trim BMW 318i 1996 E36 Owner's Guide

Dashboard,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
and
cover
terminal
with
insulating
material
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautionsgiven
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
vi¡¡
.

2
.
Remove
center
console
as
described
earlier
.

3
.
Remove
glove
compartment
as
described
earlier
.

4
.
Remove
lower
left
dash
trim
piece
as
described
above
.
Remove
lower
right
dash
trim
panel
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

Fig
.
4
.



Lower
right
dash
trim
piece
retaining
screw
(arrow)
.

WARNING
-

Store
the
removed
airbags
in
a
safe
place
.
Position
the
airbags
facing
up
.

8
.
Remove
instrument
cluster
.
See
620
Instruments
.

5
.
Remove
driver
and
passenger
airbags
.
See
721
Air-

bag
System
(SRS)
.

6
.
Remove
steering
wheel
.
See
320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.

INTERIOR
TRIM



513-
3

Fig
.
5
.



Driver
side
knee
bolster
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.

9
.
Remove
headlight
switch
.
Remove
turn
signal
and
windshield
wiper/washer
stalk
switches
.
See612
Switches
and
Electrical
Accessories
.

10
.
Remove
A/C
control
head
and
module
.
See
640
Heat-ing
and
Air
Conditioning
.

11
.
Remove
radio
.
See650
Radio
.

12
.
Remove
A-pillar
(windshield
pillar)
trim
on
left
and
right
sides
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

UU13156
Fig
.
6
.



A-pillar
(windshield
pillar)
trim
removal
.
Right
side
shown,
left
7
.
Remove
driver
side
knee
bolster
.
See
Fig
.
5
.



is
similar
.

DASHBOARD

513-
4



INTERIOR
TRIM

13
.
Remove
reinforcement
bar
below
steering
column
and
remove
steering
column
shear
bolts
.
Lower
steering

only
slightly
and
support
steering
column
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

WARNING
-

Lower
steering
column
only
enough
to
facilitate
re-
moval
of
the
dashboard
.
The
steering
column
sup-
ports
and
swivel
spindles
canbe
damaged
if
the
column
is
lowered
too
much
.

14
.
Remove
glove
compartment
support
frame
.See
Fig
.
8
.

0012643

Fig
.
8
.



Glove
compartment
support
frame
bolts
(arrows)
.

DASHBOARD

0013157

Fig
.
9
.



Windshield
defroster
outlet
being
lifted
off
(arrow)
.
Fig
.
7
.



Reinforcementbar
bolts
(arrows)
.
Shear
(headless)
bolts
at

steering
column
will
have
to
be
drilled
out
and
replaceddur-

ing
reinstallation
.



16
.
Remove
mounting
bolts
on
left
and
right
ends
of
dash-

board
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

Fig
.
10
.
Dashboard
mounting
bolt
(arrows)
.
Left
side
shown,
right
is

similar
.
Some
models
may
have
may
have
two
bolts
oneach

side
.

17
.
Lift
instrument
panel
off
slowly,
making
sure
all
harness
15
.
Carefullypryout
defroster
outlets
(left
and
right
sides)



connectors
and
wiring
are
disconnected
.

a
t
base
of
windshield
.
Remove
screwbelow
each
out-

let
.
See
Fig
.
9
.



18
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

Front
door
handle,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Closedoor
window
completely
.

2
.
Remove
front
door
panel
and
vapor
barrier
asde-
scribed
in
411
Doors
.

WARNING
-

Some
1997
and
al]
1998
cars
are
fitted
with
side-im-
pact
airbags
in
the
front
doors
.
When
servicing
the
door
handles
on
cars
with
front
side-impact
airbags,
always
disconnect
the
negative
(-)
battery
terminal
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
for
cautions
and
pro-
cedures
relatíng
to
the
airbag
system
.

3
.
On
carswíth
side-impact
airbags,
disconnect
negative

(-)
cable
from
battery,
then
remove
airbag
module
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
thís
manual
onpage
vi¡¡
.

NOTE-

In
some
models
covered
inthis
manual,
it
is
not
essen-
tial
to
remove
the
side-impact
airbag
to
access
internal
door
components
.
However,
the
procedure
is
recom-
mended
for
safety
reasons
.

4
.
Remove
door
lock
as
described
earlier
.

5
.
Remove
window
as
described
in
512
Door
Windows
.

CA
UTION-

On
models
with
side-impact
airbags,
removinglin-
stalling
the
front
window
requires
that
the
battery
cable
bereconnected
wíth
the
side-impact
airbag
disconnected
.
This
will
seta
fault
code
in
the
SRS
control
module,
turn
on
the
SRS
warning
light,
and
disable
the
SRS
system
until
the
fault
memo-
ry
is
cleared
usíng
special
SRS
test
equipment
.

6
.
Pry
out
access
plug
in
end
of
door
.
Use
screwdriver
through
access
hole
to
slide
exteriortrim
locking
plate
into
released
position
.
See
Fig
.
5
.
Remove
doorhandle
exterior
trim
piece
.

7
.
Working
inside
door,
remove
locking
clip
for
doorhan-

dle
retaining
pin
and
push
pin
out
.

8
.
Working
inside
door,
disconnect
electrical
harness
con-

nector
at
door
handle
.
Twist
plastic
connector
bracket

to
remove
from
door
handle
.

CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT



515-
3

0011681
Fig
.
5
.



Insert
screwdriver
into
access
hole
and
push
lockingplate
forward
(arrow)
to
release
exterior
handle
trim
.

uu11682

Fig
.
6
.



Door
handle
retaining
pin(A)
and
lock
collar
nut
(B)
.
Door
handle
trim
shown
removed
.

10
.
Remove
door
handle
fromdoor
by
angling
out
of
door
cavity
.
Removed
door
handle
assembly
is
shown
in
Fig
.
7
.

0012684
Fig
.
7
.



Door
handle
harnessconnector
(A)
;
retaining
pin
Iocking
clip
9
.
Working
at
door
exterior,
remove
handle
collar
nut



(B)
;
exterior
trim
Iocking
plate
(C)
.
Handleassembly
shown
re-
while
supporting
handle
.
See
Fig
.
6
.



moved
from
door
.

DOOR
HANDLES
AND
LOCKS

515-4



CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT

11
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Keep
in
mind
the
fol-



4
.
Remove
screws
mounting
bottom
of
window
rear
track

lowing
:



to
door
.
See
Fig
.
9
.

"
Make
sure
rubber
seal
for
handle
is
correctly
posi-

tionedbefore
tightening
mounting
fasteners
.

"
Install
exteriortrim
piece
and
then
use
a
hooked
tool
to

pull
locking
plate
into
locked
position
.
Make
sure
door

handle
trim
contacts
body
evenly
before
locking
trim

in
place
.

"
Use
new
mounting
bolts
when
reinstalling
the
side-im-

pactairbag
to
the
door(where
applicable)
.
Reset
SRS

warning
light
and
clear
SRS
fault
memory
using
spe-

cial
test
equipment
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

"
Reconnect
al¡
harness
connectors
(including
power

window
motor)before
installing
door
panel
.

"
Secure
wire
harnesses
withwire
ties
.

"
Adjust
and
reinitialize
windows
.
See
512
Door
Win-

dows
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Collar
nut
to
doorhandle
..........
10
Nm
(89
in-lb)

1.
Remove
rear
door
panel
and
vapor
barrier
as
described

in
411
Doors
.

2
.
Remove
window
from
rear
dooras
described
in
512

Door
Windows
.

3
.
Disconnect
andremove
inside
door
handle
.
See
Fig
.
8
.

0013073

Fig
.
8
.



Inside
door
handle
retaining
screw
(A)
Unhook
linkage
from
handle
at
B
.

DOOR
HANDLES
AND
LOCKS

Fig
.
9
.



Rear
window
track
lower
fasteners
(arrows)
.

Reardoor
lock,
removing
and
installing



5
.
Remove
window
rear
track
top
screw
and
move
track

aside
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

Fig
.
10
.
Rear
window
track
top
screw
(arrow)
.

6
.
Remove
screw
from
lock
button
linkage
rod
retainer
.
Lift

rod
out
of
retaining
clip
.
See
Fig
.
11
.

7
.
Disconnect
door
lock
harnessconnector
.

8
.
Remove
door
lock
screws
.
See
Fig
.
12
.

0013085

9
.
Move
lock
upslightly
to
disengage
from
exterior
handle

linkage
.
Remove
lock
from
inside
door
.

0011688

Fig
.
11
.
Rear
door
lockbutton
linkage
rod
retainer
(A),
rod
retaining
clip
(B),
and
harness
connector
(C)
.

Fig
.
12
.
Rear
door
lock
mounting
screws
(arrows)
.

0011687

10
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Keep
in
mind
the
fol-
lowing
:

"
Insta¡¡
lock
mounting
boits
with
Loctite
©
270
or
equiva-

lentthread-locker
.

"
Reconnect
power
window
motorharness
connector

before
installing
door
panel
.

"
Secure
wire
harnesses
with
wire
ties
.

"
Adjust
window
as
described
in
512
Door
Windows
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Door
lock
to
door
.
...
.
..
..........
9
Nm
(80
in-lb)

CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT



515-5

Rear
door
handie,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Remove
rear
door
panel
and
vapor
barrier
as
described
in
411
Doors
.

2
.
Remove
window
from
rear
door
as
described
in
512

Door
Windows
.

3
.
Remove
door
lock
as
described
earlier
.

4
.
Pry
out
access
plug
in
end
of
door
.
Use
screwdriver
through
access
hole
to
slide
exterior
trim
locking
plate
into
released
position
.
See
Fig
.
13
.
Remove
doorhan-
dle
exterior
trim
piece
.

u
.]lbbl

Fig
.
13
.
Insert
screwdriver
into
access
hole
and
push
locking
plate
forward
(arrow)torelease
exterior
handle
trim
.

5
.
Remove
door
handle
mountingscrews
while
support-

ing
handle
.
See
Fig
.
14
.

Fig
.
14
.
Reardoor
handle
mounting
screws
(arrows)
.

0011684

DOOR
HANDLES
AND
LOCKS

515-6



CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT

6
.
Remove
door
handle
assembly
from
inside
door
.

7
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Keep
in
mindthe
fol-

lowing
:

"
Make
sure
rubber
seal
for
handle
is
correctly
posi-

tionedbefore
tightening
mounting
fasteners
.

"
Install
exterior
trim
piece
and
then
use
a
hooked
toolto

pull
locking
plate
into
locked
position
.
Make
sure
door
handle
trim
contacts
body
evenly
before
lockingtrim

in
place
.

"
Reconnect
all
harness
connectors
(including
power

window
motor)before
installing
door
panel
.

"
Secure
wire
harnesses
withwire
ties
.

"
Adjust
windowas
described
in
512
Door
Windows
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Rear
door
handle
mounting
screws
..
10
Nm
(89
in-lb)

NOTE

If
the
striker
backup
plate
fafls
into
the
body
cavlty,
it
can
be
retrieved
after
removing
the
inside
trim
from
the
B-pillar
(door-post
pillar)
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Striker
plate
to
body
pillar
..........
28
Nm
(20
ft-lb)

LOCKING
ACTUATORS

Door
Locking
Actuator

The
front
door
lock
mechanism
and
actuator
are
shown
in
Fig
.
15
.
The
rear
door
lock
and
actuator
are
similar
.
The
lock
must
first
be
removed,
as
described
earlier,
to
replace
the
ac-
tuator
.

if
defective
.

LOCKING
ACTUATORS

Connections
to
door
handle

®
o

_



Attaching
pin
0

O~
Lock
mechanism

0012082

Fig
.
15
.
Front
door
lock
mechanism
and
related
parts
.
Rear
lock
mechanism
is
similar
.

Door
striker,
replacing



Luggage
compartment
locking
actuator,

removing
and
installing
The
door
striker
contains
an
electrical
contact
switch
.
If
the

switch
is
faulty,
the
striker
must
be
replaced
.
To
remove
the



1
.
Raise
trunk
lid
.
Remove
tool
kit
and
trunk
lid
trim
panel
.

striker,
remove
the
mounting
bolts
.
Disconnect
the
harness



See
Fig
.
16
.

connector
from
the
striker
.

0013162

Fig
.
16
.
Trunk
lid
trim
and
tool
kit
retainíng
screws
and
clips
(arrows)
.

2
.
Disconnect
actuating
rod
from
lock
.
See
Fig
.
17
.

3
.
lJnplug
two
wíring
connectors
from
actuator
.
See
Fig
.

18
.

NOTE
-

"
lf
just
one
of
the
centrallocking
drives
does
not
oper-



NOTE-

ate,
the
lockinglinkage
could
be
frozen
orstiff
enough



The
actuator
is
adjustable
.
Matchmark
the
attaching
to
prevent
actuatonof
the
drive
.
Try
remove
the
finte-



screws
before
removal
.

rior
doorpanel
and
lubricating
the
locking
linkage
as
the
first
step
.



4
.
Remove
actuator
attaching
screws
.
Pull
actuator
back-

"
The
actuator
is
not
serviceable
and
mustbe
replaced



wards
from
behind
metal
shield
to
remove
.

5
.
installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Align
actuator
screws
with
matchmarks
during
installation
.

515-10



CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT

EWS
II
control
module,
replacing

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery

disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
vüf
.

2
.
Remove
glove
compartment
as
described
in
513
Inte-

rior
Trim
.

3
.
Remove
EWS
II
control
module
harness
connector
.

Pull
module
out
of
bracket
.
See
Fig
.
22
.

NOTE-

The
EWS
11
module
should
be
identified
with
EWS
11
markings
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

Ring
antenna,
replacing



4
.
Cut
off
wire
ties
holding
wiring
harness
to
steering
col-

umn
.
1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.

CAUTION
-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery

disconnectioncautionsgiven
at
the
front
of
this
manualonpage
viii
.

2
.
Remove
lower
steering
column
cover
.
See
Fig
.
23
.

Transmitter/

receiver
Ring

r
module
antenna

Fig
.
22
.
Location
of
EWS
II
components
.

LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND
ELECTRONIC
IMMOBILIZATION

Fig
.
23
.
Steering
column
cover
retaining
screw
(arrow)
.

5
.
Gently
pry
off
ring
antenna
from
ignition
switch
.

7
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

0012543

3
.
Remove
lower
left
dash
trim
panel
as
described
in
513

Interior
Trim
.

6
.
Unplug
ring
antennaharness
from
EWS
II
transmit-

ter/receiver
module
as
described
below
.

EWS
II
transmitterlreceiver
module,

replacing

1
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
onpage
viii
.

2
.
Remove
lower
left
dash
trim
panel
and
knee
bolster
as
described
in
513
Interior
Trim
.

3
.
Unclip
auxiliary
relay
panel
under
steering
column
and
lower
it
to
access
relays
and
harness
connectors
.
See
Fig
.
24
.

Fig
.
24
.
Lowering
the
left
side
auxiliaryrelay
panel
.

CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT



515-11

0013164

4
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
transmitter/receiv-
er
module
.
Unclip
module
from
panel
.
See
Fig
.
25
.

5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

0
A

0013035

Fig
.
25
.
Position
of
EWS
II
transmitter/receiver
module
(A)
on
left
side
auxiliaryrelay
panel
.

LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND
ELECTRONIC
IMMOBILIZATION

GENERAL
.
...
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
541-1



Visor
Latch
Plate
.....
.
....
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
...
.541-4

Visor
Latch
..
.
............
.
.
.
..........
541-4

MANUAL
CONVERTIBLE
TOP
.
.
.
.
...
.
..
541-1



Visor
Latch
Motor
...
.......
.
.
.
..
........
541-5

Visor
Latch
Plate
.
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
541-1



Convertible
top
and
frame,
replacing
........
541-5

VisorLatch
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..........
.
.....
.
.
.541-1



Convertible
top
drive
motor,
replacing



......
541-7

Convertible
Top
Lid
Release
Mechanism
.
.
.
.
541-2



Convertible
Top
Emergency
Operation
.....
.541-7

Convertible
top
and
frame,
replacing
....
.
.
.
541-2



Convertible
Top
Lid
.
.
.
.
...........
.
.....
541-9

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP
.
.
.
.
....
.
.
.
541-2



ROLLOVER
PROTECTION
SYSTEM
..
.
.
541-9

FrontLatching
Mechanism
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
541-4

GENERAL

The
convertible
top
comes
in
three
versions
:
a
manually
op-erated
top,
a
semi-automatic
power
top
and
a
fully
automatic
power
top
.

NOTE-

The
convertible
top
control
module
(CVM)
is
located
behind
the
left
rearside
trim
panel
.
For
the
location
of
other
convertible
top
electric
components
see610
Electrical
Component
Locations
.

The
rear
window
in
the
convertible
models
is
made
of
a
strong,
flexible
vínyl
which
is
available
separately
.
Replace-

ment
of
the
rear
window
is
not
covered
in
this
manual
.

The
left
and
right
visor
latch
plates
can
be
accessed
by
re-
moving
the
trim
and
moldings
around
the
sides
and
top
of
the

windshield
.
Each
latch
is
secured
to
thetop
of
the
windshield

usingthree
bolts
.
Latch
position
is
adjusted
as
follows
:

541
Convertible
Top

CONVERTIBLE
TOP



541-1

"
Loosen
bolts

"
Latch
top

"
Align
top

"
Retighten
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

BMW
has
designed
a
specialbattery
tray
for
the
convertible

which,
in
conjunction
with
the
mass
of
the
battery
in
the
lug-

gage
compartment,
serves
to
dampen
convertible
body
flex
ing
and
vibration
.



Fig
.
1.



Visor
latchplate
is
held
to
top
of
windshieldwith
three
bolts
(arrows)
.

CAUTION-

The
E36
convertible
requires
a
specialbattery



VisorLatch
which
is
designed
for
constant
vibration
.
A
battery
not
designed
forthis
will
fa¡¡
much
earlier
.



Check
for
ease
of
release
and
locking
of
convertible
top
front
latches
.
Height
of
a
latch
can
be
changed
by
using
the
adjusting
screw
.
To
change
latch
tension,
it
is
necessary
to
re-
MANUAL
CONVERTIBLE
TOP



move
the
trim
on
the
front
bow
of
thetop
.
The
ball-joint
pull-rod
length
can
then
be
adjusted
.
Lubricate
latch
if
necessary
.
See

Visor
Latch
Plate



Fig
.
2
.

MANUAL
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

541-2



CONVERTIBLE
TOP

Fig
.
2
.



Manually
operated
frontlatch
.
Loosen
mounting
nuts
(A)
and
locknut
(B),
then
adjust
latch
height
with
hex-bolt
(C)
.
(Fully
automatic
front
latch
height
adjuster
is
similar
.)
Latch
tension

ís
adjusted
at
rod
ball-joint
end
(D)
.

Convertible
Top
Lid
Release
Mechanism

The
convertible
lid
release
handle
is
situated
in
the
trim

panel
behind
the
driver's
seat
.
To
remove
thehandle,
pull
its

plastic
insert
forward
and
remove
the
triminsert
.
The
handle
is

mounted
with
a
single
screw
.

Abowden
cable
is
routed
from
the
handle
to
the
left
lid
latch
.

Another
cable
is
routed
from
the
left
tothe
right
latch
inside
the

luggage
compartment
.
It
is
accessed
by
pulling
down
the
trim

lining
off
the
front
wall
of
the
compartment
.

Convertible
top
and
frame,
replacing

1
.
Open
convertible
top
partially
.
Open
convertible
top
lid
.



J
I~I~KX
Open
back
windows
.



_

v
2
.
Remove
fasteners
in
compartments
behind
door
posts

and
lift
out
complete
top
.
Count
number
of
shims
on

horizontal
mounting
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

3
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Be
sure
to
replaceU-
shaped
shims
on
horizontal
mounting
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

Fig
.
4
.



Horizontal
positioning
bolt(A)
and
U-shaped
adjusting
shims4
.
To
adjust
position
and
fit
oftop,
remove
or
add
U-



(B)for
convertible
top
.
One
of
two
main
mounting
nuts
(ar
shaped
shims
until
top
is
properly
aligned
.
Tighten
nuts



rows)
also
visible
.

and
screws
.

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

The
semi-automatic
top,
installed
in
1996
convertibles,

must
first
be
manually
released
from
the
visor
latch
plates
and
pushed
back
past
the
"tension
point,"
wheréupon,
the
auto-
matic
retracting
motor
and
linkage
take
over
and
pull
it
into
the
storage
compartment
behind
the
back
seat
.

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

Fig
.
3
.



Mounting
nuts
(A)
for
convertible
top
(two
oneach
side)
.
There
is
also
a
horizontal
bolt
with
spacers
oneach
side
(B)
.

0012754

The
fully
automatic
top,
standard
on
1997
and
later
convert-

ibles,
allows
complete
operation
of
the
top,
from
fully
open
to
fully
closed,withthe
push
of
atoggleswitch
on
the
console
.

The
top
switch
incorporates
a
"top
unlatched"
warning
LED
.

A
schematic
representation
of
the
fully
automatic
convert-
ible
top
is
shown
in
Fig
.
5
.