1997 BMW 328i Starter relay location on

600
Electrical
System-General

GENERAL
.
...........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
...
600-1

Voltage
and
Polarity
........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
600-1

Ming,
Fuses
and
Relays
............
.
.
.
.
600-1

Electrical
System
Safety
Precautions
...
.
.
.
.
600-1

Electrical
Test
Equipment
.....
.
.
.
....
.
.
.
.
600-2

WIRING
DIAGRAMS
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
........
600-2

Ming
Codes
and
Abbreviations
..
.
...
.
....
600-2

ELECTRICAL
TROUBLESHOOTING
..
.
..
600-3

Voltage
and
Voltage
Drops
..........
.
.
.
.
.
600-4

GENERAL



Electrical
System
Safety
Precautions

A
brief
description
of
the
principal
parts
of
the
electrical
sys-
tem
is
presented
here
.
Also
covered
here
are
basic
electrical
system
troubleshooting
tips
.

Voltage
and
Polarity

The
vehicle
electrical
system
is
a
12-volt
direct
current
(DC)
negative-ground
system
.
A
voltage
regulator
controls
system
voltage
at
approximately
the
12-volt
rating
of
the
battery
.
Al¡
circuits
are
grounded
by
direct
or
indirect
connection
to
the

negative
(-)
terminal
of
the
battery
.
A
number
of
ground
con-

nections
throughout
the
car
connect
the
wiring
harness
to

chassis
ground
.
These
circuits
are
completedby
the
battery

cable
or
ground
strap
between
the
body
and
the
battery
nega-

tive
(-)
terminal
.

Wiring,
Fuses
and
Relays

Nearly
all
parts
of
the
wiring
harnessconnect
to
compo-

nents
of
the
electrical
system
with
keyed,
push-on
connectors

that
lock
into
place
.
Notable
exceptions
arethe
heavy
battery

cables
and
the
starter
wiring
.
The
wiring
is
color-coded
for
cir-

cuitidentification
.

With
theexception
of
the
battery
charging
system,
most

electrical
power
is
routed
from
the
ignition
switch
or
the
bat-
tery
through
the
main
fuse/relay
panel,
located
in
¡he
left
rear

comer
of
the
engine
compartment
.
Fuses
are
color
coded
to

indicate
current
capacities
.

The
relays
and
control
units/modules
are
mounted
in
vari-

ous
places
throughout
the
vehicle
.
See610
Electrical
Com-

ponent
Locations
.

ELECTRICAL
SYSTEM-GENERAL
600-1

Voltage,
measuring
.
.
.
................
.
.
600-4

Voltage
drop,
testing
.
.
.....
.
.....
.
......
600-4

Continuity,
checking
..
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
600-5
Short
Circuits
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
600-5

Short
circuit,
testing
with
ohmmete'r
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
600-6

Short
circuit,
testing
with
voitmeter
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
600-6

TABLES
a
.
Terminal
and
Circuit
Numbers
..............
..
.600-3
Please
read
the
following
warnings
and
cautions
before
do-
ing
any
work
on
your
electrical
system
.

WARNING
-

"
The
cars
covered
by
this
manual
are
equipped
with
aSupplemental
Restraint
System
(SRS)
that
automatically
deploys
one
or
more
airbags
.
Each
airbag
unit
houses
an
explosive
powerful
charge
.
Any
work
involving
the
SRS
system
should
only
be
performed
byan
authorized
BMW
dealer
.
Making
repairs
without
the
proper
knowledge
and
special
test
equipment
may
cause
serious
per-
sonal
injury
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

"
The
ignition
system
of
the
car
operates
at
lethal
voltages
.
People
with
pacemakers
or
weak
hearts
should
not
expose
themselves
to
the
ignition
sys-
tem
.
Extra
caution
mustbe
taken
when
working
on
the
ignition
system
or
when
servicing
theen-
gine
while
it
is
runningor
the
key
is
on
.
See
120
Ignition
System
for
additional
ignition
system
warnings
and
cautions
.

"
Before
operating
the
starter
without
starting
the
engine
(as
when
making
a
compressfon
test),
dis-
able
the
ignition
system
as
described
in
120
Igni-
tion
System
.

"
Keep
hands,
clothing
and
other
objects
clear
of
the
electric
radiator
coollng
fan
when
working
on
a
warm
engine
.
The
fan
may
start
at
any
tíme,
even
when
the
ignition
is
switched
off
.

GENERAL

Fig
.
5
.



Splice
panel
under
left
side
of
dash
.

SplicePanel,
Right

ir1!
1,
111lí~lll
.

'

ELECTRICAL
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS



610-3

0013091

1
.



Unloader
relay



4
.



Starter
immobilization
2
.



Wiper
relay



relay
(1994
only)
3
.
Wiper
motor
relay



F47
&
F50
Fuses47
and
50

The
right
splice
panel
contains
three
relay
positions
.
It
is
lo-

cated
under
the
right
side
of
the
dashboard
.

To
access
the
panel,
remove
theglove
compartment
as
de-
scribed
in
513
Interior
Trim
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

Fig
.
6
.



Splice
panel
under
right
side
of
dash
(arrow)
.
Glove
compart-
ment
and
right
side
vents
shown
removed
.

COMPONENT
LOCATIONS

On
the
following
pages
are
illustrations
and
photos
showing
the
location
of
major
electrical
components
in
E36
vehicles
.

NOTE-

-
Every
component
is
not
installed
in
everycar
.

"
Due
to
changes
in
production,
component
locations
may
vary
from
what
is
illustrated
.
Consult
your
BMW
dealer
for
the
latest
information
.

"
The
gear-position/neutral
safety
switch
ís
also
some-
times
referred
to
as
the
automatic
transmission
range
switch
.

"
The
EWS
11
system
is
also
sometimes
referred
to
as
the
Driveaway
Protection
System
or
the
electronic
im-
mobilization
system
.

"
All-Season
Traction
(AST)
is
also
sometimes
referred
to
as
ASC
or
ASC+T
.

COMPONENT
LOCATIONS

Tablea
.
E36
Component
Locations

Component



Model
Year



Location



Refer
to
Rollover
Sensor



1994-1998



In
lower
left
C-pillar
behind
trim
panel
(Convertible)

Seat
Belt
Switch



1992-1998



In
front
seat
belt
buckle

SeatCushion
Tilt
Motor



1992-1998



Under
front
seat

Seat
Heater



1993-1998



Under
front
seat

Seat
Height
Motor
Front



1992-1998



Under
front
seat

Seat
Movement
Motor



1992-1998



Under
front
seat

Seatback
Heater



1993-1998



In
upper
front
seatback

Seatback
Recliner
Motor



1993-1998



Under
front
seat

Seat
Occupancy
Detector



1994-1998



Under
rightfront
seat

Secondary
Air
Pump
(4-cyl
.)



1997
1
/2
-
1998



Left
engine
compartment,
belowpower
distribution
box
(M44
engine)

Secondary
Air
Pump
(6-cyl
.)



1996-1998



Front
of
engine
compartment
(M52/S52US
engine)

Secondary
Air
Pump
Relay



1996-1998



Power
distribution
box



Fig
.
2
.

Secondary
Air
Pump
Valve



1996-1998



Right
sideof
engine

Side
Impact
Air
Bag
Right/Left



1997-1998



Behind
right/left
door
trim
panel

Síde
Impact
Airbag
Crash
Sensor,



1997-1998



Right/left
door
si¡¡
behind
front
seat
Right/Left

Shift
Interlock



1992-1998



Center
console
beside
shift
selector

Slip
Control
Module
(ABS/AST)



1992-1998



Behind
glove
compartment



Fig
.
8
.
Fig
.
9
.

Splice
Panel,
Left
Side



1992-1998



Behind
footwell
speaker
grill



Fig
.
5
.

SplicePanel,
Right
Side



1992-1998



Behind
glove
compartment



Fig
.
6
.

Starter



1992-1998



Leftrear
of
engine

Starter
Immobilization
Relay



1994-1998



In
left
splice
panelbehind
footwell
speaker
grill

Starter
Relay



1992-1993



Below
left
side
of
dash

Starter
Relay



1994-1998



Behind
left
footwell
speaker
grill

Sunroof
Control
Assembly



1992-1998



In
roof
center
panel

Supplemental
Restraint
System



11992-1993



I
Behind
glove
compartment



I



Fig
.
8
.
(Airbag)
Control
Module



Fig
.
9
.

Supplemental
Restraint
System



1994-1998



1
Under
center
of
rear
seat
(Airbag
ZAE)
Control
Module

Switch,
Power
Window



1
1992-1998



1
Center
console

Telephone
Eject
Box



1
1994-1996



1
Center
console

ELECTRICAL
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS



610-17

Telephone
Transceiver



1992-1992



In
luggage
compartment

Throttle
Flap
Heater



1994-1996



Left
sideof
engine

Throttle
Position
Sensor



1992-1998



I
Left
sideof
engine
inthrottle
housing



I



Fig
.
7
.
Fig
.
15
.
Fig
.
21
.

Continued

COMPONENT
LOCATIONS

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