2002 BMW 540I SEDAN ignition

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Manual transmissionBMW 525i, 530iEvery time you shift gears, always
depress the clutch pedal all the way,
pushing the manual gearshift
lever into the respective end position.
Depress the clutch when starting the
vehicle, as the lockout will prevent the
engine from starting if the clutch is not
depressed.360de044
BMW 540iWhen shifting gears, always depress
the clutch pedal all the way to the end
of its travel, then move the shift lever
until it engages securely in the desired
gear.
You will also need to depress the clutch
when starting the engine, as an auto-
matic lockout prevents the starter from
operating when the clutch is engaged.
When shifting gears in the
5th/6th-gear plane, be sure to
press the shift lever to the right in order
to prevent inadvertent selection of a
gear in the 3rd/4th-gear plane.< 380de044
ReverseSelect only when the vehicle is
completely stopped. Press the shift
lever to the left to overcome the resis-
tance.
When you engage reverse, the backup
lamps will come on automatically when
the ignition key is in position 2.
Do not hold the vehicle in place on
slopes by slipping or "riding" the
clutch. Use the parking brake instead.
Riding the clutch causes increased
clutch wear.<

72n
Automatic transmission
*
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on
and/or if the message "TRANS.
FAILSAFE PROG" appears in
the Check Control
* display panel, this
indicates a malfunction in the transmis-
sion control system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop, select the
"Park" position, apply the parking brake
and shut the engine off (ignition key
position 0). Restart the engine after a
few seconds. If the indicator lamp goes
out again after a few seconds, the
normal transmission functions have
been restored. You may continue to
drive as usual.
If the indicator lamp does not go out,
you can move the selector lever to all
positions. However, the vehicle will now
only drive forward with limited gear
selection.
You should respond by avoiding
extreme engine loads and referring the
problem to the nearest BMW center.
Never perform work in the engine
compartment without first
ensuring that the transmission is in
"Park" or "Neutral" as the vehicle could
otherwise start to move off on its own.<
For jump-starting, towing and tow-
starting, refer to pages 162 and 163.

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
ATC executes upshifts and downshifts
only when the new gear will provide a
suitable combination of vehicle and
engine speed, i.e., ATC will not execute
downshifts that would cause the engine
to overrev. The gear selected will
appear briefly in the instrument cluster
followed by the current gear.
If you are driving in the manual
mode and wish to accelerate
rapidly from low road speeds (when
passing, for instance), you must shift
down manually or with the "kickdown"
function.<
You can only change from "S/M" to
selector lever positions "P," "R," and
"N" via the "D" position.
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on
or the message "TRANS. FAIL-
SAFE PROG" appears in the
Check Control
*, there is a fault in the
transmission system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the
transmission selector lever to "P."
Engage the parking brake and turn the
engine off (ignition key to position 0).
Wait a few seconds, then start the
engine.
If the indicator lamp goes out after a
few seconds, normal transmission
performance has been restored. You
may continue to drive as usual. If the
indicator lamp does not go out, you can
place the selector lever in all positions.
However, the vehicle will now only drive
forward with limited gear selection.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine
loads and refer the problem to the
nearest BMW center.
Never perform work in the engine
compartment without first
ensuring that the transmission is in
"Park" or "Neutral" as the vehicle could
otherwise start to move off on its own.<
For jump-starting, towing and tow-
starting, refer to pages 162 and 163.

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Indicator/Headlamp flasher
Washer/Wiper system
1 High beams (blue indicator lamp)
2 Headlamp flasher
(blue indicator lamp)
3 Turn signal indicator
(green indicator lamp accompanied
by periodic clicking sound from the
relay)To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond
the detent. It then returns to the center
position when released.
If the indicator lamp and the
clicking from the relay are both
faster than normal, one of the turn
signal indicators has failed.<390de722
0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
2 Normal wipe
3 Fast wipe
4 Brief wipe
5 Clean the windshield
6 Intensive cleaning
*
7 Rotary dial for controlling sweep
intervals in the intermittent mode and
for setting the rain sensor's sensitivity
level
*
394de730
Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
Intermittent mode:
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with rotary dial 7.
In addition, the wipe interval is varied
automatically depending on road
speed.
Rain sensor:
The rain sensor is positioned on the
windshield, directly ahead of the inte-
rior rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
Move the lever to position 1 with the
ignition key in position 1 or higher. The
wipers travel once across the wind-
shield, regardless of the weather
conditions.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. Whenever the ignition key is
in position 1 or 2, all you then need to
do to activate the rain sensor is briefly
turn the rotary dial 7.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 7.
Deactivating the rain sensor:
Move lever to position 0.

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Washer/Wiper system
Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes. Failure to do so
could result in damage caused by
undesired wiper activation.<
Normal wiper speedThe system automatically reverts to
operation in the intermittent mode
whenever the vehicle is stationary (not
on vehicles with rain sensor
*).
Fast wiper speedThe wipers revert to operation at stan-
dard speed when the vehicle stops (not
on vehicles with rain sensor
*).
Clean the windshieldThe system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.
Intensive cleaning
*
As in setting 5. In addition, an intensive-
action washer fluid is first sprayed on
the windshield.
For changing the wiper blades, refer to
page 150.Cleaning headlights
*
When the headlights are on, they are
also cleaned automatically every fifth
time you activate the clean the wind-
shield (5) or intensive cleaning (6)
mode.
Do not use the washers if there is
any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield, as your vision
could be obscured. Always use an anti-
freeze agent. Refer to page 139.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty. This could cause damage
to the washer pump.< Windshield washer jetsThe windshield washer jets are warmed
automatically when the ignition key is in
position 2.
Rear window wiper Ð sport wagon0 Retracted (home) position of the rear
window wiper
1 Rear window wiper in intermittent
operation. Automatically switches to
continuos operation when reverse is
engaged
2 Clean the rear window
You can also program the interval:
>Switch briefly from position 0 to posi-
tion 1
>The time until reactivation (from posi-
tion 0 to 1) is the programmed
interval (max. 30 seconds).392de726

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Washer/Wiper system Cruise controlThe programmed interval is deleted
>approx. 10 seconds after the lever is
placed in position 0 or
>after the engine is switched off.
When the rear window is opened, the
rear window wiper is switched off. It
must be switched on again after the
window has been closed.
For changing the wiper blade, refer to
page 150.You can store and automatically main-
tain any desired vehicle speed above
approx. 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control is available whenever
the engine is running and the system
has been activated.
To activate the system From ignition key position 2:
Press the button and the indicator lamp
on the instrument cluster (refer to
page 21) will come on. You can now
use the cruise control.
Do not use cruise control on
twisting roads, when high traffic
density prevents driving at a constant
speed, or when the road surface is slick
(snow, rain, ice) or loose (rocks or
gravel, sand).< To deactivate the systemPress button as often as needed until
the indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Cruise control is also deactivated when
the ignition key is in position 0.
The speed stored in memory is deleted.

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1 Odometer
2 Trip odometer
3 Outside temperature display
Odometer You can activate the displays shown in
the illustration with the ignition key in
position 0 by pressing the button in the
instrument cluster (arrow).
The range of available displays varies
according to your individual vehicle's
equipment.Trip odometerTo reset the trip odometer to zero,
press the button (arrow) with the igni-
tion key in position 1 or 2.390us608
Outside temperature displayThe outside temperature appears in the
display at ignition key position 1 and 2.
You can change the units of measure
(7/6) by
1. pressing and holding down the
button (arrow) with the ignition key in
position 1
2. and then turning the ignition key to 0.
Refer also to page 86.
Ice warningIf the outside temperature drops to
approx +37.5 7 (+3 6), a warning
signal sounds and the display flashes
briefly.
The ice warning does not alter the
fact that surface ice can form at
temperatures above +37.5 7 (+3 6),
on bridges and shaded road surfaces,
etc.<
Odometer, outside temperature display

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Tachometer Energy control Fuel gaugeDo not operate the engine with the
needle in the red overspeed zone of the
gauge.
To protect the engine, the engine-
management system interrupts the fuel
supply when you approach this sector.390us004
Indicates the current fuel consumption
in mpg (in liters/100 km on Canadian
vehicles). This allows you to see
whether your current driving style is
conducive to fuel economy with
minimum exhaust emissions.
When the vehicle is stationary, the
display goes to "Maximum" (zero on
Canadian models).390us005
When you switch on the ignition, the
indicator lamp comes on briefly to
confirm that the system is operational.
If the indicator lamp stays on, there are
approx.
>2.0 gal (8 liters) Ð
BMW 525i, BMW 530i
>2.5 gal (10 liters) Ð BMW 540i
of fuel still in the tank.
Tank capacity: refer to page 173
Certain operating conditions (such as
those encountered in mountainous
areas) may cause the needle to fluc-
tuate slightly.
Please refuel early, since driving
to the last drop of fuel can result in
damage to the engine and/or catalytic
converter.< 390us006