not
place
jack
stands
under
suspension
parts
.

1
.
Raise
car
and
remove
rear
wheel
.

2
.
Support
suspension
arm
from
below
using
a
transmis-

sion
jack
orequívalent
.
Tightening
Torques

3
.
Remove
drive
axle
from
final
drive
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
Suspend



"
Drive
axle
to
final
drive
flange

drive
axle
from
chassis
using
stiff
wire
.



M8
Torx
bolt
.
..
...
.
.............
64
Nm
(47
ft-Ib)

M10
Torx
bolt
...................
83
Nm
(62
ft-Ib)

4
.
Disconnect
shock
absorber
from
traíling
arm
.



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

"
Shock
absorber
to
trailing
arm
......
77
Nm
(57
ft-Ib)
5
.
Lower
suspension
slowly
and
carefully
until
the
com-
pressed
coil
spring
is
fully
unloaded
.

CAUTION
-

The
shock
absorber
prevents
the
drive
axle
and
trailíng
arm
from
drooping
too
far,
so
always
sup-port
the
trailing
arm
before
removing
the
shock
.
Damage
to
drive
axle
CV
joints
can
result
.

6
.
Remove
restraining
chain
and
remove
coi¡
spring
.

REAR
WHEEL
BEARINGS

Fig
.
6
.



Driveaxle
to
final
drive
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.

0012103

7
.
If
spring
is
to
be
reused,
carefully
inspect
it
for
any
sur-

face
damage
or
corrosion
.
Inspect
spring
mounts
for

any
signs
of
damage
.
Replace
any
parts
showing
evi-

dence
of
wear
or
damage
.

8
.
Fit
coil
springtospring
mountsand
insta¡¡
restraíning

chaina

9
.
Slowly
lift
suspensionback
into
position,
making
sure

coil
spring
is
correctly
seated
in
upper
and
lower
coil

spring
mounts
.

10
.
When
suspension
has
been
lifted
sufficiently,
instan

shock
absorber
to
trailing
arm
.
Remove
restraining

chain
.

11
.
The
remainder
of
installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

REAR
WHEEL
BEARINGS

The
rear
wheel
bearing
is
a
unitized
assembly
and
is
not
re-

pairable
separately
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

Special
press
tools,
to
be
used
with
the
trailing
arm
at-
tached
to
the
car,
are
requiredto
replace
the
wheel
bearings
.
Read
the
procedure
through
before
beginning
thejob
.

Wheel
bearing

Fig
.
7
.



Rear
wheel
bearing
assembly
.

Circlip



Drive
flange



Collar
nut

0012152

Rear
wheel
bearing,
replacing

1
.
Raise
car
and
support
safely
.
Remove
rear
wheel
.

2
.
Remove
drive
axle
as
described
later
.



6
.
Remove
bearíng
retainer
circlip
from
trailing
arm
.

3
.
Remove
brake
caliper
assembly
and
rotor
as
described



7
.
Using
appropriate
press
tools,
pull
bearing
assembly

in
340
Brakes
.
Leave
brake
hose
connected
to
caliper
.



out
of
trailing
arm
bearing
housing
.

Suspend
caliper
assembly
from
chassís
using
stiff
wire
.

8
.
Inspect
bearing
housing
for
any
damage
or
contamina

4
.
Remove
ABS
pulse
sensor
.
See
Fig
.
8
.



tion
.
Clean
housing
bore
thoroughly
before
installing

new
bearing
.
Make
sure
al¡
thread
bores,
bolts,
nuts

and
mating
surfaces
are
clean

Fig
.
8
.



ABS
pulse
sensor
being
removed
.

5
.
Remove
drive
flange
from
bearing
assembly
.
See
Fig
.

9
.

NOTE-

If
the
inner
bearing
race
remains
attached
to
the
drive

flange,
use
BMW
special
tool
nos
.
007
500
and
33
1

312
or
equivalents
to
separate
inner
race
from
flange
.

REAR
SUSPENSION



330-
5

0013125

Fig
.
9
.



Drive
flange
being
removed
from
bearing
assembly
using
im-
pact
style
puller
.

9
.
Install
new
bearing
assembly
using
press
tools
.
Apply

force
only
to
outer
race
when
installing
bearing
.

WARNING
-

M3
installation
:
redsealing
ríng
on
rear
wheel
bear-

ing
must
face
outward
.
Otherwíse
ABS
will
not
func-
tion
.

10
.
Insta¡¡
new
circlip
.
The
old
circlip
should
never
be
re-

used
.

CAUTION-

Make
sure
that
the
bearing
is
pressed
in
far
enough
to
contact
the
shoulder
at
the
back
sideof
the
housing
and
that
the
circlip
is
fully
seated
in
its
groove
.

11
.
Draw
drive
flange
into
bearing
using
appropriate
press

tools
.
Support
bearing
inner
race
when
pressing
in

0013223



drive
flange
.

NOTE-

BMW
specifies
special
tools
to
pull
the
drive
fiange
through
the
wheel
bearing
into
position
.
If
using
alter-
native
tools,
be
sure
to
support
the
bearing
inner
race
when
pressing
orpulling
the
drive
flange
finto
place
.

REARWHEEL
BEARINGS

340-
1
0
BRAKES

PARKING
BRAKE

The
parking
brake
is
a
brake
drum
system
integrated
into
the
rear
brake
rotors
.
See
Fig
.
14
.

Adjustment
of
the
shoes
may
benecessary
compensate
for
wear
.
The
parking
brake
should
also
be
adjusted
any
time
the
cable,
the
rear
brake
rotor,
or
the
parking
brake
shoes
are
re-
placed
.

Lower
Parking
brake



Parking
brake



retum
shoe
actuator
spring

Fig
.
14
.
Parking
brake
shoeassembly
.

Parking
brake,
adjusting

2
.
Raise
rearof
car
.

PARKING
BRAKE

Shoe
retainer



Rotor
with
and
spring



integrated
parking
brake

Shoe



drum
I

adjuster



Upper
return
spring

-í
<~
:
:

Rotor
mounting
screw

WARNING
-

Make
sure
the
car
is
firmly
supported
on
jack
stands
designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
stands
be-
neatha
structural
chassis
point
.
Do
not
placejack
stands
undersuspension
parts
.

0011265
3
.
Remove
one
lug
bolt
from
each
rear
wheel
.
Turnroad
wheel
until
lug
bolt
hole
lines
úp
with
parking
brake
ad-
juster
(approximately
65°
to
rear
of
wheel
centerline)
.
See
Fig
.
16
.

4
.
Usinga
screwdriver,
turn
adjusterto
expand
brake
shoes
until
road
wheel
canno
longer
turn,
then
back
adjuster
off
.
Repeatprocedureon
other
rear
wheel
.

Fig
.
15
.
Parking
brake
cable
adjustingnuts
(arrows)
.

The
parking
brake
can
be
adjusted
with
the
wheels
in-

stalled,
although
the
rear
wheels
will
have
to
be
raised
off
the



1



f
l



i\
aground
.

1
.
Lift
parking
brake
lever
boot
out
of
console
.
While
hold-
ing
cables
stationary,
loosen
parking
brake
cable
nuts
until
cablesare
completely
slack
.
See
Fig
.
15
.

0011263
0012727

Fig
.
16
.
Access
parking
brake
shoe
adjuster
approxímately
65°
to
rear
of
vertical
.
Use
flat-bladed
screwdriver
to
turnadjuster
.
On
left
wheel,
turn
adjuster
in
direction
1
to
expand
shoes
.
On
ríght
wheel,
turn
adjuster
in
direction
2
to
expand
shoes
.

Parking
Brake
Adjusting
(initial)

"
Back
off
adjuster
through
wheel
lug
bolt
hole
ex
.
M3
models
.........
..
...
...
.
...
.
18notches
M3
models
............
.
.....
..
..
..
.
.
8notches
5
.
Working
inside
car,
set
parking
brake
several
times
to
seat
cable
.
Then
pull
parking
brake
lever
up
four
notch-
es
.
Tighten
cable
adjusting
nuts
until
it
is
just
possible
to
turnrear
wheels
with
slight
resistance
.

6
.
Release
lever
and
make
sure
rear
wheels
turn
freely
.

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

411-
4
DOORS

6
.
Disconnect
radio
speaker
harness
connector
.

Fig
.
7
.



Door
panel
being
unclipped
from
door
.
Pull
panel
retaining

clips
off
one
at
a
time
.

7
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
noting
the
following
:

"
Replace
any
damaged
plastic
parts
orclips
.

"
Renew
vapor
barrier
ifit
is
damaged
.

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

pactairbag
to
the
door
(where
applicable)
.

"
When
installing
door
panel,
align
metal
retainers
on

window
sill
with
openingsontop
of
door
panel
.
See

Fig
.
8
.

"
Check
door-lock
mechanism
and
window
for
ease
of

movement
.

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

lator
motors
as
described
in
512
Door
Windows
.

373

Fig
.
8
.



Metal
retainers
at
base
of
window
should
be
in
position
to
mate
with
openings
in
door
trim
panel
.

DOOR
PANELS

Reardoor
trimpanel,

removing
and
installing

1
.
Open
door
and
pry
out
power
window
switch
.
Discon-

nect
harness
connector
.

2
.
Remove
ash
tray
.

3
.
Pry
off
trim
cover
from
inside
door
handle
.

4
.
Pry
off
concealing
plugs
from
armrest
.
Remove
door

panel
retaining
screws
.
See
Fig
.
9
.

Fig
.
9
.



Pry
off
plugs
(arrows)
andremove
screws
.

5
.
Unscrew
door
locking
knob
.

6
.
Unclip
panel
from
door
perimeter,
starting
at
thetop
of

the
door
.

7
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

"
Replace
any
damaged
plastic
parts
or
clips
.

"
Renew
vapor
barrier
ifit
is
damaged
.

"
Align
metal
retainers
on
window
sill
with
openings
in

trim
panel
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
8
.

"
Check
door-lock
mechanism
and
window
for
ease
of

movement
.

Rear
side
trim
panel,
removing
and
install-

ing
(coupe
models)

1
.
Remove
rear
seat
cushion
.
Remove
rear
backrest
side

section
.
See
520
Seats
.

2
.
Pull
off
edge
trimat
bottom
of
rear
side
window
.
See

Fig
.
10
.

3
.
Gently
unclip
trim
panel
andremove
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

"
Replace
any
damaged
plastic
parts
or
clips
.

Fig
.
10
.
Panel
edge
trim
piece
trim
being
removed
.

Rear
side
trimpanel,
removing
and
install-

ing
(convertible
models)

To
remove
the
rearside
panel
in
convertible
models
it
is
necessary
to
:

"
Remove
rear
seat
cushion
and
rear
backrest
side
sec-
tion
.

"
Lower
side
window
;
open
convertible
roof
.

"
Leftside
:
Remove
convertible
top
lid
release
lever
trim
.

"
Remove
power
window
switch
and
disconnect
harness
connector
.

"
Remove
door
panel
inset
by
pulling
forward
.

"
Remove
corner
protector
rubber
trim
.

"
Pull
off
side
panel
after
removing
screw
fastener(s)
.
Dis-
engage
from
front
shoulder
belt
.