1998 BMW 740I ignition

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RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Adjusting the steering wheelThe steering wheel can be moved in
any of four directions. Adjust by moving
the control lever in the desired direc-
tion.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. There
is a risk of accident from unexpected
movement.<
To store the steering wheel setting, re-
fer to "Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory" on page 51.380de028
Electric steering wheel
adjustmentIn order to make it easier to get into and
out of the car, the steering wheel auto-
matically moves into the top position
and returns to the driving (memory) po-
sition.
This automatic feature is controlled by
the position of the ignition key and by
the driver's door.
You can make the settings of your
vehicle in such a manner that,
when you unlock the car with your per-
sonalized remote control, your own per-
sonalized steering wheel adjustment is
initiated.<

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MirrorsExterior mirrors1 Switch for 4-way adjustment
2 Left/right selection switch.
You can also adjust the mirrors manu-
ally by pressing against the outer edges
of their lenses.
To store the mirror angles: Refer to
"Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory" on page 51.380us029
The mirror on the passenger's
side features a lens with a more
convex surface than the mirror installed
on the driver's side. When estimating
the distance between yourself and
other traffic, bear in mind that the ob-
jects reflected in the mirror are closer
than they appear. This means that esti-
mations of the distance to following
traffic should not be regarded as pre-
cise.<
You can make the settings of your
vehicle in such a manner that,
when you unlock the car with your per-
sonalized remote control, your own per-
sonalized mirror adjustment is initi-
ated.<
Electric heatersDepending on the outside temperature,
both mirrors are automatically defrosted
when the ignition key is in position 2.
Inside rearview mirror with
automatic dimming featureThis mirror automatically responds to
light (ambient light and headlamp glare)
by dimming through an infinitely vari-
able range.
The mirror automatically reverts to its
clear, undimmed setting whenever you
move the selector lever to Reverse.
To ensure that the mirror continues to
operate properly, keep the two photo-
cells clean and unobstructed. One pho-
tocell is integrated in the mirror glass,
the other somewhat offset on the back
of the mirror.
For an explanation of the electro-chro-
mic technology used in this mirror, refer
to page 188.380us031

51n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Mirrors Seat, mirror and steering wheel memoryLighted vanity mirrorFold down the sun visor and slide the
cover panel to the side as required.
The mirror lamps operate in ignition key
positions 1 and 2.Sun visorsThese can be folded down toward the
windshield or swiveled out against the
side windows.380de670
You can store and call up three different
seat, exterior mirror and steering wheel
positions.
The illustration shows the buttons on
the driver's door, for making these posi-
tion adjustments.
The adjustment for the lumbar
support is not in the stored in the
memory.< To store1 Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 2
2 Adjust for the preferred seat, exterior
mirror and steering wheel positions
3 Press the
M
EMORY button: The indi-
cator lamp in the button lights up
4 Press memory button 1, 2 or 3, as de-
sired: The indicator lamp goes out.
380de032
To select a stored settingDriver's door open after unlocking or
ignition key in position 1:
>Briefly press memory button 1, 2 or 3,
as desired.
Movement stops immediately when
one of the seat-adjustment or mem-
ory buttons is activated during the
adjustment process.
With driver's door closed and ignition
key either removed or in position 0 or 2:
>Maintain pressure on desired mem-
ory button 1, 2 or 3 until the adjust-
ment process is completed.
If you press the
M
EMORY button acci-
dentally: Press the button a second
time, the indicator lamp goes out.
Do not call up a position from the
memory while the vehicle is mov-
ing. There is a risk of accident from un-
expected movement of the seat or
steering wheel.<

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RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Airbags1 Front airbags for driver and
front passenger
2 Side impact head protection system
(front and rear
*)
3 Side airbags (front and rear side
*)
Protective effectThe front airbags supplement the three-
point safety belts by helping to provide
additional protection for the front-seat
occupants in the event of a severe fron-
tal collision in which the protection af-
forded by the belts alone may no longer
be sufficient. The head protection and
side airbags help provide protection in
the event of a severe collision from the
side. Each of the side airbags is de-
signed to help support the upper body.380de643
The illustration depicts schematically
the primary directions of vehicle impact
which initiate an airbag deployment.380de674
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp indicates the
operational readiness of the air-
bag system from ignition key
positions 1 and 2.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
then goes out.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
before going out and then lighting up
again.
A system malfunction could prevent the
system from responding to an impact
occurring within its normal response
range.
Please have your authorized BMW cen-
ter inspect and repair the system as
soon as possible.

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RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Steering/Ignition lock Starting engine0 Steering lock engagedThis is the only position in which the ig-
nition key can be inserted and removed.
An acoustic warning sounds when you
fail to remove the ignition key before
opening the driver's door.
After removing the key, turn the steer-
ing wheel slightly to the left or right until
you hear the lock engage.380de010
Your vehicle is equipped with an inter-
lock. For this reason, the ignition key
cannot be turned to position 0 and re-
moved until the selector lever is in posi-
tion P.
In addition, the selector lever is locked
in position P when the ignition key is in
position 0 or removed from the ignition
switch.
To move the selector lever out of P, the
ignition key must be turned at least to
position 2.1 Steering lock disengagedYou will find that it is often easier to turn
the ignition key from position 0 to posi-
tion 1 when you move the steering
wheel slightly to help disengage the
lock.
Individual electrical equipment and ac-
cessories are available for use.2 Ignition onAll electrical equipment and accesso-
ries are available for use.3 Starting engineBefore starting
>Press the parking brake pedal
>Place the selector lever of the auto-
matic transmission in P or N.
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed spaces. The exhaust
gases contain carbon monoxide, an
odorless and colorless, but highly toxic
gas. Breathing the exhaust gases poses
an extreme health risk, and can lead to
unconsciousness and death.
Never leave the car unattended with the
engine running, as such a vehicle repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.< Starting engine>Start the engine. Do not press the ac-
celerator pedal.
Your BMW is equipped with the
convenience starting feature.
Simply turn the key to position 3 (starter)
and then release it immediately.
The starter continues to operate auto-
matically until the engine starts.

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Starting engine Switching off engineIf the battery's voltage is not adequate,
the automatic starting procedure is not
initiated, or it is interrupted. Should this
condition arise, it remains possible to
jump-start the engine (refer to page 17 9).
Do not allow the engine to warm up by
leaving it running while the vehicle re-
mains stationary. Instead, begin driving
immediately at a moderate engine
speed.<
Should the engine fail to start on the
first attempt (if it is very hot or cold, for
instance):
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
BMW 740i/L:
Cold starts at extremely low tempera-
tures, from approx. +57 (–156)
and at elevations above 3300 feet
(1000 meters):
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.Engine idle speed is controlled by the
engine computer system. Increased
speeds at start-up are normal and
should decrease as the engine warms
up. If engine speed does not decrease,
service is required.
To prevent the battery from discharg-
ing, always switch off any electrical de-
vices not in use, as well as the ignition
when the vehicle is not being driven.Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
The vehicle must be stationary
and the selector lever in "Park"
before you can remove the ignition key.
Always remove the ignition key and en-
gage the steering lock before leaving
the vehicle.<

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Indicator/Headlamp flasher Wiper/Washer system/Rain sensor1 High beam (blue indicator)
2 Headlamp flasher (blue indicator)
3 Turn signal (green indicator accom-
panied by a rhythmic clicking sound
from the relay).
If the indicator lamp and the clicking
from the relay are both faster than nor-
mal, one of the turn indicators has
failed.To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond the
detent. It then returns to the center po-
sition when released.380de629
0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent wipe
2 Normal wipe
3 Fast wipe
4 Brief wipe
5 Automatic windshield washer
6 Rotary dial for control of the interval
time or the sensitivity of the rain
sensor380us041
0 Wipers retractedThe wipers are partially hidden behind
the hood. To bring the wipers up into
their vertical position (important when
changing the blades, or folding up
when frost is expected):
With the control lever in position 1,
switch off the ignition when the wipers
are in the parked position.
Fold the wipers down onto the
windshield before you turn the ig-
nition key to position 1 or 2.<
For changing the wiper blades, refer to
page 162.1 Interval time or rain sensor
*
You can set the wipe interval to 4
stages with rotary dial 6.
In addition, the wipe interval automati-
cally adapts to variations in road speed.
Rain sensor:
When the rain sensor is activated, the
windshield wiper is controlled automati-
cally, depending on the degree of wet-
ness of the windshield (in both snow
and rain). You do not have to be con-
cerned with switching the windshield
wiper on or off or adjusting the wipe in-
terval between intermittent and full
wipe. Instead, you can concentrate fully

69n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Wiper/Washer systemon the traffic conditions. This is espe-
cially important under adverse weather
conditions.
To activate the rain sensor:
From ignition key position 1 and up,
move the lever to position 1. The wipers
travel once across the windshield, re-
gardless of the weather.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. It is then only necessary to
activate the rain sensor from ignition
key position 1 and up. To do this
>turn rotary dial 7 briefly or
>use either the automatic windshield
washer 5 or the automatic intensive
washer 6.
To modify the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 7.
Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes.
If you do not, damage may occur if the
wipers switch on unintentionally.<
2 Normal wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the wip-
ers switch automatically to intermittent
wipe (not on vehicles with rain sensor).3 Fast wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the wip-
ers operate at normal speed (not on ve-
hicles with rain sensor).5 Automatic windshield washerThe system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.
If you only pull the lever briefly, the sys-
tem sprays washer fluid onto the wind-
shield without activating the wipers.Headlamp washers
*
If they are on, the headlamps will also
be cleaned every fifth time you activate
the automatic windshield washer.Do not use the washers if there is
any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield, otherwise vi-
sion could be obscured. For this rea-
son, use an antifreeze agent. Refer to
page 142.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty, since this could cause
damage to the washer pump.<
Windshield washer jetsThe windshield washer jets and the
windshield in the wiper sweep area are
defrosted automatically when the igni-
tion key is in position 2.