Stall BMW 323i 1996 E36 Workshop Manual

611-
1
0



WIPERS
AND
WASHERS

Washer
fluidleve¡
sensor,
replacing

(modeis
with
check
control)

The
washer
fluid
level
sensor
is
mounted
in
the
fluid
reser-

voir,
near
the
bottom
of
thecontainer
.

NOTE-

Check
wire
leads
at
sensor
for
worn
insulation
and
cor-
rosion
.
Check
electrical
contacts
in
harness
connector
for
corrosion
.

1
.
Open
hood
and
siphon
out
washer
fluid
reservoir
.

2
.
Lift
harness
connector
retaining
lever
and
unplug
har-

ness
connector
to
washer
fluid
level
sensor
.
See
Fig
.

23
.

3
.
Pul¡
fluid
leve¡
sensor
out
from
rubber
grommet
.

4
.
Install
new
sensor
into
reservoir
.
Check
sealing
grom-
met
for
correct
fit
.
Replace
if
damaged
.

WINDSHIELD
CLEANING
SYSTEM

612-2



SWITCHES
AND
ELECTRICAL
ACCESSORIES

5
.
Remove
lower
steering
column
cover
from
steering
col-

umn
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

uu12543

Fig
.
1
.



Lower
steering
column
cover
retaining
screw
(arrow)
.

6
.
Remove
stalk
switch
holder
retaining
screw
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

Fig
.
2
.



Stalk
switch
holder
retaining
screw
(arrow)
.

0012555

7
.
Depress
retaining
tabs
to
release
stalk
switchholder
.

Push
stalk
switchholder
downwards
and
off
steering

column
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

8
.
Depress
catches
on
stalk
switch
and
release
switch

from
columna
See
Fig
.
4
.

9
.
Cut
wíre
ties
retaining
harness
to
steering
column
.
Dis-

connect
switch
electrical
connector
located
at
bottom
of

steeringshaft
.

10
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
noting
the
following
:

"
Place
turn
signal
indicator
in
center
position
before
in-

stalling
.

"
Ensure
that
self
cancelling
cams
on
turn
signal
switch

are
not
damaged
during
installation
.

INTERIOR
SWITCHES

WARNING
-

Once
theairbag
unit
is
installed
and
all
other
ser-
vice
procedures
havebeen
completed,
start
theen-

gine
and
check
that
the
SRS
warning
light
goes
out
.

If
the
warning
light
stays
on,
the
SRS
system
will
not

function
as
designed
.
Have
the
system
diagnosed

and
repaired
by
an
authorized
BMW
dealer
.

0012545

Fig
.
3
.



Depress
retaining
tabs
(arrows)
and
push
holder
down-

wards
.

0012556

Fig
.
4
.



Depress
upper
and
lower
catches
simultaneously
and
unplug

harnessconnector
.

Tightening
Torques

"
Steering
wheel
to
steering

column
spindle
(Bolt)
...
.
.
.
..
.....
63
Nm
(46
ft-lb)

Ignition
Switch
ASsembly



3
.
Remove
screw
retaining
lower
steering
column
cover
and
remove
cover
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
1
.



,

The
components
of
the
ignition
switch
assembly
are
shown

in
Fig
.
5
.
The
ignitionelectrical
switch
and
the
ignition
lock
cyl-

inder
can
be
removed
with
the
ignition
switch
assembly
at-

tached
to
the
steering
column
.

ignition
electrical
switch,
replacing

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

CAUTION
-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vi¡¡
.

2
.
Remove
trim
panel
from
lower
left
side
of
instrument

panel
.
See
513
Interior
Trim
.

F~
"

Fig
.
5
.



Ignition
switch
assembly
.

SWITCHES
AND
ELECTRICAL
ACCESSORIES



612-3

4
.
Clean
away
colored
sealer
from
ignition
switch
set

screws
and
remove
slotted
set
screwson
both
sides
of

switch
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

5
.
Release
tabs
andremove
switch
after
separating
elec-
trical
harness
connector
.

6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
noting
the
following
:

3



EWS
II
ring
antenna
(Jan
.
1995
and
later
models)

"
Before
mating
ignition
electrical
switch
toignitionlock,

check
that
switch
isin
correct
position
relativetoigni-
tion
lock
.

"
Seal
set
screws
using
paint
or
lacquer
.

0012241

INTERIOR
SWITCHES

Headlight
switch,
replacing

1
.
Remove
left
side
dash
insert
and
disconnect
harness
connector
to
headlight
switch
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

3
.
Remove
nut
mounting
switch
to
dash
insert
.
See
Fig
.
11
.

Fig
.
11
.
Headlight
switch
mounting
nut
(arrow)
.

4
.
Pull
switch
out
from
housing
.

SWITCHES
AND
ELECTRICAL
ACCESSORIES



612-5

0012558

5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Align
new
switch
to
dash
insert
.
See
Fig
.
12
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Headlight
switch
retaining
nut
.
......
2
Nm
(18
in-lb)

Foglight
switch,
replacing
0012559
Fig
.
10
.
Removing
headlightswitch
electrical
harness
connector



1
.
Remove
left
side
dash
insert,
as
described
earlier,
and
(arrow)
.



remove
foglight
switch
harness
connector
.

2
.
PA
off
headlight
switch
knob
.
Wrapping
adhesive
tape
aroundknob
facilitates
removal
.



spring
tabs
together
.

0012560
Fig
.
12
.
Fit
groove
on
headlightswitch
into
switch
bezel
ondash
insert
(arrows)
.

2
.
Slide
foglight
switch
out
of
dash
insert
by
sqúeezing

3
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

Hazard
warning
switch,
replacing

1
.
Unclip
shift
boot
and
lift
up
from
shift
lever
console
.
Carefully
remove
insulation
pad
.
See
250
Gearshift
Linkage
.

2
.
Working
underneath
center
console,
push
hazard
warning
switch
up
and
out
of
console
with
your
fingers
.

3
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
switch
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

Power
window
switch,
replacing

1
.
Unclip
shift
boot
and
lift
up
from
shift
lever
console
.
Carefully
remove
insulation
pad
.
See250
Gearshift
Linkage
.

2
.
Working
underneath
center
console,
push
window
switch
up
out
of
console
with
your
fingers
.
See
Fig
.
13
.

3
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
switch
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

INTERIOR
SWITCHES

612-6



SWITCHES
AND
ELECTRICAL
ACCESSORIES

Fig
.
13
.
Removing
window
switch
from
console
.

Outside
mirror
switch,
replacing

0012561

1
.
Carefully
pry
mirror
switch
from
arm
rest
.
See
Fig
.
14
.

Fig
.
14
.
Pry
outside
mirror
switch
from
door
arm
rest
.

2
.
Disconnectharness
connector
from
switch
.

3
.
Installation
is
reverseof
removal
.

INTERIOR
LIGHTS

0013168

INTERIOR
LIGHTS

Dome
light,
rear
map
lights,
trunk
light,

replacing
bulbs

1
.
Pry
dome
light
out
from
left
side
.
See
Fig
.
14
.

Fig
.
15
.
Dome
light
assembly
being
removed
.

2
.
Release
locking
blade
and
swing
back
reflector
.
Spread

apart
contact
blades
toreplace
buib
.

3
.
Pry
rear
map
light
out
with
small
screwdriver,
remove

reflector
and
replace
bulb
.
See
Fig
.
16
.

Fig
.
16
.
Rear
interior
light
assembly
shown
removed
.

0011855

INSTRUMENT
CLUSTER
....
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
..
620-1

Instrument
cluster,
seif-testing
.
.
.......
.
..
620-1

Instrument
cluster,
removing
and
installing
...
620-1

Instrument
cluster
bulbs,
replacing
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
620-2

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
removal
and
installation
of
the
in-
strument
cluster
and
the
Multi-information
Display
(MID)
mod-
ule
.
Bulb
replacement
information
for
these
units
is
also
included
here
.

NOTE
-

A
quick
check
of
the
temperature
gauge
and
its
electri-
cal
circuitis
given
in
170
Radiator
and
Cooling
Sys-
tem
.
Use
this
procedure
to
diagnosea
faulty
temperature
gauge

INSTRUMENT
CLUSTER

When
servicing
the
instrument
cluster,
always
disconnect
the
negative
(-)
cable
from
the
battery
and
insulate
the
cable
end
to
prevent
accidental
re-connection
.

Instrument
cluster,
seif-testing

Severa¡
different
versions
of
the
basic
instrument
cluster
havebeen
fitted
in
E36
cars
.
It
is
possibleto
perform
an
instru-
ment
cluster
test
and
display
system
test
information
.

Some
of
the
information
displayed
by
the
instrument
cluster
during
seif-testing
is
used
for
interna¡
BMW
organizationpur-
poses,
suchasmatching
the
correct
instrument
cluster
com-
ponents
during
parts
replacement
.
Other
functions
test
the
various
instrument
modules
.
Self-test
is
also
used
to
recode
the
instrument
cluster
after
removal
.

In
later
production
vehicles
(1996
and
later)
the
test
results
canbe
downioaded,
via
the
diagnostic
plug,
byan
authorized
BMW
dealertechnician
.

1
.
Turn
ignition
to
"radio"position
.

2
.
Press
and
hold
reset
button
on
trip-odometer
untiltrip-
odometer
display
shows
numerical
codes
.

620
Instruments

4
.
Turn
off
ignition
.

Instrument
cluster,

removing
and
installing

INSTRUMENTS
620-1

GENERAL
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.........
.
....
620-1



Odometer
coding
plug,
replacing
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
620-2

Vehicle
speed
sender,
replacing
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
620-3

MULTI-INFORMATION
DISPLAY
(MID)
.
.
.
620-4

Multi-Information
Display,
removing
and
installing
..
.
....
.
.........
620-4

3
.
With
each
subsequent
press
of
the
button,
a
different
function
is
tested
.
Some
functions
will
activate
need1e
gauges
.

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
on
page
vi¡¡
.

2
.
Remove
airbag
unit
from
steering
wheel
.
See
721
Air-
bag
System
(SRS)
.
Store
unit
in
a
safe
place
.

WARNING
-

The
airbag
is
an
explosive
devfce
and
should
be
treated
with
extreme
caution
.
Improper
handling
of
the
airbag
could
cause
serious
injury
or
death
.
Store
the
airbag
with
the
horn
pad
facing
up
.
If
stored
facing
down,
accidental
deployment
couldpropel
it
vfolently
into
the
air,
causing
injury
.

3
.
With
front
wheels
pointed
straight
ahead,
remove
steer-
ing
wheel
.
See
320
Steering
and
Wheel
Alignment
.

4
.
Remove
instrument
cluster
retaining
screws
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

5
.
Place
a
towel
over
steering
column
.
Carefully
tilt
top
of
cluster
out
of
dash
panel
.
Unlock
and
disconnect
har-
ness
connectors
from
back
of
cluster
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

INSTRUMENT
CLUSTER

620-2
INSTRUMENTS

Fig
.1.



Instrument
cluster
retaining
screws
(arrows)
.

INSTRUMENT
CLUSTER

0012562

Fig
.
3
.



Turnbulb
base
45°
in
direction
shown
(arrow)
.

l
v



w
r
v
9



10



11



12



13



14



15



16



)7



18



19



20
y
21

1
.
Temperature
warning



12
.
Brake
fluid
warning

oo13n6



2
.
Right
turn
signal



13
.
Brake
pad
wear
warning
3
.
Instrument
lighting



14
.ABS
warning
Fig
.
2
.



Instrument
cluster
connector
locking
lever
(arrow)
.



4
.
Oil
pressure
warning



15
.
Seat
belt
warning5
.
Highbeam



16
.ASTwarning
6
.
Battery
charging
lamp



17
.Check
control
6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal,
noting
the
following
:



7
.
Left
turn
signal



18
.Check
engine

"
Instrument
cluster
harness
connector
locking
levers



8
.
Low
fuel
warning



19
.
LCD
lighting

must
be
in
up
position
before
installing
connector
.



9
.
Airbag
warning



20
.
Rear
foglight
(not
used)
10
.
Catalytic
converter
warning



21
.
Front
foglights
"
Install
airbag
to
steering
wheel
as
described
in
721



11
.
Emergency
brake
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.



0012563

"
Reconnect
negative
(-)
cable
to
battery
last,
once
al¡



Fig
.
4
.



Bulb
designation
chart
.

harness
connectors
have
been
reconnected
.

"
Recode
cluster
as
described
in
Instrument
cluster,



CAUTION-
seif-testing
.



Note
wattage
of
bulb
.
Excessive
wattage
could
melt
cluster
housing
.
Replace
defective
bulbs
with

Instrument
cluster
bulbs,
replacing



reptacementbulbs
of
the
same
wattage
.

1
.
Remove
instrument
cluster
as
described
above
.



Odometer
coding
plug,
replacing

2
.
Remove
faulty
bulb
by
turning
bulb
base
45°
inits

mount
and
remove
from
housing
.
See
Fig
.
3
.



The
coding
plug
maintains
a
record
of
thevehicle
mileage
.

The
back
of
the
instrument
cluster
and
its
bulb
locations
are



1
.
Record
vehicle
mileage
.

shown
in
Fig
.
4
.
2
.
Remove
instrument
cluster
as
described
earlier
.

3
.
Break
open
plastic
retainer
in
back
of
instrument
clus-
ter
andremove
coding
plug
.
See
Fig
.
5
.

5
.
Reset
vehicle
mileage
.

1
ILO

NOTE-

Consultan
authorized
BMW
dealer
service
department
about
resetting
vehicle
mileage
using
the
special
BMW
Service
tester
.

Vehicle
speed
sender,
replacing

0

0013029

Fig
.
5
.



Remove
coding
plug
retainer
with
a
screwdriver
(arrow)
.

4
.
Install
coding
plug
and
new
retainer
.
Reinstall
instru-
ment
cluster
.

The
vehicle
speed
sender
supplies
an
electronic
pulsed

speed
signal
to
the
speedometer
.
The
sender
is
mounted
be-

neath
the
rear
of
the
car,
on
the
differential
cover
plate
.

1
.
Locate
vehicle
speed
sender
electrical
connector
at

back
of
differential
.
Depress
retaininglevers
on
con-
nector
and
remove
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

INSTRUMENTS
620-
3

0013180
Fig
.
6
.



Vehicle
speed
sender
harnessconnector
(A)
and
sender
(B)
.

2
.
Remove
vehicle
speed
sender
retaining
screws
and
re-

move
sender
from
differential
cover
.

3
.
On
installation,
replace
O-ring
and
coat
with
oil
(90W)
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

0011755
NOTE-



'

If
the
speedometer
is
malfunctioning,
check
the
vehicle



Fig
.
7,



O-ring
correctly
installed
on
vehicle
speed
sender,
speed
sensor
hamess
connectoron
the
rear
differen-
tial
.
Water
damage,
frayed
wires
and
corrosion
of
the
connectorcontactsareoftenthecause
ofspeedometer



4
.
Insta¡¡
sender
into
differential
and
tighten
mounting
malfunction
.



bolts
evenly
in
stages
until
the
sender
is
firmly
seated
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Vehicle
speed
sender

to
differential
cover
...
.
.....
6
.6-8
.4
Nm
(53-74
in-lb)

INSTRUMENT
CLUSTER

620-
4
INSTRUMENTS

MULTI-INFORMATION
DISPLAY
(MID)

Severa¡
different
versionsof
the
Multi-Information
Display,

have
been
installed
in
E36
cars
.
The
top-of-the-line
model
is

called
the
Oh-BoardComputer
.
See
Fig
.
8
.

Ambient
temperature/ciock

Check
control/clock

0013028

Fig
.
8
.



Different
versions
of
Multi-Information
Display
(MID)
installed
in
E36
cars
.

Multi-Information
Display,

removing
and
installing

The
Multi-Information
Display
(MID)
is
illuminated
by
bulbs
.

It
mustbe
removed
to
replace
the
bulbs
.
Bulb
replacement
is

included
in
this
procedure
.

1
.
Remove
dashboard
parcel
shelf
.
Reach
under
MID

module
and
pushoutward
.
See
Fig
.
9
.

2
.
Slide
harness
retaining
lever
forward
to
release
MID

from
wiring
harness
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

3
.
To
Rmove
a
faulty
bulb,
use
anarrow
screwdriver
to

turn
bulb
base
45°
counter
clockwíse
.
See
Fig
.
11
.

MULTI-INFORMATIONDISPLAY
(MID)

111

Fig
.
9
.



Removing
the
Multi-Information
Display(MID)
module
.

0012564

Fig
.
10
.
MID
wiring
harness
release
lever
(arrows)
.

Fig
.
11
.
Turn
bulb
base
45°
counterclockwise
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

0012566

FRONT
LIGHTING
.
...........
.
....
.
.
.
.
630-1

Headlight
buib,
replacing
............
.
.
.
.
630-1
Headlight
assembly,

removing
and
installing
.......
.
....
.
.
.
.
630-2

Foglight
assembly,
removing
and
installing
..
630-3

Front
turn
signal
assembly,
removing
and
installing
.....
.
.
.
........
630-4

GENERAL

The
headlight
and
foglight
assemblies
usehalogen
bulbs
.
To
ensure
the
longevity
of
halogen
bulbs,
the
bulb
glass
should
not
be
handied
.
Dirt
and
skin
oíls
may
cause
a
bulbto
fail
prematurely
.
If
necessarywipe
bulb
using
a
clean
cloth

dampened
with
rubbing
alcohol
.

NOTE-

Use
only
original
equipment
replacement
bulbs
.
Non-
original
equipment
bulbs
may
cause
false
failure
read-
ings
on
the
check
control
display
(where
applicable)
.

WARNING
-

INhenworking
on
electrical
systems,
remove
the
fuse
protecting
the
circuit
under
repair
.
See
610
Electrical
Component
Locations
.

FRONT
LIGHTING

Headlight
bulb,
replacing

1
.
Open
engine
hood
.

2
.
Working
in
back
of
headlight
assembly,grasp
rear
of

bulbsocket
(harnessconnector)
and
turn
counterclock-

wise
90°
.
Pull
bulb
out
of
headlight
assembly
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

3
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
bulb
.

CA
UTION-

Do
not
touch
halogen
bubs
with
yourbare
hands
.
If
necessary
wipe
bulb
using
a
clean
cloth
damp-

ened
with
rubbing
alcohol
.

630
Exterior
Lighting

EXTERIOR
LIGHTING



630-1

GENERAL
.
.
.
.
...
.
................
.
.
.
.
630-1



Side
Marker
Lights
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.......
.
..
630-4

REAR
LIGHTING
.
......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
..
630-4

Taillight
Bulbs
..........
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
630-4

Taillight
assembly,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
630-5

CenterBrake
Light
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
630-5

Center
brake
light
housing,
replacing

(4-door
and
coupe
models)
.
.
.
.
.......
.
.
.630-5

License
plate
light,
removingand
installing



.
.630-6

0012567

Fig
.1.



Torelease
bulbfrom
headlight
assembly,
rotate
socket
coun-
terclockwise
to
disengage
retaining
tabs
(arrows)
.
Right
side
bulb
is
shown
in
unlocked
position
.
Note
that
bottom
tab
A
is
wider
than
other
two
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Align
tabs
on
bulb

base
to
cutouts
on
rear
of
lens
assembly
.
Secure
bulb

by
rotating
clockwise
90°
.

Bulb
Applications

"
Low
beam
headlight
bulb
...
.
..
..
.........
H9006

"
High
beam
headlight
bulb
..
.
..
..
.........
H9005

FRONT
LIGHTING