1996 BMW 318i Brake

230-
4



MANUAL
TRANSMISSION

Output
shaft
sea¡,
replacing

(transmission
installed)

1
.
Raise
and
safely
support
vehicle
.
Support
transmission

with
transmission
jack
.

WARNING
-

"
When
raising
thecar
using
a
floor
jack
or
a
hy-
draulic
lift,
carefully
position
the
jack
pad
to
pre-vent
damaging
the
car
body
.
A
suitable
liner
(wood,
rubber,
etc
.)
should
be
placed
between
the
jack
and
the
car
to
prevent
body
damage
.

"
Watch
the
jack
closely
.
Make
sure
it
stays
stable
and
does
not
shift
or
tilt
.
As
the
car
is
raised,
the
car
may
roll
slightly
and
the
jack
may
shift
.

2
.
Remove
driveshaft
.
See
260
Driveshaft
.

3
.
Remove
transmission
crossmember
and
lower
trans-

mission
at
rear
.

CAUTION-

Tilting
the
engine
to
lower
thetransmissíon
can
lead
to
damage
to
various
componente
due
to
lackof
clearance
.
-On
cars
with
AST
(traction
control)
remove
throt-
tle
body
before
tilting
engine
.
-Remove
brake
fluid
reservoir
if
necessary
.

4
.
Bend
back
and
remove
collar
nut
lockplate
.

5
.
Hold
flange
steady
andremove
collar
lock
nut
(use

30mm
thin-walled
deep
socket
.)
See
Fig
.
5
.

Fig
.
5
.



Use
holding
tool
when
loosening
output
shaft
collar
nut
.

6
.
Remove
flange
.
If
necessary,
use
a
puller
.

7
.
Use
a
sea¡
puller
to
remove
seal
from
transmission
housing
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

8
.
Coat
new
sea¡
wíth
transmission
fluid
and
drive
into
po-
sition
until
it
is
flush
with
housing
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

TRANSMISSIONSERVICE

Fig
.
6
.



Puller
used
to
remove
transmission
seal
.

Fig
.
7
.



Output
shaftseal
being
installed
using
seal
driver
(BMW
spe-
cial
tool
no
.
232
300)
.

9
.
Reinstall
output
flange
(and
shims,
if
applicable)
to
out-

put
shaft
.

NOTE-

On
Getrag
S5D200G
and
S5D
250G
transmissions
BMW
recommends
heating
theoutputflange
to
about
176°F
(80°C)
to
aid
in
installation
.
This
canbe
done
by
placing
the
flange
in
hot
water
.

10
.
Coat
bearingsurface
ofcollar
nut
withsealer
and
install
nut
.
Tighten
collar
nut
in
two
stages
.
Insta¡¡
new
lock-
plate
.
Bend
tabs
into
flange
grooves
.

NOTE-

BMW
recommends
the
use
of
a
sealer
such
as
Loctite
®
242
when
installing
the
flange
collar
nut
to
prevent
oil
from
leaking
past
the
threads
.

240-2



AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION

WARNING
-

If
the
appropriate
temperature
measuring
equip-
ment
is
not
available,
ATF
leve¡
checking
shouldbe
left
to
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
The
checking
pro-
cedure
should
be
done
on
a
lift
with
the
engine
run-
ning
in
neutral
.
In
addition,
the
transmission
fluid
temperature
must
be
maintained
within
a
narrow
range
duringthe
checking
procedure
.

1
.
Place
vehicle
on
a
lift
.

WARNING
-

To
lift
the
vehicle
safely,
see
010
Fundamentals
for
the
Do-it-Yourself
Owner
.

2
.
Warm
up
drivetrain
by
running
engine
until
ATF
reach-

es
specified
temperature
.
Apply
brake
and,
while
idling
engine,
shift
through
all
gears
severa¡
times
.
Turn
en-
gine
off
.

ATF
Level
Checking

"
Fluid
temperature
..
...........
30-55°C
(86-131°F)

3
.
Remove
ATF
fill
plug
.
Place
transmission
in
neutral
and



ATF,draining
and
filling
restart
engine
.
See
Fig
.
1
or
Fig
.
2
.

Fig
.
1
.



ATF
fill
plug
(A)
on
MS
270R/A4S310R
transmissions
.

4
.
With
ATF
at
specified
temperature,
add
(luid
until
it
spilis
from
fill
hole
.

WARNING
-

HotATFcan
scald
.
Weareye
protection
and
protec-
tive
clothing
and
gloves
duringthe
check
.
If
thetransmission
was
overfilled,
hot
ATF
will
spill
from
the
filler
hole
when
the
fill
plug
is
removed
.

5
.
Reinstall
fill
plug
using
new
sealing
ring
.

TRANSMISSION
SERVICE

011743

0011742

Fig
.
2
.



ATF
drain
plug
(A)
and
fill
plug
(B)
on
A5S
310Z
transmission
.

Tightening
Torques

"
ATF
fill
plug
to
ATF
sump

MS
270R/A4S
31
OR
.............
33
Nm
(24
ft-Ib)
MS
310Z
(M30
plug)
............
100
Nm
(74
ft-Ib)

The
procedure
given
here
includes
removal
and
installation

of
the
ATF
(luid
strainer
(filter)
.

1
.
Remove
drain
plug
and
drain
fluidinto
container
.
See
Fig
.
3
or
Fig
.
2
given
earlier
.

0~
0

/\1--Z
.IZ
~
~

A



~
"o



15/

Fig
.
3
.



ATF
drain
plug
(A)
on
A4S
270R/A4S
310R
.

WARNING
-

The
ATF
must
not
be
hot
when
draining
.
Do
not
drain
the
ATF
if
the
engineandlor
transmission
Is
hot
.
Hot
ATF
can
scald
.
Wear
eye
protection,
pro-
tective
clothing
and
gloves
.

0011595

240-
4



AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION
REMOVALAND

INSTALLATION

Removal
and
installation
of
thetransmission
is
best
accom-

plished
on
a
lift
using
a
transmission
jack
.
Use
caution
and

safe
workshop
practices
when
working
beneath
car
and
low-

ering
transmission
.

WARNING
-

To
lift
the
vehicle
safely,
see010
Fundamentals
for
the
Do-it-Yourself
Owner
.

CAUTION-

"
Be
sure
the
vehicle
is
properly
supported
.
The
removal
of
the
transmission
may
upset
the
bal-
ance
of
the
vehicle
on
a
lift
.

"
Tilting
the
engine
to
remove
the
transmission
can
lead
to
damage
to
various
components
due
to

lack
of
clearance
.
-On
carswith
AST
remove
throttle
body
.
-Remove
brake
fluid
reservoir
if
necessary
.

Torx-head
bolts
are
used
to
mount
thetransmission
to
the

bellhousing
.
Be
sure
to
have
appropriate
tools
on
hand
before

starting
thejob
.

2
.
Install
engine
support
across
engine
bay
.
Raise
and

safely
support
vehicle
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

WARNING
-
"
When
raising
thecar
using
a
floor
jack
or
a
hy-
draulic
lift,
carefully
position
the
jack
pad
to
pre-
vent
damaging
the
car
body
.
A
suitable
liner
(wood,
rubber,
etc
.)
should
be
placed
between
the
jack
and
the
car
to
prevent
body
damage
.

"
Watch
the
jack
closely
.
Make
sure
it
stays
stable
and
does
not
shift
or
tilt
.
As
the
car
is
raised,
the
car
may
roll
slightty
and
the
jack
may
shift
.

CAUTION-

Removal
of
transmission
will
cause
engine
to
tip
unlessengine
support
is
used
.

TRANSMISSION
REMOVAL
AND
INSTALLATION

Fig
.
6
.
Engine
support
equipment
used
to
support
engine
from
above

before
removing
transmission
.

3
.
Raise
vehicle
to
gain
access
to
underside
of
car
.

4
.
Drain
ATF
from
transmission
as
described
earlier
.

5
.
Disconnect
oxygen
sensor
harness
.
Remove
exhaust

system,
and
exhaust
heat
shield
.
See
180
Exhaust

System
.

Transmission,
removing
and
installing



6
.
Remove
driveshaft
.
See
260
Driveshaft
.

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.



7
.
With
selector
lever
in
Park,
disconnect
shift
selector
le-

ver
cable
from
lever
and
remove
cable
bracket
.
Hold

CA
UTION-



linkage
clamping
bolt
stationary
when
loosening

Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery



clamping
nut
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vi¡¡
.

Fig
.
7
.



Selector
lever
cable
clamping
nut
(A)
.
Loosen
cable
clamping
nut
(B)
and
remove
cable
from
bracket
.
Always
counterholdclamping
bolt
when
loosening
nut
.

250-2



GEARSHIFT
LINKAGE

5
.
Remove
driveshaft
.
See260
Driveshaft
.



9
.
Release
gearshift
lever
retaining
ring
from
below
by

turningspecial
tool
90°(
1
/4
turn)
counterclockwise
.
See

6
.
Support
transmission
with
transmission
jack
.
Remove



Fig
.
4
.

crossmember
from
rear
of
transmission
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

Fig
.
2
.



Rear
transmission
crossmember
(arrow)
.

7
.
Lower
rear
of
transmission
to
access
gearshift
linkage
.

CAUTION-

Tilting
the
engine
to
lower
thetransmission
can
lead
to
damage
to
various
componente
due
to
lackof
clearance
.
-On
cars
with
AST
remove
throttle
body
.
-Remove
brake
fluid
reservoir
if
necessary
.

0013135

8
.
Working
below
transmission,
disconnect
shift
rod
from

gearshift
lever
.
Note
washers
on
either
side
of
shift
rod

end
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

v

clip

Shift
rod

Fig
.
3
.



Pull
off
shift
rod
retaining
clip
in
direction
of
arrow
(t)
;
disen-
gage
shift
rod
from
gearshift
lever
(2)
.

MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
GEARSHIFT

BMW
Tool
No
.
25
1
110
orequivalent

Fig
.
4
.



Shift
lever
retaining
ring
being
removed
using
BMW
special

tool
25
1
110
.

10
.
Raise
transmission
and
temporarily
instan
transmission

crossmember
.

11
.
Lower
vehicle
.
Working
from
inside
passengercom-

partment,
pull
upon
gearshift
lever
to
remove
it
togeth-

erwith
retaining
ring
and
rubber
grommet
.

Gearshift
lever,
installing

(manual
transmission)

6532

1
.
Instan
shift
lever,
aligninglocking
tabs
with
openings
in

shift
console
.
Press
down
on
retaining
ring
until
it
clicks
into
place
.
See
Fig
.
5
.

\
Retaining

Fig
.
5
.



Shift
lever
retaining
ring
.
Fit
plastic
tabs
into
slots
of
shift
con-
sole(arrows)
.

Fig
.
10
.
Align
contact
slide
(1)
with
slot
in
switch
housing
(2)
before
in-
stalling
gear
position/neutral
safety
switch
.

Fig
.
11
.
Engage
release
button
pin
to
hole
in
pull
rod
before
installing

The
automatic
shiftlock
uses
an
electríc
solenoid
to
lock
the
selector
lever
in
P
or
N
.
Depressing
the
foot
brake
withthe
ig-
nition
on
energizes
the
solenoid,
allowingthe
lever
to
be
moved
into
a
drive
gear
.
The
solenoid
is
energized
only
when

the
engine
speed
is
below
2,500
rpmand
thevehicle
speed
is

below
3
mph
.
The
solenoid
ís
mounted
in
the
right-hand
side

of
theselector
lever
housing
.
See
Fig
.
12
.

1
.
With
engine
running
and
car
stopped,
place
selector
le-
ver
in
P
or
N
.

2
.
Without
depressing
brake
pedal,
check
that
selector
le-

ver
is
locked
in
position
P
or
N
.

3
.
Depress
brakepedal
firmly
.
Solenoid
should
be
heard

to
energize
.

GEARSHIFT
LINKAGE



250-
5

Fig
.
12
.
Automatic
shiftlock
prevents
drive
gear
selection
until
the
brakepedal
is
depressed
.

4
.
Check
thatselector
lever
can
now
be
moved
out
of
P
or
N
.

NOTE
-

The
next
test
should
be
performed
in
anopen
area
with
the
parking
brake
on
and
with
extreme
caution
.

5
.
With
selector
lever
in
P
or
N
and
brake
pedal
de-

pressed,
raise
engine
above
2,500
rpm
.
Check
that
se-

lector
lever
cannotbe
moved
outof
P
or
N
.

shift
lever
handle
.



If
any
faults
are
found
check
the
electrical
operation
of
the
shiftlock
solenoid
and
check
for
wiring
faultsto
or
from
the
Automatic
shiftiock,
checking
function



transmission
control
module(TCM)
.
See610
Electrical

(automatic
transmission)



Component
Locations
and
Electrical
Wiring
Diagrams
.

NOTE
-

The
solenoid
is
controlled
viathe
TCM,
using
brakepedal
position,
engine
speed,
and
road
speed
as
con-
trolling
inputs
.

AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
GEARSHIFT

250-
6



GEARSHIFT
LINKAGE

Shift
interlock,
checking
function



1
.
Shift
selectorlever
to
park
(P)
position
and
turn
ignition

(automatic
transmission)

The
shift
interlock
usesa
cable
between
the
ignition
switch

and
the
shift
lever
to
lock
the
shift
lever
in
the
park
position

when
the
key
is
in
the
off
position
or
removed
.
This
feature

also
prevents
the
key
from
being
removed
from
the
ignition

lock
until
the
selectorlever
is
in
P
.
Fig
.
13
.

Fig
.
13
.
Shift
interlock
serves
two
safety
functions
:
1)
it
locks
shift
le-

ver
in
park
(P)
when
thekey
is
removed,
and
2)
it
prevents
re-
moval
of
key
untilshift
lever
is
moved
into
P
.

AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION
GEARSHIFT

Latchirig
Gate
0012714

key
to
the
"zero"
(off)
position
.

2
.
Remove
ignition
key
.
Check
that
selectorlever
cannot

be
shifted
out
of
P
position
.

NOTE-

"
lt
must
only
be
possible
to
remove
ignition
key
with

selector
lever
in
P
position
.

"
Shiftinterlock
cable
must
not
be
kinked
.

3
.
Turn
ignition
keyon
and
depressbrakepedal
.
Check

that
selectorlever
moves
freely
from
gear
to
gear
.

4
.
With
the
selectorlever
in
a
gear
position
other
than
P,

attempt
to
move
thekey
to
the
zero
position
.
The
key

shouldnot
go
into
the
zero
position
.

If
any
faults
arefound
check
the
cable
for
kinks
and
theca-

ble
attachment
points
for
damage
or
faults
.

260-
4
DRIVESHAFT

CAUTION
-

The
maximum
allowable
change
in
height
of
the

center
bearing
or
transmission
support
using

shims
is
3
mm
(0
.12
in
.)
.

Driveshaft,
removing

WARNING
-

"
Be
sure
the
wheels
are
off
the
ground
before
re-

moving
the
driveshaft
.
Set
the
parking
brake
be-

fore
removing
the
driveshaft
.

"
Once
the
driveshaft
has
been
removed,
the
vehi-
cle
can
roll
regardless
of
whether
the
transmis-
sion
isin
gear
or
not
.

"
The
driveshaft
fs
mounted
to
thetransmission
and
final
drive
with
self-locking
nuts
.
These
nuts

are
designed
to
be
used
only
once
and
should
be

replaced
during
reassembly
.

1.
Disconnect
oxygen
sensor
electrical
connectors
and
remove
complete
exhaustsystem
.
See
180
Exhaust

System
.

4
.
Remove
driveshaft
mounting
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
3
.
Discard

old
nuts
.

JG

Fig
.
3
.



Front
driveshaft
totransmission
mounting
bolt
being
re-
moved
.
Note
open-end
wrench
(arrow)
being
used
to
coun-
terhold
bolt
.

5
.
Loosen
threaded
clamping
sleeve
on
driveshaft
a
few
tucos
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

DRIVESHAFT
SERVICE

Fig
.
4
.



Threaded
clamping
sleeve
nut
being
loosened
.

0012037

6
.
Support
driveshaft
andremove
center
support
bearing

mounting
bolts
.

7
.
Remove
driveshaft
but
do
not
separate
two
halves
.
Pull

down
on
center
of
driveshaft
to
facilitate
removal
.

2
.
Remove
exhaust
heat
shield
and
heat
shieldcross-

member
.



NOTE-

If
driveshaft
halves
were
separate
and
not
match-

3
.
Matchmark
front
and
rear
driveshaft
connections
at



marked,
assemble
driveshaft
as
shown
in
drawing
.
If
a

transmissíon
and
final
drive
.



vibration
occurs,
disassemble
driveshaftand
rotate
one

section
180°
.
See
Fig
.
5
.

Driveshaft,
installing

Fig
.
5
.



Driveshaft
alignment
.
Centerlinesof
universal
joints
(arrows)

must
be
parallel
or
at
90°
to
each
other

1
.
Align
driveshaft
matchmarks
at
final
drive
and
then
at

transmission
flange
.
Start
attaching
nuts
.
Use
new
self-

locking
nuts
.

2
.
Position
center
support
bearing
and
start
attaching

nuts
.
Use
new
self-locking
nuts
.

3
.
Tighten
flangenuts
while
preventing
bolts
from
twisting

in
coupling
.
Tighten
final
drive
flange
first,
then
tighten

coupling
at
transmission
.

4
.
Preload
center
support
bearing
by
pushing
bearing
for-
ward4-6
mm
(0
.16-0
.24
in
.)
from
center
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
Tighten
attaching
bolts
.

SUSPENSION,
STEERING
ANDBRAKES-GENERAL



300-1

300
Suspension,
Steering

and
Brakes-General

GENERAL
.....
.
....
.
.....
.
.
.
........
.300-1



M3
SUSPENSION
AND
BRAKES
.......
.
...
300-7

Front
Suspension
..........
.
.
.
...
.
.....
300-1

Steering
...
.
.
.
.
.
....
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
...
.
...
.
.
300-2



SUSPENSION
AND
STEERING

Rear
Suspension
....
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
...
.
.....
300-2



TROUBLESHOOTING
..
.
.
.
.............
300-7

Brakes
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
....
.
...........
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2

Tires
and
wheeis
.
................
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2



TABLE

a
.
AST
Indicator
Lamp
Function
..
..
.
..
.
.........
300-5

INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS
.........
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2



b
.
Suspension
and
Steering
Troubleshooting
......
.300-8

Antilock
Brake
System
(ABS)
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2

Al¡
Season
Traction
(AST)
.........
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-4

GENERAL



Front
Suspension

This
section
covers
general
information
for
front
and
rear



The
lower
control
arms
connect
the
front
suspension
struts

suspension,
the
steering
system,
and
the
brakíng
and
traction



to
mounting
points
on
the
subframe
crossmember
and
the

control
systems
.



body
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

The
BMW
E36
suspension
and
steering
systems
are
engi-

neered
to
provide
a
compromise
between
taut,
responsive
handling
and
ride
comfort
.
Although
the
front
and
rear
suspen-
sion
assemblies
are
independent
subsystems,
they
work
to-

gether
to
achieve
BMW's
overall
combination
of
precise

handling
and
comfort
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

Fig
.
1
.



BMW
E36
front
and
rear
suspension
systems
.

Each
front
strut
assembly
includes
a
shock
absorber
car-

tridgeinside
the
tubular
strut
housing
and
a
large
coil
spring
.

The
upper
strut
mount
bearing
allows
the
strutto
turnwith
the

wheels
.
The
lower
end
of
the
strut,
which
includes
the
stub
axle
for
the
front
wheel,
connects
to
a
ball-joint
on
the
control
arm
.

0013098

GENERAL