GENERAL
This
repair
group
covers
removal
and
installation
of
the
front
and
rear
seats
.
FRONT
SEATS
The
front
seats
installed
in
E36
cars
come
in
either
manual
or
electrically
powered
versions
.
Cloth,vinyl
and
leather
ver-
sions
are
offered
.
M3
sport
seats
have
extra
bolsters
on
the
sides
of
the
sean-back,
a
thigh
support
bolster,
and
extra
con-
trols
for
sean
inclination
.
Seat
removal
and
installation
is
similar
for
all
versions
.
Seat
disassembly
differs
in
details
among
the
many
models
of
seats
.
Front
seat,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
forward
position
and
raise
it
as
far
as
possible
.
Remove
two
mounting
bolts
at
rear
of
sean
rails
.
See
Fig
.
1
.
2
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
rear
position,
keeping
it
raised
.
3
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.
Fig
.1
.
Frontseat
rear
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.
CAUTION-
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
viii
.
520
Seats
SEATS
520-1
GENERAL
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..............
.
.
520-1
Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,
removing
and
installing
FRONT
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
520-1
(fixed
seat
back
models)
......
.
.
.
...
.
...
520-5
Front
seat,
removing
and
installing
...
.
.
.
..'
520-1
Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,
Manual
Front
Seat
Assembly
.............
520-3
removing
and
installing
fold-downsean
back
models
(
)
..
.
.
..
..
.
...
520-5
Power
Fronf
Seat
Assembly
..
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
;
520-4
Rear
seat
backrest
side
section,
REAR
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
............
.
...
520-5
removing
and
installing
(fold-down
seat
back
models)
..
.
.....
.
..
.520-6
4
.
Remove
plastic
caps
from
front
mounting
nuts,
and
then
remove
mounting
nuts
.
See
Fig
.
2
.
WARNING
-
Deactivate
front
seat
belt
lock
tensioners
before
proceeding
to
next
step
.
See720
Seat
Belts
.
NOTE-
Use
a
blanket
to
protect
door
sill
from
scuffing
bysean
rail
during
seatremoval
.
FRONT
SEA
TS
640-12
HEATING
AND
AIR
CONDITIONING
A/C
Compressor,
replacing
1
.
Followingmanufacturer's
instructions,
connectanap-
proved
refrigerant
recovery/recycling/recharging
unit
to
A/C
system
and
discharge
system
.
WARNING
-
Do
notdischarge%harge
the
AIC
system
without
proper
equipment
and
training
.
Damage
to
the
vehi-
cle
and
personal
injury
may
result
.
2
.
Remove
splash
shield
fromunder
engine
.
3
.
Mark
A/C
drive
belt
with
direction
ofrotation
.
Remove
A/C
belt
tensioner
trim
cap
.
See
Fig
.
34
.
0011988
Fig
.
34
.
To
access
tensioner
retaining
bolt,
remove
trim
cap
from
drive-belt
tensioner
.
Fig
.
33
.
A/
C
components
.
Arrows
indicatedirection
of
refrigerant
flow
.
AIR
CONDITIONING
4
.
On
4-cylinder
engines
:
Loosen
A/C
belt
tensioner
bolt
under
trim
cap,
then
remove
belt
from
A/C
compressor
.
See
Fig
.
35
.
~=1
A/C
compressor
A
0013019
Fig
.
35
.
4-cylinder
engines
:
Loosen
retaining
bolt
A
on
tensionerto
re-
lease
drive-belt
tension
.
To
increase
tension,
rotate
pulley
in
direction
of
arrow,
then
tighten
bolt
A
.
5
.
On
6-cylinder
engines
:
Release
tension
on
A/C
belt
by
turning
tensioner
pulley
clockwíse
(againstspring
ten-
sion)
.
See
Fig
.
36
.
NOTE
-
Detailed
instructions
for
drive-belt
removal
and
installa-tion
can
be
found
in
020
Maintenance
Program
.
GENERAL
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
............
720-1
REAR
SEATBELT
ASSEMBLY
...
.
....
.
.
720-4
Rear
seat
belt,
removing
and
installing
FRONT
SEATBELT
ASSEMBLY
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
720-2
(fixed
seat
back
models)
..
.
......
.
....
.
.720-4
Automatic
Front
Seat
Belt
Lock
Tensioners
.
.
720-2
Rear
seat
belt,
removing
and
installing
Mechanical
spring
tensioner,
disarming
.
...
.
720-2
(fold-downseat
back
models)
.
...
.
...
.
.
.
.
720-5
Front
seat
belt
reel,
removing
and
installing
.
.
720-3
Center
rear
lap-belt,
removing
and
installing
.
.720-5
GENERAL
All
E36
models
are
equipped
with
3-point
shoulder
belts
at
tract
and
tension
the
seat
belt
by
55
mm
(approximately
2
four
seating
positions
.
On
4-doormodels,
there
is
an
addition-
inches)
in
the
event
of
an
accident
.
a
l
lap
belt
in
thecenter
of
the
rear
seat
.
The
seat
beltreel
should
lock
when
driving
quickly
through
Automatic
seat
belt
tensioners
are
integrated
into
the
front
curves,
during
severe
braking
or
in
case
of
a
collision
.
The
au-
seat
belt
locks
.
Through
the
1996
model
year
cars,
a
mechan-
tomatic
reel
does
not
require
any
servicing
and
should
never
¡cal
spring
tensioner
is
used
.
See
Fig
.
1.
On
1997
and
later
be
opened
.
Belts
that
do
not
retract
and/or
lockproperly
cars,
a
pyrotechnic
(explosive
charge)
tensioner
is
used
.
Au-
should
be
replaced
promptly
.
tomatic
seat
belt
tensioners
aredesigned
to
automatically
re-
1
.
Seat
belt
lock
boft
2
.
Seat
belt
lockwith
mechanical
spring
tensioner
3
.
Seat
belt
anchor
bar
(two-door
models)
4
.
Seat
belt
anchor
bolt
5
.
Seat
belt
reelbolt
6
.
Seat
belt
reel
7
.
B-pillar
guide
nut
8
.
B-pillar
sliding
guide
9
.
Convertible
seat
beltreel
10
.Convertible
B-pillar
guide
Fig
.
1
.
Front
seat
belt
components
.
720
Seat
Belts
SEAT
BELTS
720-1
GENERAL
720-2
SEAT
BELTS
WARNING
-
"
For
maximum
protection
from
injury,
seat
belts
should
be
replaced
as
a
set
(including
all
hard-
ware),
if
they
are
subject
to
occupant
loading
in
a
collision
.
"
Seat
belts
should
not
be
modified
or
repaired
.
The
seat
belt
anchorage
points
should
not
be
changed
or
modified
.
"
Do
notbleach
or
dye
seat
belt
webbing
.
Webbing
that
is
severely
fadedor
re-dyed
will
not
meet
the
strength
requirements
of
a
collision
and
must
be
replaced
.
"
Seat
belts
shouldbe
periodically
inspected
for
webbing
defects
suchas
cuts
or
pulled
threads
.
FRONT
SEATBELT
ASSEMBLY
Automatic
Front
Seat
Belt
Lock
Tensioners
The
procedure
for
disabling
the
mechanical
spring
tension-
er
used
on
early
cars
is
covered
below
.
On
cars
with
thepyro-
technic(explosive
device)
tensioners,
the
orange
harness
connectorshould
be
removed
from
the
tensioner
any
time
the
seat
is
removed
.
WARNING
-
Both
the
mechanical
and
the
pyrotechnictensioners
are
powerful
devíces
and
shouldbehandled
with
extreme
care
.
Mechanical
spring
tensioner,
disarming
1
.
Remove
front
seat
.
See
520
Seats
.
2
.
Disarm
tensioner-electrically
adjustableseats
:
"
Working
at
side
of
seat,
turn
activating/deactivating
screw
clockwise
until
display
changes
from
green
to
red
.
See
Fig
.
2
.
"
Before
reinstalling
seat,
turn
screw
until
display
chang-
esback
to
green
.
NOTE-
Green
is
armed
.
Red
is
disarmed
.
3
.
Disarm
tensioner-manually
adjustable
seats
:
"
Cut
wíre
tie
next
to
tab
on
bowden
cable
.
See
Fig
.
3
.
"
Turn
and
lift
tabto
disengage
cable
housing
from
seat
bracket
.
"
Disconnect
cable
end
from
seat
lever
.
"
When
reinstalling,
correctly
engage
tab
end
of
cable
into
seat
bracket
and
fasten
in
position
using
new
wíre
tie
.
FRONT
SEATBELT
ASSEMBLY
0012737
Fig
.
2
.
Electrically
adjustable
front
seat
.
Turn
screw
(A)
to
disarm
me-
chanical
tensioner
.
Display
B
tucos
from
green
to
red
.
F19
.3
.
Manuallyadjustablefrontseat
.Turnandlifttab(arrow)todis-
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
.
SUPPLEMENTAL
RESTRAINT
SYSTEM
CONTROLMODULE
108623
8
LU'8=K
5
V~
10/GRN
8
BLU/RED/WHT
BLU/RED/WHT
3
F
4
VIO/GRN
"
VIO/GRN
(318ti)
G201
~r
BRN/ORG
.
BRN/=
E
RG
3G20~3(318,323,328,
M3)
PASSENGER'S
SEAT
BELT
SWITCH
D
WHT/VIO
Airbag
(Supplemental
Restraint
System)
1998
CONTACTPINGS
2
BLU/GRN/V
EL
BLU/GRNIVEL
3
YEL
2
B~UI=101
(31811)
G201
IN
BR
N
I
ORG"
BRN/OR
~
q
V
G20~
s
3
(318,
323,328,M3)
DRIVER'S
SEAT
BELTSWITCH
BLU/BLK
BLU/8
WH71VI
DATALINK
CONNECTOR
'
BLU/BRN
BLU/BRN
5
WHT/RED
1
BLU
_,
BLU
__
BLU
.RN
/
BRN
'
;/
B'
VEL
._
VEL
.
.
YEL
.
.
NC
//
B
RN
/
BRN
//
BRA)
20
WHTIBLU
,
21
WHT/YEL
34
BRN/BL={I
CONTROL
BODY
MODULE
OO
DYELECTRONICS
E
I
1
EI-/-N
YEL/BRN
2
YELIRED
YELIFED
3
BLU/REDBLU/RED
q/
BLU/BFN
BLU/BRN
DRI
VER'S
SIDE
PYROTECHNICALBELTTENSIONER
PASSENGER'S
SIDE
PYROTECHNICALBELTTENSIONER
ELECTRICAL
WIRING
DIAGRAMS
ELE-143
HOT
IN
RUN
HOT
IN
ACC,
RUNORSTART
ORSTART
r
1FRONTPOWER
FUSE
USE
DISTRIBUTION
BOX
-I52
12
---
~
_
_
-
J
14TXID017
24YX19018
vio
23
l
.
Xlb
INSTRUMENTI
CLUSTER
~
I
AIRBAG
SEATBELT
I
INDICATOR
INDICATOR
I
'x35
.
14y
X1~
BLUII
BLU/VIO/
BLK
YEL
DRIVER'S
AIRBAG
GAS
GENERATOR
PASSENGER'S
AIRBAGGAS
GENERATOR
LEFTSIDE
AIR
BAGGAS
GENERATOR
RIGHT
SIDE
AIR
BAGGAS
GENERATOR
vio/
GRN
Viol
I
viol
I
viol
GRN
GRN
GRN
2
SEAT
I
DRIVER'S
PASSENGER'S
OCCUPANCY
SIDE
SIDE
DETECTOR
IMPACT
IMPACT
3Y
1`('
SENSOR
1Y
3Y
SENSOR
WHTI
RED
I
ORG
I
BLU
I
ORG
I
ORG
I
W
YEL
BRNI
ORG
ILG201G203
(318ti)
(318,323,328,
M3)
N
WARNING
Your
common
sense,
good
judge-
ment,
and
general
alertness
are
cru-
cial
to
safe
and
successful
service
work
.
Before
attempting
any
workonyour
BMW,
read
the
warnings
and
cautions
on
page
vi¡
and
the
copyright
page
at
the
front
of
the
manual
.
Review
these
warningsand
cautions
each
time
you
prepare
to
work
on
your
BMW
.
Please
also
read
any
warnings
and
cautions
that
accom-
pany
the
procedures
in
the
manual
.
Master
cylinder
See
Brakes
See
also
Clutch
Mechanical
troubleshooting
See
Engine-general
Microfilter
See
Air
conditioning
Mirror
See
Exterior
trim,
bumpers
Muffler
See
Exhaustsystem
Multi-information
display
(MID)
See
Instruments
Neutral
safetyswitch
See
Gearshift
linkage
O
Oil,
changing
See
Maintenance
program
Oil
panSee
Lubrication
system
Oil
pressure
See
Lubrication
system
Oil
pump
See
Lubrication
systemOn-board
diagnostics
(OBD)
See
Engine-general
See
alsoFuel
injection
See
also
Ignition
system
On-board
trip
computer
See
Multi-information
display
620-4
Oxygen
sensor
See
Engine-general
See
alsoFuel
injection
See
also
Maintenance
program
P
Parking
brake
See
Brakes
See
also
Maintenance
program
Parts
See
Fundamentals
for
the
do-it-
yourself
owner
Poly-ribbed
belt
See
Maintenance
program
Power
steering
See
Steering
and
wheel
alignment
Power
steering
(luid
See
Maintenance
program
R
Radiator
See
Cooling
system
Radio
general
information
650-1audio
system
650-1
radio
connector
650-6
removing/installing
650-2speakersdoor
panel
speaker,
removing/
installing
650-5
left
footwell
speaker,
removing/
installing
650-3
rear
speaker,
removing/installing
650-5
right
footwell
speaker,
removing/
installing
650-4Rearsuspension
See
also
Maintenance
program
general
information
330-1
coil
spring,
removing/installing
330-4
CV
boot,
replacing
330-8
drive
axle,
removing/installing
330-6
drive
axles
330-6
final
drive
carrier
330-12
final
drive
carrier,
removing/installing
330-12
lower
control
arm,
removing/installing
330-12
rear
shock
absorber,
removing/
installing
330-3
rear
suspension
arms
330-9
ride
heíght
330-1
shock
absorbers
and
springs
330-2
trailing
arm,
removing/installing
330-10
trailing
arm
bushing,
replacing
330-11upper
control
arm,
removing/installing
330-12
rear
wheel
bearing,
replacing
330-5
rear
wheel
bearings
330-4
Rear
view
mirror
See
Exterior
trim,
bumpers
Receiver/drivr
See
Air
conditioning
Relays
See
Electrical
component
locations
INDEX
7
Ride
height
See
Front
suspension
or
Rearsuspension
Ring
antenna
See
Central
locking
and
anti-theft
Roof
See
Convertible
top
See
also
Sunroof
Roundel
See
Exterior
trim,
bumpers
S
Seat
belts
general
information
720-1
automatic
front
seat
belt
lock
tensioners
720-2
center
rear
lap-belt,
removing/
installing
720-5
front
seat
beltreel,
removing/installing
720-3
mechanical
spring
tensioner,
disarming
720-2
rear
seat
belt,
removing/installing
(fixed
seat
back
models)
720-4
rear
seat
belt,
removing/installing
(fold-down
seat
back
models)
720-5Seats
general
information
520-1
front
seats520-1
manual
front
seat
assembly
520-3
power
front
seat
assembly
520-4
removing/installing
520-1
rear
seats
520-5
rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,
removing/installing
(fixed
seat
backmodels)
520-5
rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,
removing/installing
(fold-down
seat
back
models)520-5
rear
seat
backrest
side
section,
removing/installing
(fold-down
seat
back
models)520-6
Shiftinterlock
See
Gearshift
linkage
Shiftlever
See
Gearshift
linkage
Shíftlock
See
Gearshift
linkage
Shock
absorber
See
Front
suspension
See
also
Rear
suspension
Side-impact
airbag
See
Airbag
system
(SRS)
Slave
cylinder
See
Clutch
Service
indicator
See
Maintenanceprogram
Solenoid
See
Battery,
starter,
alternator
Spark
See
Ignition
system
Spark
plugs
See
Maintenance
program