1997 BMW 540i rear brake

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Fuel Tank and Fuel pump/
- Remove suction hose from tank filler neck carefully to avoid
damaging filler neck baffle plate.
CAUTION-
After finishing repairs but before starling engine, be sure
there is at least
5 liters (1.5 gallons) of fuel in tanlc. The fuel
pump will be damaged if run without fuel.
Fuel tank, removing and installing
- Remove fuel tank filler cap and drain tank as described
earlier.
- Disconnect negative cable from battery.
CAUTION-
Prior to disconnecting the battea read the battery discon-
nection cautions given in
001 General Cautions and
Warnings.
- Remove rear seat bottom cushion. Peel forward lip of carpet
from beneath seat cushion and carefully peel back insulation
to expose fuel tank access cover on left and right sides. Re-
move covers.
Disconnect right side supply hose and
electr~cal harness
connector (arrows).
D~sconnect left side return hose and electrical harness
connector.
Working inside car, disconnect parking
bralte cable ends
from parking brake lever. See
340 Brakes.
Lift car and support safely.
Make sure the car is stable and
we/ supported at all times.
Use a professional automotive lift
orjack stands designed for
the purpose. A floorjaclc is not adequate support.
- Remove complete exhaust system and heat shield. See 180
Exhaust System.
- Remove drive shaft. See 260 Driveshaft

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-.- .
/ Driveshaft Driveshaft, removing
CAUTION-
. Be sure the wheels are off the ground before removing the
driveshak Set the parl(ing brake before removing the
driveshaft.
Once the driveshaft has been removed, the vehicle can
roll regardless of whether the transmission is in gear or
not.
The driveshaft is mounted to the transmission and final
drive
with self-locliing nuts. These nuts are designed to
be used only once and should be replaced during reas-
sembly.
Remove complete exhaust system. See
180 Exhaust
System.
- Remove exhaust heat shields.
- Support transmission with transmission jack.
< Loosen transmission mount nuts (arrows) on real
transmission support crossmember.
- Release wiring harness retainers from rear transmission
support crossmember.
< Remove mounting bolts (arrows) for rear transmission sup-
port crossmember. Slide crossmember rearward to remove.
- Matchmark front and rear driveshaft halves to corresponding
transmission output and final drive input flanges.
4 Remove nuts securing driveshaft mounting bolts at transmis-
sion output flange. Counterhold bolts (arrows) at transmis-
sion flex-disc. Discard old nuts.
- Hang driveshaft front section from body using stiff wire.

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300 Suspension. Steering and Brakes .
Genera8
General ........................... .30 0.2
Aluminum suspension components
...... .30 0.2
Front Suspension ................. .30 0.2
Front suspension 6-cylinder models
(525i.5281. 530i) ..................... .30 0.3
Front suspension V-8 models (540i) ...... .30 0.4
Rear Suspension .................. .30 0.5
Sedan models
....................... .30 0.5
Rear suspension sedan models ........ .30 0.6
Sport Wagon models ................. .30 0.6
Rear suspension Sport Wagon
(with coil springs)
.................... .30 0.7
Rear suspension Sport Wagon
(EHC with air springs)
................. .30 0.8
EHC operational diagram .............. .30 0.9
Steering ......................... .30 0.10
Rack-and-pinion steering ............. .30 0.10
Recirculating ball and nut steering ...... .30 0.10
..................... Brake System 300-10
Wheels and Tires ................. 300-1 1
............... Rim and tire sizes table 300-1 1
Electronic Brake and Stability
.................. Control Systems 300-1 1
E39 electronic brake and stability
........ control systems application table 300-12
........................ ABS system 300-1 2
Automatic Stability Control (ASC)
....... 300-12
ABSIASC traction control system ....... 300-13
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
........ 300-14
Ride Height ....................... 300-14
......... Front ride height specifications 300-1 5
......... Rear ride height specifications 300-16

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[~us~ension, Steering and Brakes - General
This section of the manual covers front and rear suspension,
braking and steering systems, and contains wheel, tire and
wheel alignment information and specifications. Also covered
here are the integrated braking and suspension systems in-
cluding
antilock braking (ABS), traction control (ASCIDSC),
and electronic height control (EHC).
Vehicle ride height information is at the end of this repair
group. Alignment information is in
320 Steering and Wheel
Alignment.
Aluminum suspension components
In order to reduce vehicle weight, aluminum suspension com-
ponents are used in some models. A test with a magnet will
easily reveal the metal used. If working with aluminum com-
ponents, be sure to read and follow the cautions below.
CAUTION-
* Due to the chemical and corrosion characteristics of alumi-
num, do not bring into contact with battery acid.
Do not use wire brushes with brass or iron bristles.
Only use brushes with stainless steel bristles.
Do not expose to flying sparks from
grinding/cutting op-
erations.
Do not subject to steel welding splashes.
Do not expose to temperatures over
80°C (176"F),
even for short periods. Temperatures in painting facili-
ties are not a problem.
The E39 front suspension subframe is used as a rigid mount-
ing platform for the front suspension arms, stabilizer bar and
steering gear.
The suspension arms, known as the lower control arms and
the tension struts (thrust arms), are connected to the
sub-
frame through rubber bushings. The arms are connected to
the steering
knucltles in a double pivot configuration.
Each front strut assembly includes a tubular strut and a coil
spring. The upper strut mount includes a bearing. The lower
end of each strut housing is fitted to the steering knuckle. The
integral wheel bearing and hub are bolted to the steering
Iknucltle.
6-cylinder and V-8 models use different steering systems and
other front suspension components.

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300-5
Suspension, Steering and Brakes - ~enerall
The E39 rear suspension subframe is used as a rigid mount-
ing platform
forthe differential (also called final drive) and rear
suspension components. The differential is mounted to the
subframe and the subframe is bolted to the body through rub-
ber bushings which help isolate drivetrain noise and vibration.
The
€39 rear suspension is known as a modified multi-link
system. Three control arms on each side locate the rear
wheels.
The lowercontrol arm, called the swing arm, is attached to the
wheel bearing carrier through a pivoting integral link.
An eccentric mounting bolt at the rear inner mounting of the
swing arm is used for rear camber adjustment.
The inner end of the upper front control arm, called the trac-
tion strut, is also mounted with an eccentric fastener, used to
adjust rear toe.
Drive axles with constant-velocity (CV) joints at both ends
transfer power
from the differential to the road wheels.
Sedan models
The rear suspension in sedan models uses coil springs over
strut shock absorbers. The bottom of each strut bolts to the
wheel
carrier.The top strut mount attaches just below the rear
parcel shelf of the car.
Sedan models fitted with EDC (Electronic Dampening Con-
trol) use air struts.

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300-6
/Suspension, Steering and Brakes - General
Rear suspension sedan models
Coil spring
Strut
-
'01 arm
Sport Wagon models
In order to provide a wide, ilat iloor in the cargo compartment,
the rear suspension on the Sport Wagon is unique to itself.
The shoclcabsorber is attached diagonally between the lower
swing arm and a mounting bracket on the subframe. The
spring on each side is mounted between a perch at the top
oi
the wheel bearing carrier and the bottom of the cargo com-
partment floor.
Starting with
1999 Sporl Wagon models, a self-leveling air
suspension system with electronic height control (EHC) was introduced. The system is standard on
V-8 models and op-
tional on 6-cylinder models.
On models fitted with electronic height control (EHC) rear
suspension, the standard coil springs are replaced by air
springs. Air pressure in the air springs is automatically con-
trolled by the
EHC system to compensate for ride height and
load variations.

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--- .
Suspension, Steering and Brakes - General
Rear suspension Sport Wagon
(with coil springs)
Shock absorber 1

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300-8
Suspension, Steering and Brakes - General
Rear suspension Sport Wagon
(EHC with air springs)
Air sprIn9 Shock absorber I
(tiaction strut) arA
(lower control arm) Integral arm 502330210
EHC initiates a control sequence as necessary. The system
offers the following features:
Control system independent from vehicle engine (no en-
gine driven hydraulic pump system)
Individual control of rear wheels
Uneven load identified and compensated for
Uneven road surfaces identified and not compensated for
Automatic control interrupted when cornering
System diagnosable using the
BMW Service Tester (DIS-
plus, GTI, or MoDiC)