1997 BMW 323i coolant capacity

020-
8



MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM

FLUID
AND
LUBRICANT
SPECIFICATIONS
The
fluids
and
lubricante
specified
by
BMW
are
listed
in
Ta-

ble
e
.
Shown
below
is
engine
oil
viscosity
(SAE
grade)
vs
.
oper-

ating
temperature
range
for
the
BMW
enginescovered
in
this

manual
.

Engine
Oil
Viscosity
Requirements

vs
.
Temperature

`S
EAVic
P
Q
SAE
swao

YCO

0

N

M42
engine



1
.1
I
(1
.2
US
qt
.)
M44
engine



1
.1
l(1.2
US
qt
.)
M50
engine



1
.1
1(1.2
US
qt
.)
M52
engine



1
.21(1.3
US
qt
.)
S50US
engine



1
.21(1.3
US
qt
.)
S52US
engine



1
.21(1.3
US
qt
.)

°F
80

-

1o-0
-
30
-----20

WARNING
-

The
use
of
fluids
that
do
not
meet
BMWs
specifica-
tions
may
impair
performance
and
refability,
and
may
void
warranty
coverage
.

Tablee
.
Fluids
and
Lubricants

0013227

Fluid
Approximate
Specification
capacity

Engine
oil
with
filter
change

M42
engine



5
.01
(5
.3
US
qt
.)
M44
engine



5
.0
I
(5
.3
US
qt
.)
M50
engine



6
.5
I
(6.9
US
qt
.)



API
service
SH
or
M52
engine



6
.51
(6.9
US
qt
.)



si
S50US
engine



6
.51
(6.9
US
qt
.)
S52US
engine



6.0
I
(6.3
US
qt
.)

Manual
transmission
oil

FLUID
AND
LUBRICANT
SPECIFICATIONS

See
230Manual
Transmission
for



NOTE-
fluid
specification

Tablee
.
Fluids
and
Lubricants
(continued)

Fluid
Approximate
Specification
capacity

Automatic
transmission
fluid
(ATF)
(drain
and
fill)
(additional
fluid
required
when
installing
a
drytorque
converter)

A4S
310R



See240
AutomaticTransmission
for
fluid
A4S
270R



specification
information
A5S
310Z

Final
drive
(drain
and
fill)
(Lifetime
fluid
;
no
fluid
change
required)

4-cylinder



1
.1
I
(1.2
US
qt
.)



BMW
SAF-XO
6-cylinder



1.7
l(1
.8
US
qt
.)



synthetic



oil



(ex
.
limited
slip)
BMW
SAF-X1-S
synthetic
oil
(limit-
ed
slip)

Power
steering
fluid

Al¡
modeis



permanentlysealed



Dexron
IIPATFno
drain
plug

rake
fluid

All
modeis



-
~
S
AE
Dot4

Engine
coolant

M42
engine



6
.51(6
.9
US
qt
.)
M44
engine



6
.51(6
.9
US
qt
.)
M50
engine



10
.51
(11
.1
US
qt
.)



50%
BMW
anti-
M52
engine



10
.5
1
(11
.1
US
qt
.)



freezel
50%
water
S50US
engine



10
.75
1(11
.4
qt
.)
S52US
engine



10
.75
I
(11
.4
qt
.)

CA
UTION-

Multi-viscosity
engine
oils
should
not
beused
in
the
manual
transmission
.
Use
of
such
an
oil
could
shorten
the
service
life
of
thetransmission
.

Manual
Transmission
Fluid

The
manual
transmissions
installed
in
the
E36
modeis
are

normallyfilled
with
automatic
transmission
fluid
(ATF),
although

alternative
synthetic
lubricants
may
havebeen
used
from
-
the

factory,
depending
on
transmission
type
and
model
year
.
Con-

sult
230
Manual
Transmission
for
additional
information
on

identifying
the
type
of
fluid
installed
.

Automatic
Transmission
Fluid

The
automatic
transmissions
installed
in
the
E36
modeis
are
normally
filled
with
Dexron
111
automatic
transmission
fluid

(ATF),
although
alternative
fluids
havebeen
installed
from
the

factory,
depending
on
transmission
type
and
model
year
.
Some
transmission
are
filled
with
a
special
BMW
"life-time"
automatic
transmission
fluid,
whích
does
not
requireperiodic
fluid
changes
.
Consult
240
Automatic
Transmission
for
ad-
ditional
fluid
specification
information
.

information



1



The



11-



11
lubrican
type
canbefound
on
ti
¡e
`Yype
plate"
on
the
side
of
the
transmission
.
Consult
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
foralternate
fluid
use
and
the
Continued



most-up-to-date
information
regarding
transmission
op-
erating
fluids
.

Final
Drive
Gear
Oil

BMW
recommends
using
only
a
specially
formulatedsyn-
thetic
gear
oil
that
is
available
through
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
parts
department
.
For
additional
information
on
this
¡u-
bricant
andany
other
lubricants
that
may
be
compatible,
con-
tact
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
senrice
department
.
See
331
Final
Drive
.

Brake
Fluid

Brake
fluid
absorbs
moisture
easily,
and
moisture
in
the
fluid
affects
brake
performance
and
reliability
.
This
is
why
brake
fluid
should
be
flushed
from
the
system
every
two
years
.
When
re-
placing
or
adding
brake
fluid,
use
only
new
(luid
from
previously
unopened
containers
.
Do
not
use
brake
fluid
that
has
been
bled
from
the
system,
even
ifit
is
brand
new
.
Use
only
DOT
4
brake
fluid
.
See340
Brakes
for
more
information
.

Engine
Coolant
(Anti-freeze)

BMW
recommends
coolant
that
is
a
50/50
mixture
of
distilled
water
and
phosphate/nítrate
freeanti-freeze
containing
ethyl-
ene
glycol
.
Anti-freezeraises
the
boiling
point
and
lowersthe
freezingpoint
of
the
coolant
.
It
alsocontains
additives
that
help
prevent
cooling
system
corrosion
.

Power
Steering
Fluid

The
power
steering
fluid
is
Dexron
II]®
ATF,
or
equivalent
.

The
system
is
permanently
filled
and
does
not
have
a
drain
.
Routinely
adding
ATF
is
not
required
unlessthe
system
is
leak-
i
n
g,

WARNING
-

Be
sure
to
check
the
fluid
specifications
on
the
pow-
er
steering
reservoir
to
confirm
the
fluid
type
in-
stalled
in
the
system
.
In
some
instances,
the
power
steering
system
may
be
filled
with
an
alternative
hy-
draulic
fluid
designated
CHF
7
.1
.

MAINTENANCE
PROGRAM
020-

ENGINE
OIL
SERVICE



Engine
oil
and
fiiter,
changing

Fig
.
3
.



Engine
oil
level
dipsticklocation
on
4-cylinder
engine
(arrow)
.
Dipsfck
is
marked
with
mínimum
and
maximum
level
marks
.

Fig
.
4
.



Oil
filler
cap
(arrow)
.
6-cylinder
engine
shown
.
0012202

Engine
oii,
checking
leve¡



A
complete
oil
change
requires
new
oil
(see
Table
e),
a
new
oil
filter
insert
kit,
and
a
new
drain
plug
sealing
washer
.
The

The
engine
oil
leve]
is
checked
with
a
dipstick
in
the
engine



tools
needed,
a
drain
plug
socket
or
box
wrench
(17
mm
or19

block
.
Check
the
oii
leve¡
with
the
canon
a
level
surface,
after



mm)
and
a
drain
pan
(8-10
US
qt
.
capacity),
are
described
in

the
engine
has
been
stopped
for
atleast
a
few
minutes
.
Check



010
Fundamentals
for
the
Do-It-Yourself
Owner
.

the
leve¡
by
pulling
outthe
dipstick
and
wiping
it
clean
.
Reinsert

it
all
the
way
and
withdraw
it
again
.
The
oil
leve¡
is
correct
if
it
is



NOTE-
between
the
two
marks
near
the
end
of
the
stick
.
See
Fig
.
3
.



If
using
a
"fast-lube"
service
facility
for
oil
changes,
make
sure
the
technician
hand-starts
and
torques
the
Add
oil
through
the
filler
cap
on
thetop
of
the
cylinder
head
.



engine
oil
drain
plug
using
hand-tools
.
Power
tools
can
See
Fig
.
4
.
Add
only
the
amount
needed
to
bring
the
oil
leve¡to



strip
the
threads
of
the
plug
and
the
oil
pan
.

the
MAX
mark
on
the
dipstick,
using
an
oil
of
the
correctviscos-
ity
andgrade
.
Too
much
oil
canbe
just
as
harmful
as
too
little
.

ENGINE
OIL
SERVICE

170-6



RADIATOR
AND
COOLING
SYSTEM

Fig
.
6
.



Radiator
drain
plug
(arrow)
.

WARNING
-

Coolant
is
poisonous
.
Itis
especially
lethal
to
pets
.

Cleanup
spills
immediately
and
rinse
the
area
with

water
.

NOTE
-

The
block
drain
plug
is
located
on
the
exhaust
side
of
the
engine,
near
the
reas
of
the
engine
.

4
.
Reinstall
radiator
and
engine
block
drain
plugsusing

new
sealing
washers
.
Leave
heater
controis
on
full

warm
.

5
.
Using
a
coolantmixture
of
50%
antifreeze
and
50%
dis-

tilled
water,
fill
system
slowly
On
radiator
with
integral

expansion
tank,
bleed
cooling
system
as
described
be-

low
.

NOTE-

"
Tap
water
may
cause
corrosion
of
radiator,
engine
and
coolant
hoses
.

"
Coolant
can
often
be
reused
provided
itis
clean
and
less
than
twoyears
old
.
Do
not
reuse
coolant
when
re-
placing
damaged
engine
parts
.
Contaminated
coolant
may
damage
the
engine
or
cooling
system
.

Tabled
.
Cooling
System
Capacities

Engine



j
Capacity

4-cylinder



1
6
.5
liters
(6.9
qt)

6-cylinder
M50/M52



10
liters
(10
.6
qt)
S50US/S52US



10
.5
liters
(11
.1
qt)

COOLING
SYSTEM
SERVICE

Tightehing
Torques

"
Radiator
drain
plug
to
radiator
...
2-3
Nm
(18-27
in-lb)

"
Engine
block
drain
plug
to
block



.
.
..
25
Nm
(18
ft-Ib)

Cooling
system,
bleeding

(radiator
with
integral
expansion
tank)

NOTE
-

On
radiators
with
a
separate
expansion
tank,
ableed

screw
is
not
provided
.
The
cooling
system
with
sepa-

rate
expansion
tank
is
self
bleeding
via
the
vent
hose

on
the
expansion
tank
.

Air
maybecome
trapped
in
the
system
during
filling
.

Trapped
air
can
prevent
proper
coolant
circulation
.
Whenever

the
coolant
is
drained
and
filled,
the
system
should
be
bled
of

trapped
air
.

1
.
With
engine
cold,
add
coolant
to
expansion
tank
until

level
reaches
COLD
(KALT)
mark
on
tank
.

2
.
Loosen
bleed
screw
on
radiator
expansion
tank
.
See

Fig
.
7
.

0011976

Fig
.
7
.



Cooling
system
bleed
screwon
radiator
(arrow)
.
Note
cold
level
mark
on
expansion
tank
.

3
.
M3
models
:
Loosen
bleed
screw
on
thermostathous-

ing
.

4
.
Set
temperature
controls
in
passenger
compartment
to

fui¡
warm
and
turn
ignition
on
position
(do
not
start
en-

gine)
.