1998 BMW 740I key battery

20n

Indicator and warning lamps

Technology that monitors itself

Many of the systems of your BMW mon-
itor themselves automatically, both dur-
ing engine starts and while you are driv-
ing. Indicator and warning lamps that
are identified by "

l

" are tested for
proper functioning whenever the igni-
tion key is turned. They each light up
once for different periods of time.
If a fault should occur in one of these
systems, the corresponding lamp does
not go out after the engine is started or
it lights up while the vehicle is moving.
You will see how to react to this below.

Red: Stop immediately

Battery charge current

l

The battery is no longer being
charged. There is a malfunction
of the alternator ribbed V-belt or in the
charging circuit of the alternator. Please
contact the nearest BMW center.
If the V-belt is defective, do not
continue driving. The engine could
be damaged due to overheating. If the
ribbed V-belt is defective, increased
steering effort is also required.

<


Engine oil pressure

l

Comes on while the engine is
running and the "Stop! ENGINE
OILPRESS" message appears in the
Check Control:
Stop vehicle and switch off engine im-
mediately. Check level of oil in engine,
top up as required. If oil level is correct:
Please contact the nearest BMW cen-
ter.
Do not continue driving. The en-
gine could be damaged because
of inadequate lubrication.

<



Brake hydraulic system

l

The brake fluid level is too low.
Before driving further, be sure to
read the notes on pages 128 and 147.
Also comes on with the message
"Check brake pads" in the Check Con-
trol.



Brake hydraulic system warning
lamp for Canadian models.

33n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Radio remote controlThe remote control makes opening and
locking the doors of your vehicle very
convenient. Furthermore, it provides
three additional functions which can
only be executed by means of the re-
mote control:
>Switching on the interior lamps and il-
luminating the exterior door handles.
With this function, you can also
"search for" your vehicle, when
parked in an underground garage, for
instance
>To open luggage compartment lid
The luggage compartment lid will
open slightly, regardless of whether
the lid was previously locked or un-
locked
>Panic Mode
In case of danger, you can trigger an
alarm.
The anti-theft system is also deacti-
vated/activated simultaneously with
the unlocking or locking of the vehicle,
and the alarm system is disarmed/
armed.
When the vehicle is unlocked, the inte-
rior lamps and the exterior door handle
illumination are switched on.
Master keysKeys with a transmitter for remote con-
trol are master keys. Refer to page 30.
Since children might be able to
lock the doors from the inside,
take the vehicle's keys with you so that
the vehicle can be opened again from
the outside at any time.<
Every transmission is indicated by a
light signal. If the signal no longer lights
up when a button is pressed and lock-
ing with the remote control no longer
functions:
Change the battery. Refer to page 168.380us644
Unlocking and convenience
opening modeTo release: Press button 1.
Press the button once to unlock the
driver's door only; press a second time
to unlock all remaining doors as well as
the luggage compartment and fuel filler
door.
Convenience opening mode: Press and
hold button 1. The electric power win-
dows and the sliding/tilt sunroof are
opened.
If you desire, you can have this
feature set so that it is related to
specific keys.< 380us645

40n
Alarm systemThe vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the lug-
gage compartment lid is opened
>To movement inside the vehicle (inte-
rior motion sensor)
>To variations in the vehicle tilt sensor
such as occur during attempts to
steal the wheels or tow the vehicle
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized
vehicle entry and attempted theft by si-
multaneously activating the following:
>Sounding an acoustical alarm for
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>The high beams flash on and off in
the same rhythm.
To arm and disarm the alarm
systemWhen the vehicle is locked or unlocked
by using a key or with the remote con-
trol, the alarm system is also simulta-
neously armed or disarmed.
The interior motion sensor is activated
approx. 30 seconds after you have fin-
ished locking the car.
The system indicates that it has been
correctly armed by switching on the
hazard flashers for a single cycle and by
emitting an acoustical signal.
When the system is active, you can still
gain access to the luggage compart-
ment by pressing button 3 on the re-
mote control transmitter. When the lid is
closed, it is armed once again.
Indicator lamp displays>The indicator lamp on the top of the
instrument panel flashes continu-
ously: The system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes during
arming: door(s), the hood or luggage
compartment lid are not completely
closed. Even if you do not close the
alerted area, the system begins to
monitor the remaining areas, and the
indicator lamp flashes continuously
after 10 seconds. However, the inte-
rior motion sensor is not activated
>If the indicator lamp goes out when
the system is disarmed: No unau-
thorized entries have been detected
in the period since the system was
armed380de020

60n
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.<

76n
Check ControlPriority 2
These alerts for problems are reported
for 20 seconds when the ignition key is
in position 2. The status reports remain
after the message disappears. You can
view the message again by pressing the
CHECK button.
>TRUNK LID OPEN
This message is given only when ini-
tially starting off.
>DOOR OPEN
This is displayed after a minimum
vehicle speed is exceeded.
>FASTEN SEAT BELTS
*
In addition, the indicator lamp with
the safety belt symbol appears and
an acoustic signal is heard.
>WASHER FLUID LOW
The washer fluid is too low. Top up
the fluid at the earliest opportunity.
Refer to page 142.
>CHECK ENGINE OIL
Add engine oil as soon as possible.
Refer to page 143.
>OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE 247
(–5.06)
This display is only an example. The
current reading appears at an outside
temperature of 37.57 (+36) and
below. Refer also to page 72.>TIRE PRESSURE SET
*
The RDC has imported the current in-
flation pressure in the tires as the tar-
get values which the system will
monitor.
Refer to page 94.
>CHECK TIRE PRESSURE
*
Check and correct the tire inflation
pressure to specifications at the earli-
est opportunity (next stop for fuel).
Refer to page 94.
>TIRE CHECK INACTIVE
*
A temporary interference of the RDC
or a system fault. Refer to page 95
>BRAKE LAMP CIRCUIT
A bulb has failed or the circuit has a
malfunction. Refer to pages 163, 176
or consult an authorized BMW center.
>CHECK LOWBEAMS
CHECK SIDE LAMPS
CHECK REAR LAMPS
CHECK FRONT FOGLAMPS
CHECK LICPLATE LAMP
CHECK TRAILER LIGHTS
CHECK HIGHBEAMS
CHECK BACKUP LAMPS
Defective bulb or circuit. Refer to
pages 163, 176 or consult an autho-
rized BMW center.
>TRANS. FAILSAFE PROG
Please consult the nearest authorized
BMW center. Refer to pages 64, 67.>CHECK BRAKE LININGS
Have the brake pads inspected by
your BMW center. Refer to page 126.
>REMOTE KEY BATTERY
Change the battery. Refer to
page 168.
>CHECK COOLANT LEVEL
The coolant is too low. Top up at the
next opportunity. Refer to page 146.
>ENGINE FAILSAFE PROG
Fault in the Electronic Engine Power
Control EML. When braking, higher
brake application pressure may be
necessary and brake pedal travel may
be significantly longer.
Please have the system inspected by
your authorized BMW center.

98n
Interior lamps Reading lampsFootwell lampsThe footwell lamps operate in the same
way as the interior lamps.
The reading lamps are located in the
front near the interior lamp and in the
rear. They can be switched on and off
with the switch adjacent to each lamp.
In order to conserve the battery,
all of the lamps in the vehicle
are switched off automatically approx.
15 minutes after the ignition key is
turned to position 0.<
380us641

104n
Automatic climate controlResidual heat mode
The heat which is stored in
the engine is utilized for
heating of the interior when the engine
has been switched off (while waiting at
a railroad crossing, for instance).
In ignition key position 1, you can alter
the settings of the automatic climate
control. In ignition key position 0, the
system automatically directs heated air
to the windshield, side windows and
footwells.
This function may be activated
when the outside temperature is
below approx. 597 (156), the engine
is at operating temperature, and the
battery is adequately charged.<
Draft-free ventilationYou can adjust the vent outlets for the
upper body area for individual selection
of air-flow rates and directions:
You can open and close the ventilation
outlets with infinitely-variable adjust-
ments and direct them up or down with
the rotary dials 1. In the closed position,
air exits only at the upper center of the
instrument panel. You can use rotary di-
als 2 to adjust the flow direction from
side to side.
Set the outlets so that the air flows past
you and is not directed straight at you.380de051
Rotary dial 3 allows you to temper the
air flow from these outlets by adding
heat or cooling as desired:
>Turn toward blue – colder
>Turn toward red – warmer
To adjust the rear compartment vents:
Use the rotary dial on the left to close or
open the vent for any desired air flow.
You can adjust the temperature with the
right rotary dial in the same manner as
the adjustment for the front ventilation
outlets.
Use the levers at the centers of the vent
outlets to control the direction of the
emerging air.

107n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Roller sun blind
*
Independent ventilation system
To actuate, press the button briefly after
ignition key position 1.Roller sun blinds for the rear side
windows
*
Use the strap to extract the blinds, then
suspend them in the attachment pro-
vided.380de624
This system uses the automatic climate
control system blower to ventilate the
passenger compartment and reduce in-
terior temperatures while the vehicle is
parked.
The independent ventilation system is
operated via the Multi-Information Dis-
play (MID) or the onboard computer.
Refer to the separate Owner's Manual.
You can preselect the activation time
for a 30-minute ventilation cycle, or you
can switch the system on and off manu-
ally with the ignition key at position 1.
Since the system uses a substantial
amount of electrical current, you should
refrain from activating it twice in suc-
cession without allowing the battery to
be recharged in normal operation be-
tween use.
When a preselected activation time is
set, the independent ventilation system
is operational at outside temperatures
above 607 (166), or by direct switch
activation. It cannot be switched on
when the vehicle is moving.
The air emerges via the vent outlets for
the upper body. Therefore, the vents
must be open for the system to operate.