
GENERAL
This
repair
group
covers
removal
and
installation
of
the
front
and
rear
seats
.
FRONT
SEATS
The
front
seats
installed
in
E36
cars
come
in
either
manual
or
electrically
powered
versions
.
Cloth,vinyl
and
leather
ver-
sions
are
offered
.
M3
sport
seats
have
extra
bolsters
on
the
sides
of
the
sean-back,
a
thigh
support
bolster,
and
extra
con-
trols
for
sean
inclination
.
Seat
removal
and
installation
is
similar
for
all
versions
.
Seat
disassembly
differs
in
details
among
the
many
models
of
seats
.
Front
seat,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
forward
position
and
raise
it
as
far
as
possible
.
Remove
two
mounting
bolts
at
rear
of
sean
rails
.
See
Fig
.
1
.
2
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
rear
position,
keeping
it
raised
.
3
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.
Fig
.1
.
Frontseat
rear
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.
CAUTION-
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
viii
.
520
Seats
SEATS
520-1
GENERAL
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..............
.
.
520-1
Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,
removing
and
installing
FRONT
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
520-1
(fixed
seat
back
models)
......
.
.
.
...
.
...
520-5
Front
seat,
removing
and
installing
...
.
.
.
..'
520-1
Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,
Manual
Front
Seat
Assembly
.............
520-3
removing
and
installing
fold-downsean
back
models
(
)
..
.
.
..
..
.
...
520-5
Power
Fronf
Seat
Assembly
..
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
;
520-4
Rear
seat
backrest
side
section,
REAR
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
............
.
...
520-5
removing
and
installing
(fold-down
seat
back
models)
..
.
.....
.
..
.520-6
4
.
Remove
plastic
caps
from
front
mounting
nuts,
and
then
remove
mounting
nuts
.
See
Fig
.
2
.
WARNING
-
Deactivate
front
seat
belt
lock
tensioners
before
proceeding
to
next
step
.
See720
Seat
Belts
.
NOTE-
Use
a
blanket
to
protect
door
sill
from
scuffing
bysean
rail
during
seatremoval
.
FRONT
SEA
TS

600-2
ELECTRICAL
SYSTEM-GENERAL
CAUTION
-
"
Always
turn
off
the
engine
and
disconnect
the
negative
()
cable
from
the
batterybefore
remov-
ing
any
electrical
components
.
Disconnecting
the
battery
may
erase
fault
code(s)
stored
in
control
module
memory
.
Check
for
fault
codes
using
spe-
cial
BMW
diagnostic
equipment
.
"
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
bat-
tery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
viii
.
"
Connect
and
disconnect
ignition
system
wires,
multiple
connectors,
and
ignition
test
equipment
leads
only
while
the
ignition
is
off
.
"
Do
not
disconnect
the
battery
with
engine
run-
ning
.
"
Do
not
quick-charge
the
battery
(for
boost
start-
ing)
for
longer
than
one
minute,
and
do
not
ex-
ceed
16
.5
volts
at
the
battery
with
the
boosting
cables
attached
.
Wait
at
feast
one
minute
before
boosting
the
battery
a
second
time
.
"
Do
not
usea
test
famp
that
has
a
normal
incan-
descent
bulb
to
test
circuits
contafning
electronic
components
.
The
high
electrical
consumptionof
these
test
lamps
may
damage
the
components
.
"
Do
not
use
an
analog
meter
.
Use
onfy
a
digital
multimeter
.
"
Many
of
the
solid-state
modules
are
static
sensi-
tive
.
Static
discharge
will
permanently
damage
them
.
Always
handle
the
modules
using
proper
static
prevention
equipment
and
techniques
.
"
To
avoid
damaging
harness
connectors
or
relay
panel
sockets,
use
jumper
wires
with
flat-blade
connectors
that
are
the
same
size
as
the
connec-
tor
or
relay
terminals
.
"
Always
switch
a
digital
multimeter
to
the
appropri-
ate
function
and
range
before
making
test
con-
nections
.
"
Do
not
tryto
start
the
engine
of
a
carwhich
has
been
heated
above176°F
(80°C),
(for
example,
in
a
paint
dryingbooth)
.
Allow
it
to
cool
to
normal
temperature
.
"
Disconnect
the
battery
before
dolng
any
electric
welding
on
the
car
.
"
Do
not
wash
the
engine
while
it
is
runnfng,
or
any-
time
the
ignition
is
switched
on
.
WIRING
DIAGRAMS
Electrical
Test
Equipment
Many
of
the
electrical
tests
described
in
this
manual
call
for
measuring
voltage,
currentorresistanceusing
a
digital
multi-
meter
(DMM)
.
Digital
meters
are
preferred
for
precise
mea-
surements
and
for
electronics
work
because
they
are
generally
more
accuratethan
analog
meters
.
The
numerical
display
is
alsoless
likely
to
be
misread,
since
there
is
no
nee-
dle
position
to
be
misinterpreted
by
reading
at
an
angle
.
An
LED
test
light
is
a
safe,
inexpensive
tool
that
can
be
used
to
perform
many
simple
electrical
tests
that
would
otherwise
require
a
digital
multimeter
.
The
LED
indicates
when
voltage
is
present
between
anytwo
test-points
in
a
circuit
.
CA
UTION-
"
Choose
test
equipment
carefully
.
Use
a
digital
multimeter
with
at
leadt
10
megaohm
input
im-
pedance,or
an
LED
test
light
.
An
analog
meter
(swing-need1e)
ora
test
light
with
a
normal
incan-
descent
bulb
may
draw
enough
current
to
dam-
age
sensitive
electronic
components
.
"
An
ohmmeter
must
not
beused
to
measure
resis-
tance
on
solidstate
components
suchas
controlunits
or
time
delay
relays
.
"
Always
disconnect
the
battery
before
making
re-
sístance
(ohm)
measurements
on
the
circuit
.
WIRING
DIAGRAMS
The
wiring
diagrams
shown
in
Electrical
Wiring
Diagrams
have
been
specially
designed
to
enable
quick
and
efficientdi-
agnosis
and
troubleshooting
of
electrical
malfunctions
.
Wiring
Codes
and
Abbreviations
A
lot
of
information
is
included
in
each
wiring
diagram
if
you
know
how
to
read
them
.
Wire
colors
in
the
diagrams
are
ab-
breviated
.
Combined
color
codes
indicate
a
multi-colored
wire
.
For
example
the
code
BLU/RED
indicates
a
Blue
wire
with
a
Red
stripe
.
Many
electrical
components,
connectors,
fuses,
and
ground
locations
are
identified
using
a
unique
number
.
Each
of
there
numbers
corresponds
to
a
particular
part
in
the
circuit
commonly
found
in
Electrical
Wiring
Diagrams
.

Ignition
Switch
ASsembly
3
.
Remove
screw
retaining
lower
steering
column
cover
and
remove
cover
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
1
.
,
The
components
of
the
ignition
switch
assembly
are
shown
in
Fig
.
5
.
The
ignitionelectrical
switch
and
the
ignition
lock
cyl-
inder
can
be
removed
with
the
ignition
switch
assembly
at-
tached
to
the
steering
column
.
ignition
electrical
switch,
replacing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
CAUTION
-
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vi¡¡
.
2
.
Remove
trim
panel
from
lower
left
side
of
instrument
panel
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.
F~
"
Fig
.
5
.
Ignition
switch
assembly
.
SWITCHES
AND
ELECTRICAL
ACCESSORIES
612-3
4
.
Clean
away
colored
sealer
from
ignition
switch
set
screws
and
remove
slotted
set
screwson
both
sides
of
switch
.
See
Fig
.
6
.
5
.
Release
tabs
andremove
switch
after
separating
elec-
trical
harness
connector
.
6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
noting
the
following
:
3
EWS
II
ring
antenna
(Jan
.
1995
and
later
models)
"
Before
mating
ignition
electrical
switch
toignitionlock,
check
that
switch
isin
correct
position
relativetoigni-
tion
lock
.
"
Seal
set
screws
using
paint
or
lacquer
.
0012241
INTERIOR
SWITCHES

650-2
RADIO
"
A
320-watt
Harmon-Kardon
ten
speaker
system,
including
RADIO
AND
SPEAKER
SERVICE
a
separate
high
power
multi-channel
audio
amplifier
and
two
sub-woofers
.
In
this
system,
thebass
and
volume
out-
puts
from
the
selected
audiosource
automatically
com-
Radio,
removing
and
installing
pensate
for
vehicle
speed,
making
constant
volume
adjustments
unnecessary
.
An
additional
feature
ofthis
CAUTION-
sound
system
is
the
ability
to
switch
from
normal
left-right
"
Before
beginning
work
on
the
radio
or
sound
stereo
into
Spatial
Enhancement
Mode,
which
produces
a
system,
verify
that
the
radio
is
an
original
equip-
fuller,
rounder
sound
.
See
Fig
.
3
.
ment
BMW
radio
and
that
thewiring
harness
has
not
been
modified
.
TheE36
radio
is
also
equipped
with
a
built-in
anti-theft
sys-
tem
.
lf
power
is
removed
from
the
radio
circuitry
by
removing
the
radio
electrical
connectors,
or
by
disconnecting
the
bat-
tery,
the
radio
is
rendered
inoperative
.
The
radio
is
not
perma-
nently
damaged,
and
proper
operation
can
be
restored
by
entering
the
radio
anti-theft
code
.
Fig
.
3
.
Ten
speaker
sound
system
.
RADIO
AND
SPEAKER
SERVICE
"
Servicing
of
aftermarket
sound
equipment
should
be
referredto
an
authorized
agent
of
the
equip-
ment's
manufacturer
.
"
Do
not
remove
radio
or
disconnect
the
batterywithout
first
obtaining
the
anti-theft
code
.
1.
Carefully
pry
open
small
square
covers
at
left
and
right
sides
of
radio
.

Fig
.
8
.
Airbag
crash
sensor
mountingscrews
(arrows)
on
early
cars
.
Note
Torx
screws
with
anti-tamper
pin
in
screw-head
.
ZAE
control
module,
replacing
NOTE-
Some
versions
of
early
ZAE
control
modules
are
no
longer
available
from
BMW
.
When
replacing
control
modules
on
cars
built
between
September
1993
and
June
1994,
consulta
BMW
parts
department
for
the
lat-
est
information
on
retrofitting
the
later
module
.
3
.
Remove
orange
SRS
connector
from
its
holder
and
carefully
separate
connector
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
7
.
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminalwith
insulating
material
.
4
.
Working
behind
steering
wheel,
completely
loosen
Torx
screws
(T30)
while
holdingairbag
in
place
.
See
Fig
.
9
.
2
.
Lift
rearseat
cushion
.
Unplug
harness
connectors
and
Support
airbag
unit
toprevent
it
from
falling
out
.
remove
ZAE
airbag
control
module,
which
is
bolted
to
top
of
driveshaft
tunnel
.
3
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Front
side-impact
airbag
crash
sensor,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
2
.
Remove
front
seat
.
See520
Seats
.
3
.
Convertible
:
remove
rear
seat
4
.
Remove
plastic
door
sill
trim
.
5
.
Fold
up
carpet
in
back
of
front
seat
.
6
.
Pull
off
connector
from
crash
sensor,
which
is
located
under
rugnext
to
door
si¡¡
.
7
.
Remove
sensorby
removing
screws
.
Note
direction
ar-
row
before
removing
sensor
.
8
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,noting
direction
arrow
on
sensor
.
AIRBAGS
AIRBAG
SYSTEM
(SRS)
721-
5
Driver
side
airbag,
removing
and
installing
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
negative
terminal
with
insulating
material
.
WARNING
-
On
cars
with
ZAE
system
:
If
theairbag
system
has
detected
a
fault
(SRS
indicator
illuminated),
a
wait-
ing
period
ofat
least
ten
minutes
must
be
observed
before
removing
the
airbag
from
the
steering
wheel
.
This
will
allow
the
system
capacitor
to
discharge,
re-
ducing
the
possibility
of
a
trigger
pulsebeinggener-
ated
to
the
airbag
.
CAUTION-
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vi¡¡
.
2
.
Remove
lower
steering
column
trim
mounting
screw
andremove
lower
trim
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
6
.
Fig
.
9
.
Driver
sideairbag
unit
mounting
screws
(arrows)
.
0011893
AIRBAGS

GENERAL
This
section
contains
wiring
diagrams
for
1992
through
1998
BMW
3
Series
models
.
WARNING
-
On
cars
equipped
with
airbags,
special
precautions
apply
to
any
electrical
testing
or
repair
.
The
airbag
unit
is
an
explosive
device
and
must
be
handled
with
exterme
care
.
Before
starting
any
work
onan
airbag
equipped
car,
refer
to
the
warnings
and
cau-
tions
in
720
Seatbelts
and
721
Airbag
Systems
(SRS)
.
NOTE-
The
"
gear
position/neutral
safetyswitch
is
also
some-
timesreferred
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
.
ELECTRICAL
WIRING
DIAGRAMS
ELE-1
Electrical
Wiring
Diagrams
GENERAL
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
................
.
.
.
ELE-1
Horns
.....
.
.....
.
.
.
....
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
ELE-153
Instrument
Panel
.
.
.
.
.
.
..............
ELE-165
ELECTRICAL
WIRING
DIAGRAMS
...
.
.
.
ELE-2
Interior
Lights/Illumination
.............
ELE-211
ABS
..............
.
.
.
.....
.
.....
ELE-117
Lumbar
Control
.
....................
ELE-247
ABS/AST
.............
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.....
ELE-120
On-Board
Computer
..................
ELE-173
Airbag
(Supplemental
Restraint
System)
..
ELE-140
Park
Ventilation
.
.
.
...........
.
...
.
..
ELE-139
Air
Conditioning
and
Heating
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
ELE-129
Power
Distribution
......
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
ELE-2
Anti-Theft
(Alpine)
..........
.
.
.
...
.
...
ELE-144
Power
Door
Locks
.
.
......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
ELE-226
Anti-Theft
(EWS
II)
.
........
.
.
.
...
.
...
ELE-150
Power
Mirrors
...
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
ELE-241
Body
Computer
Module
.....
.
.....
.
...
ELE-176
Power
Seats
......
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
..
ELE-243
Charging
System
.
.
................
.
.
.
ELE-67
Power
Sunroof
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...............
ELE-248
Convertible
Top
.
.
.
.
................
.
.
ELE-253
Power
Windows
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
.........
ELE-231
Cruise
Control
..
.
.
.
...........
.
....
.
.
ELE-112
Radio/Cassette/CD/Speakers
..........
ELE-255
Data
Link
Connector
................
.
.
.
ELE-86
Rear
Window
Defogger
...............
ELE-160
Engine
Cooling
.......
.
.......
.
....
.
.
.
ELE-94
Shift
Interlock
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...............
ELE-110
Engine
Management
...
.
.......
.
....
.
.
.
ELE-70
Starting
....
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
................
ELE-63
Exterior
Lights
........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
ELE-194
Transmission
Electronics
.
..............
ELE-96
Ground
Distribution
....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.......
ELE-35
Warning
System
:
Chimes
.............
ELE-178
Headlights/Foglights
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
ELE-180
Wiper/Washer
.
.....
.
...............
ELE-155
Heated
Seats
........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
ELE-245
ELECTRICAL
COMPONENT
LOCATIONS
Relayand
fuse
positions,
ground
locations
...........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
................
seeRepair
Group
610
CAUTION-
Always
switchthe
ignition
off
and
disconnect
the
negative
(-)
battery
cablebefore
removing
any
electrical
components
.
"
Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
bat-tery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
viii
.
"
Connect
and
disconnect
ignition
system
wires,
multiple
connectors
and
ignition
test
equipment
leads
only
while
ignition
is
switched
off
.
-Always
switch
a
test
meter
to
the
appropiate
func-
tion
and
range
before
making
test
connections
.
"
All-Season
Traction
(AST)
is
also
referred
to
as
ASC
or
ASC+T
.
GENERAL