1996 BMW 323i Spark plug park number

020-
1
2



MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM

6-cylinder
engines
use
a
coil-on-plug
configuration,
and
re-



Battery
cablesshould
be
tight
.
The
terminals,
the
cable
moval
of
thetop
engine
cover
(between
the
camshafts)
and
ig-



clamps,
and
the
battery
case
should
be
freeof
the
white
deposits
nition
cofs
are
necessary
.
See
Fig
.
12
.
Blow
away
any
dust
or



that
indicate
corrosion
and
acid
salts
.
Even
a
thin
¡ayer
of
dust
dirt
around
the
ignition
coils,
and
then
remove
the
coils
.
Blow



containing
conductive
acid
salts
can
cause
battery
discharge
.
away
any
dustor
dirt
around
the
sparkplugs
.
Remove
the
spark

plugs
.



To
remove
battery
corrosion,
begin
by
disconnecting
theca-

bles
.
Disconnect
the
negative
(-)
cable
first
.
Clean
the
terminal

posts
and
the
cable
clamps
with
a
wire
brush
.
Clean
the
main
chassis
ground
terminal
next
to
the
battery
.
Corrosion
can
be
washedaway
with
a
baking
soda
and
water
solution
that
will
neutralize
the
acid
.
Apply
the
solution
carefully,
though,since
ít
will
also
neutralize
the
acid
inside
the
battery
.
Reconnect
the
ca-
ble
clamps,
positive
(+)
cable
first
.
Lightly
coat
the
outside
of
the

terminals,
hold
down
screws,
and
clamps
with
petroleum
jelly,
grease,
or
a
commercial
battery
terminal
corrosion
inhibitor
.

Fig
.
12
.
Ignition
coil
being
removed
from
spark
plug
on
M52
engine
.

NOTE-

If
necessary,
see
120
Ignition
System
for
more
details
on
coil
removal
.

B11004

Lightlylubricate
the
new
spark
plug
threads
with
a
small
amount
of
anti-seize
compound
.
Thread
the
plugs
into
the
cyl-
inder
head
byhand
to
prevent
cross-threading
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Spark
plug
to
cylinder
head
.......
25
Nm
(18
ft-ib)

Idie
Speed

Engine
¡dle
speed
canchange
due
to
a
number
of
factors,
in-
cluding
normal
wear
.
The
idle
speed
is
electronically
adaptive
and
non-adjustable
.
See
130
Fuel
Injection
for
more
information
.

Battery,
checking
and
cleaning

The
battery
is
located
in
the
right
side
of
the
luggage
com-
partment
.
Simple
maintenance
of
the
battery
and
its
terminal
connections
will
ensure
maximum
starting
performance,
espe-
cially
in
winter
when
colder
temperaturesreduce
battery
power
.

ENGINE
COMPARTMENT
MAINTENANCE

WARNING
-

"
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
bat-
tery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manualonpage
viii
.

"
Battery
acid
is
extremely
dangerous
.
Take
care
to
keep
it
from
contacting
eyes,
skin,
or
clothing
.
Wear
eye
protection
.
Extinguish
all
smoking
ma-
terials
and
do
not
worknear
any
oyen
flames
.

Battery
electrolyte
should
be
maintained
at
the
correct
level
just
above
the
battery
plates
and
their
separators
.
The
correct
leve¡
is
approximately
5
mm
(
1
/4
in
.)
above
thetop
of
battery
plates
orto
thetop
of
the
indicator
marks
(if
applicable)
.
The
battery
plates
and
the
indicator
marks
can
beseen
once
the
fill-
er
caps
are
removed
.
If
the
electrolyte
level
is
low,
replenish
it
by
adding
distilled
water
only
.

Battery,
repiacing

Batteries
are
rated
by
ampere
hours
(Ah),
the
number
of
hoursa
specific
current
draín
can
be
sustained
before
complete
discharge,
or
by
cold
cranking
amps
(CCA),
the
number
of
amps
available
to
crank
the
engine
in
cold
weather
conditions
.
In
general,
replacement
batteries
should
alwaysbe
rated
equal
or
higherthan
the
original
battery
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
thls
manual
on
page
viii
.

The
battery
is
held
in
place
bya
single
hand
screw
and
píate
.
A
secure
battery
hold-down
is
important
in
order
to
prevent
vi-
brations
and
road
shock
from
damaging
the
battery
.

NOTE-
NOTE-
"
Always
disconnect
the
negative
()
cable
first,
and
Design
characteristics
of
the
convertible
body
cause
vi-



connect
ft
last
While
changing
batteries,
clean
away
brations
in
the
trunk
area
.
Therefore,
E36
convertibles



any
corrosion
in
or
around
the
battery
tray
.
require
a
specialbattery
designed
for
constant
vibra-
tion
.
When
repiacing
the
battery,
be
sure
the
replace-



"
Design
characteristics
of
the
convertible
body
cause
ment
is
designed
specffically
for
the
convertible
.



vibrations
to
oscillate
in
the
trunk
area
.
Therefore,
the
convertible
model
uses
a
specialbattery
designed
for
this
constant
vibration
.

eiioo4

Fig
.
9
.



Remove
ignition
coils
on
6-cylinder
engine
by
disconnecting
harness
connector
and
removing
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.

NOTE-

"
The
compression
gauge
reading
shoutd
increase
with
each
compression
stroke
and
reach
near
its
maxi-
mum
reading
in
about
4-6
strokes
.

"All
cylinders
shoutdreach
maximum
compression
in
the
same
number
of
strokes
.
If
a
cylinder
needs
sig-
nificantly
more
strokes
to
reach
maximum
compres-

sion,
there
is
a
problem
.

7
.
Release
the
pressure
at
the
compression
gauge
valve,

then
remove
the
gauge
from
the
spark
plughole
.
Re-

peat
the
test
for
each
of
the
other
cylinders
and
com-

pare
the
results
with
the
values
given
below
.

ENGINE-GENERAL
1
:00-
7

Compression
Pressure

"
Minimum
..........
.
.
..
..
10-11
bar
(142-156
psi)

"
Maximum
difference
between
cylinders
..
.....
.........
0
.5
bar
(7
psi)

Reinstall
the
spark
plugs
and
spark
plug
wires
or
ignition

cofs
.
The
remainder
of
installation
is
the
reverse
of
removal
.
Be
sure
to
reihstall
al¡
wires
disconnected
during
the
test,
especial-

¡y
ground
wires
at
the
coils
and
cylinder
head
cover
(where
ap-
plicable)
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Spark
plug
to
cylinder
head
.......
25
Nm
(18
ft-Ib)

Low
compression
indicates
a
poorly
sealed
combustion

6
.
With
the
parking
brake
set,
the
transmission
in
Park
or



chamber
.
Relatively
even
pressures
that
are
below
specification

Neutral,
and
the
accelerator
pedal
pressed
to
the
floor,



normally
indicate
worn
piston
rings
and/or
cylinder
walls
.
Erratic

crank
the
engine
with
the
starter
.
Record
the
highest



values
tend
to
indicate
valve
leakage
.
Dramatic
differences
be

value
indicated
by
the
gauge
.



tween
cylinders
are
often
the
sign
of
a
failed
head
gasket,

bumed
valve,
or
broken
piston
ring
.

Engine
Mechanical
Troubleshooting
Table

Table
c
lists
the
symptoms
of
common
engine
mechanical

problems,
their
probable
causes
and
the
suggested
corrective

actions
.
The
bold
type
indicates
the
repair
groups
where
appli-

cable
test
and
repair
procedures
can
befound
.

MECHANICAL
TROUBLESHOOTING

116-2



CYLINDER
HEADAND
VALVETRAIN

3
.
Remove
timing
chain
sprockets
and
timing
chains
from



7
.
Slowly
release
pressure
oncamshaft
bearing
capsby
camshafts
.
Remove
upper
timing
chain
guidefrom
cyl-



turningeccentric
shaft
.
Remove
bearing
caps
and

inder
head
.
See117
Camshaft
Timing
Chain
.



camshaft
.
Repeat
procedureon
remaining
camshaft
.

NOTE-

It
is
not
necessary
lo
remove
the
lower
timing
chain
cover
.

4
.
Remove
spark
plugs
and
instaf
BMW
special
tool
11
3

260
to
cylinder
head
.
Tighten
tool
retaining
bolts
in

spark
plug
holes
.
Do
not
over-tighten
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

6
.
Remove
bearing
cap
mounting
nuts
.

0013033

5
.
Turn
eccentric
shaft
on
special
tool
until
pressure
is
ap-

plied
to
camshaft
bearing
caps
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

Fig
.
2
.



Special
tool
(eccentric
shaft)
being
turned
to
apply
pressure
to
camshaft
bearing
caps
.

CYLINDER
HEAD,
DISASSEMBLYAND
ASSEMBLY

CAUTION-

Camshaft
bearing
caps
mustbe
reinstalled
intheir
original
locations
.

NOTE-

"
The
camshaft
bearing
caps
are
coded
wíth
a
letter
anda
number
.
Forexample,
"Al
"ís
the
exhaust
cam-

shaft
bearing
cap
at
the
front
of
the
engíne,
and
"El"
is
the
intake
camshaft
bearing
cap
at
the
front
of
the
engine
.

"
Camshafts
are
stamped
with
a
code
letter-`E"
for
the
intakeside
and
`A"forthe
exhaust
side
.

"
"E"
isforEinlal3,
(German
for
íntake)
and
A"
isfor
Auspuff,
(German
for
exhaust)
.

"
The
front
of
the
engine
is
at
the
front
of
thecar
.

8
.
Camshaft
installation
is
reverse
of
removal,noting
the

following
:

"
Prior
to
installation,
check
al¡
components
for
wear
as

described
below
underCylinder
Head
and
Va¡-

Fig
.1
.



Special
BMW
tool
no
.
11
3
260
.
Tool
mounting
bolts
(arrows)



vetrain,
Reconditioning
.

thread
into
spark
plug
holes
.



"
Crankshaft
must
be
at
least
45°
away
from
TDC
before

installing
camshafts
to
cylinder
head
.

"
Lubricate
camshafts
prior
to
installation
.

Tightening
Torque



"
Install
camshafts
into
cylinder
head
with
lobes
for
cyl-

"
BMW
special
tool
11
1
260



inder
no
.
1
pointing
up
and
towards
each
other
.

to
cylinder
head
.
...
.
.
...........
23
Nm
(17
ft-Ib)



"
After
installing
camshafts),observe
specified
waiting

time
for
hydraulic
cam
followers
to
fully
compress
be-
fore
bringing
crankshaft
back
to
TDC
.

116-
4



CYLINDER
HEAD
AND
VALVETRAIN

NOTE-

"
The
camshaft
bearing
caps
are
coded
with
a
letter
anda
number
.
Forexample,
'541"is
the
exhaustcam-
shaft
bearing
cap
at
the
front
of
the
engine,
and
`El"
is
the
intake
camshaft
bearing
cap
at
the
front
of
the
engine
.

"
Camshafts
are
stamped
with
a
code
letter-'E"
for
the
intakeside
and
A"
for
the
exhaust
side
.

"
"E"
isfor
Einla3,
(German
for
intake)
and
A"
is
for
Auspuff,
(Germen
for
exhaust)
.

"
The
front
of
the
engine
is
at
the
front
of
the
car
.

8
.
Camshaft
installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
noting
the

following
:

"
Prior
to
installation,
check
all
components
for
wear
as

described
below
underCylinder
Head
and
Val-

vetrain
Reconditioning
.
"
Lubricate
camshafts
prior
to
installation
.
"
Reinstall
timing
chain
sprockets
and
tensioner
and
set
valve
timing
before
reinstalling
rocker
arms,as
spe-

cifically
described
in
117
Camshaft
Timing
Chain
.

"
Be
sure
corresponding
camshaft
lobe
is
pointing
up

before
installing
rocker
arms
.
Note
that
each
rocker
arm
angles
away
from
corresponding
spark
plug
hole
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

"
Wait
at
least
10
minutes
for
hydraulic
cam
followers
to
fully
compress
before
cranking
engine
over
with
start-

er
for
the
first
time
.

Tightening
Torques

"
Camshaft
bearing
caps

to
cylinder
head
(M7)
.............
15
Nm
(11
ft-Ib)

"
Cylinder
head
cover

to
cylinder
head
(M6)
.............
10
Nm
(89
in-lb)

"
Primary
timing
chain
tensioner
plug

to
cylinder
head
.
................
40
Nm
(30
ft-lb)
(sea
117
Camshaft
Timing
Chain)

"
Spark
plugs
(M12)
.............
...
23
Nm
(17
ft-lb

Timing
chaincover
(upper)
to
cylinder
head
M6
.....
.
.
...
................
.
10
Nm
(7
.5
ft-Ib)
M7
....
..
.
.
........
.
.....
.
...
.
15
Nm
(11
ft-Ib)

"
Timing
chain
sprockets
to
camshaft

M6
....
.
.
..
..............
.
..
..
10
Nm
(7
.5
ft-Ib)
M7
....
....
..............
.
..
..
.15
Nm
(11
ft
.lb)
(sea
117
Camshaft
Timing
Chain)

Camshafts,
removing
and
installing

(6-cylinder
engine)

Camshafts
on
6-cylinder
engines
can
be
removed
with
the
cylinder
head
mounted
on
the
engine
.
The
first
step
is
to
re-
move
the
cylinder
head
cover
.
See
113
Cylinder
Head
Re-
moval
and
Installation
.

CYLINDER
HEAD,
DISASSEMBLYAND
ASSEMBLY

Fig
.
4
.



Correct
installation
position
ofrocker
arms
(arrows)
on
M44
engine
.

Special
BMW
service
tools
should
always
be
used
to
re-

move
and
instan
the
camshafts
.
Removal
of
camshafts
with-

outthe
special
tools
can
result
in
personal
injury
and/or
cylinder
head
damage
.

WARNING
-

The
processof
evenly
loosening
the
camshaft
bear-
ing
cap
nuts
is
NOT
en
acceptable
method
of
re-
moving
the
camshafts
.
Special
tools
shouldalways
be
used
lo
remove
the
camshafts
.
Be
sure
to
read
the
procedure
through
before
starting
ajob
.

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
battery
cable
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpaga
viii
.

516
2
.
Setengine
to
TDC
and
lock
into
position
by
installing
BMW
special
tool
11
2
300
through
transmission
bell-
housing
and
into
hole
in
flywheel
or
drive
platea
See
Fig
.
5
.

NOTE-

Arrows
on
camshaft
sprockets
shouldbe
pointing
up
.
Sea
117
Camshaft
Timing
Chain
.

3
.
Remove
VANOS
control
unit
from
cylinder
head
.
Re-
move
timing
chainsprockets
from
camshafts
.
See117

Camshaft
Timing
Chain
.

4
.
Remove
sparkplugs
and
insta¡¡
BMW
special
tool
11
3
260/11
3
270
to
cylinder
head
.
Tighten
tool
retaining
bolts
in
spark
plug
holes
.
Do
not
ovar-tighten
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

Fig
.
5
.



BMW
special
tool
11
2300
(arrow)
inserted
through
bell-
housing
hole
and
finto
flywheel
.

A

Tightening
Torque

"
BMW
special
tool11
1
260/11
3
270

to
cylinder
head
.................
23
Nm
(17
ft-Ib)

5
.
Remove
intake
camshaft
bearing
cap
no
.
1
.

6
.
Turn
eccentric
shaft
on
special
tool
until
pressure
is
ap-

plied
to
camshaft
bearing
caps
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

7
.
Remove
remaining
bearing
capmounting
nuts
.

CYLINDER
HEAD
AND
VALVETRAIN



116-
5

NOTE-

Fig
.
7
.



Special
tool
(eccentric
shaft)
beingturned
to
apply
pressure
to
camshaft
bearing
caps
.

8
.
Slowly
release
pressure
oncamshaft
bearing
capsby

turning
eccentric
shaft
.
Remove
bearing
caps
and

camshaft
.
Repeat
procedure
on
remaining
camshaft
.

CAUTION-

Camshaft
bearing
capsmust
be
reinstalled
in
their
original
locations
.

"
The
camshaft
bearing
caps
are
coded
with
a
letter

and
a
number
.
For
example,
`A1
"is
the
exhaust
cam-
shaft
bearing
cap
at
the
front
of
the
engine,
and
"E1"
is
the
intake
camshaft
bearing
cap
at
the
front
of
the
engine
.

"
The
camshaftsare
stamped
with
a
code
letter-`E"
for

the
intake
síde
and
`A"
for
the
exhaust
side
.
F19
.6
.



Special
BMW
tool
no
.
11
3260
(A)
with
adapter
ll
3
270
(B)
.

Tool
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
thread
into
spark
plug
holes
.



"
"E"
is
for
Einfal3,
(German
for
intake)
and
`A"
is
for

Auspuff,
(German
for
exhaust)
.

"
The
front
of
the
engine
is
at
the
front
of
the
car
.

CYLINDER
HEAD,
DISASSEMBLYAND
ASSEMBLY