2001 BMW 330i TOURING transmission

122n
Winter operationBrakingWinter road conditions substantially
reduce the amount of traction available
between the tires and the road surface.
Keep this in mind, because the braking
distance increases substantially.
ABS is intended to prevent the wheels
from locking during brake applications,
thus helping to maintain vehicle stability
and steering response.
If the ABS does not respond in a critical
braking situation and the wheels lock:
reduce the pressure on the brake pedal
until the wheels just start to roll again
while still maintaining enough force to
continue braking.
Then increase the pressure, reduce the
pressure when the wheels lock, reapply
pressure etc.
This staggered braking procedure will
reduce braking distances while helping
you maintain steering control.
You can then attempt to steer around
hazards after you have reduced pres-
sure on the brake pedal.Do not shift down on slick road
surfaces Ð if you want to decel-
erate. Doing so could cause the rear
wheels to lose traction and skid, which
could result in the loss of vehicle
control.<
Depress the clutch during hard
braking on road surfaces that
provide only poor or uneven traction.<
Skid control Depress the clutch and release the
accelerator pedal, or place the selector
lever of the automatic transmission into
the "Neutral" position. Countersteer
carefully and attempt to regain control
of the vehicle.
ParkingEngage 1st or reverse gear. If your
vehicle is equipped with an automatic
transmission, place the selector lever in
"Park." On vehicles with manual trans-
mission, also apply the parking brake
when parking on inclined surfaces. In
order to prevent the parking brake pads
from locking due to frost or corrosion,
dry them by gently applying the parking
brake as the vehicle is coming to a
stop. Make sure that following traffic
is not endangered.
The brake lamps do not come
on when the parking brake is
applied.<

135n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Engine oilChecking the oil level 1 Park the vehicle on a level surface.
2 Shut the engine off after it has
reached normal operating tempera-
ture.
3 After approx. 5 minutes, pull the
dipstick out and wipe it off with a
clean lint-free cloth, paper towel, or
similar material.
4 Carefully push the dipstick all the way
into the guide tube and pull it out
again.
5 The oil level should be between the
two marks on the dipstick.
As with fuel economy, oil consumption
is directly influenced by your driving
style and vehicle operating conditions.462de244
The oil volume between the two marks
on the dipstick corresponds to approx.
1.1 US quarts (1 liter). Do not fill beyond
the upper mark on the dipstick. Excess
oil will damage the engine.460de189
To add oil Wait until the level has dropped to just
above the lower mark before adding oil.
However, never let the oil drop below
the lower mark.
BMW engines are designed to
operate without oil additives; the
use of additives could lead to damage
in some cases. This also applies to the
manual transmission, automatic trans-
mission, differential and power steering
system.<462de245

159n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Changing a wheel
Take these precautionary mea-
sures if you have either a flat tire or
are changing a wheel.
Stop the vehicle as far as possible from
passing traffic. Park on a firm, flat
surface. Switch on the hazard warning
flashers. Turn the steering wheel to the
straight-ahead position, remove the key
and engage the steering lock. Shift into
1st gear or reverse (selector lever in
"Park" with automatic transmission)
and engage the parking brake.
All passengers should be outside the
vehicle and well away from your imme-
diate working area (behind a guardrail,
for instance).
If a warning triangle or portable hazard
warning lamp is available, set it up on
the roadside at an appropriate distance
from the rear of the vehicle. Comply with
all safety guidelines and regulations.
Change the wheel only on a level, firm
surface that is not slippery. Avoid jack-
ing the vehicle on a soft or slippery
support surface (snow, ice, loose gravel,
etc.), as it could slide sideways.
Position the jack on a firm support
surface.
Do not place wooden blocks or similar
objects under the jack, otherwise, the
jack might not be able to reach its full
support capacity because of the limited
height.
Do not lie under the vehicle or start the
engine when the vehicle is supported by
the jack. Failure to comply with this
creates a risk of fatal injury.<
Your BMW has either a spare tire or
space-saver tire for temporary use to
ensure your mobility.
To remove the spare wheel, lift out
the floor panel in the luggage
compartment completely (refer to
page 109.<
What you will needIn order to avoid rattling noises later,
note the position of the tools when you
remove them and return them to their
original position when you are through
using them.
>Jack (1)
Raise both the floor panel and spare
tire panel and loosen the red wing nut
(arrow).
When you have completed your work,
screw the jack all the way back
down. Fold the handle back and
insert it into its holder
>Wedge (2)
Located behind the jack. Loosen the
wing nut to remove it
>Wheel stud wrench (3) 463de036

Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
171n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Advanced technology:
Airbags172
Adaptive Transmission Control
(ATC)173
Automatic Stability Control plus
Traction ASC+T/Dynamic
Stability Control DSC173
Radio reception174
Four-wheel drive175
Safety belt tensioner175
Interior rearview mirror with
automatic dimmer176
Rain sensor177
Tire Pressure Control (RDC)178
Self-diagnostics179
Xenon lamps180
Technol-

173n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
On vehicles with an automatic trans-
mission, the Adaptive Transmission
Control (ATC) uses a number of factors
to calculate the gear which provides
maximum efficiency. In this process, it
considers your individual driving style
as well as current driving conditions.
ATC recognizes your personal driving
style from the positions and movements
of the accelerator pedal, deceleration
when braking, and lateral acceleration
through curves. Based on different shift
characteristics Ð from comfort-oriented
to performance-oriented Ð ATC will
select the appropriate gear.463us005
In order to include driving conditions in
its calculations, ATC registers curves
and both uphill and downhill gradients.
For example, if you maintain speed
through a curve, the transmission does
not shift up. On uphill gradients, it shifts
up only when the engine speed
increases in order to make more effi-
cient use of power reserves. On down-
hill gradients, ATC shifts down when
the speed of the vehicle increases and
the driver must apply the brakes.Highly sensitive sensors monitor the
number of revolutions of the wheels,
steering angle, lateral acceleration,
brake pressure and the movement of
the vehicle around its vertical axis.
If differences in the wheel speeds
occur, ASC+T recognizes the danger of
wheelspin and reduces torque. If
necessary, the system also responds
with additional brake applications at the
rear wheels.
In addition, DSC permanently monitors
the vehicle's current operating condition
and compares it with an ideal condition
that is calculated from the sensor's
signals. If deviations from this occur
(understeering or oversteering, for
instance), DSC can stabilize the vehicle
in fractions of a second by reducing
engine output and with the assistance of
braking intervention at individual
wheels. As a result, dangerous skids can
be prevented even as they are just
beginning.
You may need some time to become
accustomed to this system's interven-
tion. However, it provides optimum drive
force and vehicle stability.
The braking intervention may be
accompanied by sounds specific to the
system.
ATC
*
ASC+T/DSC
*

174n
Radio receptionThe AM frequency bands (medium-
wave, long-wave and short-wave) make
it possible to receive stations from a
great distance, because the broadcast
signals travel not only along the ground
as surface waves, but also as atmo-
spheric waves that are reflected from
the ionosphere.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
the other frequencies. However,
because FM transmissions rely on line-
of-sight broadcast waves, their effec-
tive reception range is limited. 360de084
The limitations inherent to radio recep-
tion in a moving vehicle have been
minimized by a number of innovative
system designs:
The Radio Data System (RDS) makes
sure that, for broadcast stations trans-
mitting on several frequencies, the
radio automatically tunes to the
frequency with the best reception
quality.
The Diversity Antenna system employs
several FM antennas integrated within
the rear window to provide three sepa-
rate sources for receiving broadcast
waves. An integral processor automati-
cally selects the antenna with the best
FM reception quality at any given time.
The selection of the antenna takes place
within milliseconds, and is therefore not
noticed by the radio listener.

175n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Four-wheel drive Safety belt tensionerThe transmission of power to the four
drive wheels is provided permanently
through a transfer box. The distribution
of torque between the front and rear
axles is 38% to 62%.
Traditional differential locks at the front
and rear axles and in the transfer box
are not required. Their function is
assumed by automatic braking inter-
vention at all four wheels. These trac-
tion interventions are governed by
Automatic Differential Brake (ADB-X), a
sub-function of DSC.
If a wheel tends to slip, it is braked
automatically by ADB-X until it once
again gains traction, and drive force
can be transmitted to that wheel. In
addition, the drive force is distributed to
the remaining wheels during this 530us133
system intervention. Engine output is
also reduced if necessary.
When the DSC is deactivated, the
ADB-X traction intervention is set for
the maximum drive force. However, the
engine intervention and the stability
controls are no longer available. For
this reason, DSC should only be deacti-
vated in the exceptional circumstances
described on page 81.
The BMW 325xi is not an off-road
vehicle. Instead, permanent four-wheel
drive provides a high degree of vehicle
stability and tractive ability under all
road conditions, and will aid you in crit-
ical driving situations, e. g. driving in
extreme winter conditions or on loose
road surfaces.The safety belt tensioner responds to
severe frontal collisions by tightening
the belts to ensure that occupants
remain firmly positioned in their seats.
A gas-pressure system retracts the
buckle assembly to tension the
shoulder and lap belts within fractions
of a second. This reduces the tendency
to slide under the lap belt.
390de330

178n
Tire Pressure Control (RDC)
*
This system regularly checks tire pres-
sure and monitors all four tires even
while driving, so you do not have to.
Behind the valve stem in every wheel,
there is an electronic chip which is
designed for severe-duty applications
and long service life. It contains a pres-
sure sensor, a transmitter and a battery.
The pressure is measured in extremely
short time intervals and then transmitted
by a radio signal. If an irregularity is
detected, the transmission rate is
increased. 463de006
There is an antenna located right near
every wheel in the vehicle body. This
antenna picks up signals from its
respective wheel. A central electronics
system evaluates the quadruple signals
which it receives and forwards any
changes.
The RDC provides an important contri-
bution to driving safety.