001 BMW 318i 1992 E36 Workshop Manual

GENERAL
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400-1



INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT
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400-4
Seats
and
Seatbelts
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400-4
BODY
ASSEMBLY
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.400-2



Instruments
and
Controls
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400-4

Exterior
and
Aerodynamics
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400-2



Central
Body
Electronics
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400-5

Coupe
Models
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400-3



Electronic
Immobilization
System
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400-5

Convertible
Models
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400-3



Heating
and
Air
Conditioning
.
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400-6

GENERAL

This
section
covers
system
descriptions
and
general
ser-

vice
information
for
the
repair
groupsfound
in
4
Body
and
5

Body
Equipment
.

When
working
or
servicing
cars
equipped
with
SRS
air-

bag(s),
the
following
precautions
must
be
observed
to
prevent

injury
.

F19
.1
.
The
BMW
E36
coupe
.

400
Body-General

BODY-GENERAL
400-1

WARNING
-

"
Airbags
are
inflated
by
an
explosivedevice
.
Han-dled
improperly
or
without
adequate
safeguards,
airbag
units
can
be
very
dangerous
.
Special
pre-cautions
must
be
observed
prior
to
any
work
ator
near
the
driver's
side
airbag,
the
passenger's
side
airbag
(where
applicable),
or
the
side-impact
aírbags
(where
applicable)
.
See
721
Airbag
Sys-
tem
(SRS)
.

"
Always
disconnect
the
battery
and
cover
the
neg-
ative
(-)
battery
terminalwith
an
insulator
before
starting
diagnostic,
troubleshooting
or
service
work
oncars
fitted
with
SRS,
and
before
doíng
any
welding
on
the
car
.

0013098

GENERAL

400-2
BODY-GENERAL

4-door
Sedan

Coupe

-
saas3
.7""

351
/



37
.3
O



I
x
`-193



267

o
oa

'3281
model
"M3
model

Convertible

BODYASSEMBLY

55
ass
.e
iss
""
-
66
.9
-

Fig
.
2
.



E36
body
dimensíons
.

BODY
ASSEMBLY

29
.4

29
4

The
BMW
3
Series
chassis
is
a
unibodydesign
constructed
ofhigh
strength
steel
.
Attaching
parts,
suchas
the
front
fend-
ers,
rear
quarter
panels,
doors,
trunk
lid
and
hood
are
also
constructed
of
steel
.

706
.31108
.7"



I
38
.5
174
.5

174
.5

O



oo

196
.3/106
.7'
"



35_5



1.
.
55
.9,566
".

106
.3/196
.7""



i.
358
-1745-

55
9/56
3'/56
6"
-
J

0013099

Windows
bonded
flush
to
the
body
and
the
guided
flow
of
cooling
air
into
the
engine
compartment
provide
a
good
coeffi-
cient
of
drag(CD)
.
TheE36
cars
have
a
CD
of
approximately
0
.30for
the
sedan
and
coupe
models,
and
0
.35
for
the
con-
vertible
models
:

The
exterior
panels
are
corrosion-resistant
zinc
coated

steel
.
The
front
fenders
are
bolted
on
and
easily
replaceabie
.
The
body
styles
of
E36
cars
coveredby
this
manual
arethe



See410
Fenders,
Engine
Hood
.
4-door
sedan,
2-door
coupe
and
convertible
.
Body
dimen-
sions
vary
slightly
betweenmodels
.
See
Fig
.
2
.



The
front
and
rear
bumpers
use
an
aluminum
framework
with
an
overlaid
high-impact,
deformable
plastic
cover
.
This
Exterior
and
Aerodynamics



bumper
system
keeps
damage
to
a
minimum
in
head-on
colli-
sions
of
up
to
10
m
.p
.h
.
(15
km/h)
.
See
510
Exterior
Trim,
TheE36
can
be
immediatelyrecognized
asa
typical
BMW
.



Bumpers
.
With
its
traditionalstyling
features,
suchas
the
BMW
kidney
grille,
circular
headlights
behind
a
glass
cover
(for
reasons
of
streamliníng),
and
the
"kick"
in
the
rearmost
roof
pillar
(C-pil-
lar)
.

400-
4
BODY-GENERAL

INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT

E36
interiors
have
a
unique
character,
with
a
combínation
of
sporty
features
and
innovative
design
.
Al¡
body
versions
were
made
in
a
wide
choice
of
interior
and
exterior
colors
.
New

colors
with
matching
leather
and/or
fabric
upholstery
were
in-
troduced
for
each
model
year,
including
light-alloy
wheels
in
new
designs
.

Driving
comfort
is
enhanced
by
power
steering,
tilt
steering
wheel
(optional),
height-adjustable
front
seats,
and
electrical-
ly
adjustable
and
heated
rear-view
mirrors
.
Inside
thecar
there
are
reading
lights
at
four
seating
positions
.

Seats
and
Seat
Belts



NOTE-

Theseat
base
usedon
cars
with
pyrotechnic
seatbelt

Anatom¡cal
ly-correct
seats
are
constructed
from
polyure-



tensioners
is
not
interchangeable
with
the
earlier
seat

thane
foam
containing
areas
or
"zones"
of
different
firmness
.



base
.

The
seat
bases
have
steel
springs
for
added
support
and
strength
.
The
power
seats
are
provided
with
conveniently
lo-



Instruments
and
Controls
cated
switches
along
the
outside
edge
of
the
seat
.
Heated
seats
are
an
option
in
all
models
.
See
520
Seats
for
more
de-



Everything
in
the
interior
passenger
compartment
essential
tails
.



to
the
driver
is
logically
grouped
and
easy
to
reach
.
Al¡
instru-
ments
and
controls
havebeen
arranged
ergonomically
and
The
M3
sport
seat
is
shown
in
Fig
.
3
.



are
fully
integrated
into
the
overall
design
of
the
vehicle
.

Fig
.
3
.



M3
sport
seat
.

INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT

0013195

The
early
E36
cars
areequipped
with
a
single
(driver
side)
airbag
in
the
steering
wheel
.
Startingwith
the
1994
models,
a
dual
airbag
Supplemental
Restraint
System
has
been
stan-
dard
equipment
.
Side-impact
airbags
in
the
front
doors
are
op-
tional
in
1997
4-door
cars
and
standard
equipment
in
all
1998
models
.

Through
1996,
E36
seatbelts
were
equipped
with
BMW's
original-designspring
tensioners
.
In
1997,
the
seat
base
de-
sign
was
modified
to
accommodate
a
pyrotechnic
(explosive
charge)
seatbelt
tensioner
.
Both
types
of
tensioners
arede-
signed
to
automatically
tension
the
belts
by
about2
inches(55
mm)
in
the
event
of
a
collision
.

The
padded
dashboard
houses
the
instrument
cluster
and
the
ventilation
and
heating
system
.
The
instrument
cluster
uses
large
easy-to-read
analog
instruments
and
is
removable
as
a
unit
without
removing
the
dashboard
.
The
Service
Inter-
val
Indicator
(SII)
will
remind
the
driver
when
thecar
requires
service
.
See
620
Instruments
.

The
Multi-Information
Display
(MID)
unit
in
thecenter
of
the
dashboard
comes
in
a
variety
of
four
configurations,
the
most
advanced
being
the
On-Board
Computer
(OBC)
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

Al¡
versions
of
the
MID
have
a
clock
and
calendar
.
In
addi-
tion,
different
versions
areequipped
with
a
"check
control,"

display
for
fuel-economy
information
and
system
warnings
.
Consult
the
owner's
manual
for
fui¡
operating
instructions
.

Ambient
temperaturelclock

MÍM
Aa
.Mi}rm
-Mil"
IMua~naa~u~itacar
"
za
.~

Central
Body
Electronics

0013028

Fig
.
4
.



Different
versionsof
Multi-information
Display(MID)
installed
in
E36
cars
.

The
E36
cars
are
equipped
with
a
sophisticated
centralized

body
electric/electronics
plan
.
The
system
is
self-diagnostic

and
incorporates
many
functions
into
a
single
control
module
.

The
consolidation
of
several
systems
into
a
single
control

module
minimizes
power
requirements
and
the
incorporation

of
the
diagnostic
link
results
in
more
efficient
and
accurate

troubleshooting
.

Self-diagnostic
codes
are
accessible
electronically
through

the
data-link
connector
in
the
engine
compartment
.
See610

Electrical
Component
Locations
.

BODY-GENERAL
400-
5

Two
versions
of
central
body
electronics
are
used
depend-

ing
on
model
year
.

1992
and
1993
models
are
equipped
with
a
central
locking

module
(ZVM)
which
incorporates
control
of
the
following
sys-

tems
:

"Interiorlighting
"
Central
locking
with
double
lock
feature

"
Output
relays
for
powerwindows
and
sunroof

"
Electronic
power
protection

E36
cars
since
the
1994
model
year
are
equipped
with
ZKE

IV
.
This
is
an
electronic
comfort
and
convenience
system
that

includes
the
following
additional
features
:

"
One
touch
up/down
power
window
operation

"
Power
window
and
sunroof
closure
from
driver
or
pas-

sengerdoor
lock

"
Vehicle
locking
or
unlocking
from
the
trunk
lock
.

Other
features
of
the
system
are
discussed
in
515
Central

Locking
and
Anti-Theft
.

Electronic
Immobilization
System

Beginning
in
model
year
1994,
all
E36
vehicles
incorporate

adriveaway
protection
system
regardless
of
whether
the
vehi-

cle
is
equipped
with
a
BMW
Alarm
System
or
an
On-Board

computer
.
Two
types
of
factory
systems
were
installed,
de-
pending
on
vehicle
production
date
.

On
the
early
system
(model
year
1994
up
to
January
1995),

the
ignition
and
fuel
injection
functions
are
disabled
whenever

the
vehicle
is
locked
in
the
double
lock
mode
.
This
is
referred

lo
as
EWS
or
EWS
I
.

Beginning
in
January
1995,
the
driveaway
protection
sys-

tem
was
upgraded
to
a
more
sophisticated
system,
called

EWS
II
.
This
system
uses
a
wireless
communication
link
be-

tween
a
transponder
chip
in
the
ignition
keyand
the
ring
an-

tenna
surrounding
the
ignition
switch
.
The
EWS
II
control

module
blocksthe
starting
of
the
vehicle
unlessthe
correct

coded
ignition
key
is
used
.

For
further
information
about
drive
away
protection
sys-

tems,
see
515
Central
Locking
and
Anti-Theft
.

INTERIOR
EQUIPMENT

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
replacement
of
the
front
fenders

and
removal
and
installation
of
the
engine
hood
.

NOTE-

The
body
is
painted
at
the
factoryafter
assembly
.
Re-
alignment
of
body
panels
may
expose
unpainted
metal
.

Paint
all
exposed
metal
once
the
work
fs
complete
.

FRONT
FENDERS

Front
fender,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Raise
hood
.
Raise
and
safely
support
front
of
vehicle
.

WARNING
-

"
When
raising
thecar
using
a
floor
jack
or
a
hy-

draulic
lift,
carefully
position
the
jack
pad
to
pre-

vent
damaging
thecar
body
.
A
suitable
liner
(wood,
rubber,
etc
.)
should
be
placed
between
the
jack
and
the
car
to
prevent
body
damage
.

"
Watch
the
jack
closely
.
Make
sure
it
stays
stable
and
does
not
shift
or
tilt
.
As
the
car
is
raised,
the

car
may
roll
slightly
and
the
jack
may
shift
.

2
.
Remove
front
wheel
.
Remove
inner
plastic
liner
from

wheel
well
.

3
.
Remove
front
bumper
.
See510
Exterior
Trim,

Bumpers
.

4
.
Working
atfront
corner
of
fender,
remove
front
grille

panel
bolts
(2
bolts
at
left
and
right)
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

FENDERS,
ENGINE
HOOD



410-1

410
Fenders,
Engine
Hood

GENERAL
...............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
410-1



ENGINE
HOOD
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.410-3

Hood,
raising
to
service
position
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
410-3
FRONTFENDERS
........
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.410-1



Hood,
removin



and
installin



410-3

Front
Pender,
removing
and
installing
.
.
.
....
410-1



Hood,
aligning
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
410-4

Hood
release
cable
and
latches,
adjusting
...
410-4

001
.145

Fig
.
1
.



Front
grille
panel
to
front
fender
retaining
bolts
(arrows)
.
Front

bumpershown
removed
.

5
.
Remove
front
turn
signalliens
assembly
from
applica-

ble
front
corner
.
Carefully
pryout
side
directional
from

fender
(later
cars
only)
.
See
630
Exterior
Lighting
.

6
.
Remove
fender
attaching
bolts
atfront
underside
of

fender
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

7
.
Remove
bolts
along
top
edge
of
fender
:
See
Fig
.
3
.

8
.
Open
front
door
and
remove
fender
mounting
bolts
in

door
jamb
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

9
.
Carefully
remove
fender
from
body
.

FRONTFENDERS

410-2



FENDERS,
ENGINE
HOOD

Fig
.
2
.



Fender
attaching
bolts,
lower
front
(arrows)
.

Fig
.
3
.



Loosen
bolt
A
at
top
offender
.
Remove
bolts
B
.

FRONTFENDERS

0013104
0013105
0013106
Fig
.
4
.



Front
fender
attaching
bolts
as
viewed
through
doorjamb
(ar-
rows)
.

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

"
Before
installing
new
fender,
clean
old
sealant
and
pro-
tective
coating
from
mounting
surfaces
.

"
Position
new
fender
and
loosely
install
all
mounting
bous
.
Align
fender
with
door
pillar
and
front
panel,

then
tighten
bolts
.
"
Repair
any
paint
damage
and
paint
any
exposed
met-
al
.

"
Reseal
and
apply
protective
coating
to
mounting
sur-
faces
.

Clearance
Specification

"
Fender
to
front
hood
or
to
door
.
...
5
.5
mm
(0
.216
ín)

ENGINE
HOOD

Hood,
raising
to
service
position

CA
UTION-

Do
not
switch
on
the
windshield
wipers
wlth
the
engine
hood
raised
.
As
a
precaution,
remove
the
wiper
motor
fuse
.
See
610
Electrical
Compo-
nent
Locations
.

1
.
4-door
models
:
Open
hood
fully
.
Remove
bolt
from

hood
hinge
behind
hood
supports
(left
and
right)
.
Raise
hood
to
service
position
.
See
Fig
.
5
.

2
.
2-door
models
:
Open
hood
fully
.

Fig
.
5
.



Hood
support
bracket
boltto
be
removed
(A)
on
4-door
cars
.

Remove
bolts
at
left
and
right
hinges
.
Swing
bracket
in
direc-
tion
of
arrow
to
raise
hood
into
service
position
.

"
Remove
ground
cable
atright
hood
hinge
.

"
Whilean
assistant
supports
hood,
detach
both
hood

supportsfrom
hood
.

"
Remove
detent
screws
at
back
of
hood
hinges
.
See

Fig
.
6
.
"
Lift
hood
while
pulling
hinge
forward
.
Support
hood
at

higher
position
.

3
.
When
service
work
is
complete,
return
hood
to
lower

position
and
instaf
screws
or
bolts
.

FENDERS,
ENGINE
HOOD



410-
3

Fig
.
6
.



Torx
screw
at
base
of
hood
hinge
(arrow)
.

Hood,
removing
and
installing

0013147

1
.
Raise
hood
.
Where
applicable,
partially
remove
hood

acoustic
insulation
to
access
rear
of
hood
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

Fig
.
7
.



Hood
insulation
retainer
being
pried
out

3
.
Detachgas-charged
hood
supportsfrom
hood
.

CAUTION
-

The
hood
is
heavy
.
Before
removing
the
hood
sup-
ports
or
hood
retainingbolts,
be
sure
to
have
an
assistant
help
support
the
hood
.

0013148

2
.
Disconnect
washer
fluid
hoses
from
washer
nozzles
.

Where
applicable,
disconnect
electrical
harness
con-

nectors
fromheated
nozzles
.

ENGINE
HOOD

410-4



FENDERS,
ENGINE
HOOD

4
.
With
aid
of
assistant,
remove
hood
hinge
bolts
from
left

and
Rght
sides
of
hood
.
Lift
hood
off
carefully
See
Fig
.
8
.

Fig
.
8
.



Hood
hinge
bolts
(arrows)
.
Right
side
shown
.

5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

NOTE-

The
hood
was
fitted
and
attached
to
an
unfinished
body
at
the
factory
.
Unfinished
surfaces
exposed
by
this
pro-
cedure
must
betouchedup
wfth
pafnt
.

Hood,
aligning

ENGINE
HOOD

0013149

6013150

Fig
.
9
.



Hood
panel
gaps
should
be
even
(approx
.
5
.5
mm)
at
all
points
(arrows)
.

Hood
release
cable
and
latches,
adjusting

Before
adjusting
hood
latches,
be
sure
the
hood
is
aligned

evenly
to
fenders
and
front
panel
.
The
hood
latch
and
cable

assembly
is
shown
in
Fig
.
10
.

"
Repair
any
paint
damage
and
paint
any
exposed
metal
.

"
Check
hood
alignment
as
described
next
.



1
.
To
adjust
hood
cables
:

When
installing
the
hood,
align
the
hinges
as
close
to
the
original
paintedsurface
as
possible
.
Movement
of
the
hood
on
its'attaching
hardware
may
require
touch-up
paint
.

The
hood
should
be
aligned
so
that
gapson
all
sides
areas

even
as
possible
.
See
Fig
.
9
.

Clearance
Specification

"
Hood
edges
to
adjoining
body

panel
(gap)
........
..
..
..
.....
.5
.5
mm
(0.216
in)

"
Remove
left
and
right
radiator
grilles
.
See
510
Exterior

Trim,
Bumpers
.

"
Remove
electric
auxíliary
cooling
fan
.
See
170
Radia-

tor
and
Cooling
System
.

"
Adjust
cable
section
between
two
hood
latches
so

there
is
no
play
(cables
must
not
be
under
tension
ei-

ther)
.

2
.
Loosen
hood
latches
at
hood
on
left
and
right
sides
.

Loosen
bolts
only
enough
to
allow
movement
of
latch
.

See
Fig
.
11
.

3
.
Lower
(but
do
not
fully
latch)
hood
severa¡
times
so

latches
on
hood
center
themselves
in
lower
locks
.

CA
UTION-

Do
not
let
hood
fockwith
latchbolts
loose
.

4
.
Tighten
hood
latch
bolts
when
alignment
is
correct
.

5
.
Remove
one
screw
fromeach
side,
clean
and
coat
with
Loctite
O
270
or
equivalent,
and
reinstall
.

Center
hood



,
00--&---
cable



Hood
latch
_
I



upperleft

Fig
.
10
.
Hood
locking
components
.
Cable
adjusting
section
shown
at
inset
.

Fig
.
11
.
Hood
latch
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.
Left
latch
shown
.

Hood
lock



0013160
lower
left

6
.
Test
hood
for
correct
closure
and
opening
.
If
hooddoes

notspring
open,
lengthen
springpins
at
latches
.
See

Fig
.
12
.

FENDERS,
ENGINE
HOOD



410-5

001aio

Fig
.
12
.
To
lengthen
spring
pin,
loosen
locknut
with
wrench
inserted
through
spring,
then
turn
pin
(arrow)
counterclockwise
.

ENGINE
HOOD

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
front
and
rear
door
repair
informa-
tion,
including
removal
and
installationof
the
interior
doorpan-
els
.

DOORS

WARNING
-

Late
M3
moddis
havealuminum
doors
.
Use
extra
care
in
handling
aluminum
parts
in
order
to
avoid
damage
from
gouging
or
corrosión
.

NOTE-

"
For
information
on
the
power
door
windows
and
door
glass
replacement,
sea512Door
Windows
.

"
Forinformation
on
the
power
door
locking
system,
see
515
Central
Locking
and
Anti-Theft
.

WARNING
-

Some
1997
and
all
1998
cars
are
fitted
with
side-im-
pact
airbags
in
the
front
doors
.
When
servicing
doors
on
cars
with
front
side-impact
airbags,
always
dis-
connect
the
negative
(-)
battery
terminal
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
for
cautions
and
procedures
relating
to
the
airbag
system
.

Front
orrear
door,
removing
and
installing

1
.
If
workingon
front
door
with
side-impact
airbag,
discon-

nect
negative
(-)
battery
cable
.

CAUTION
-

Prior
to
disconnectiog
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this
manual
on
page
vüi
.

2
.
Unbolt
main
harness
connector
at
door
pillar
and
sep-
arate
connector
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

411
Doors

GENERAL
.............
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
411-1



DOOR
PANELS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.
411-4

Front
door
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
.411-4
DOORS
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
.......
.
....
.
.
.
411-1



Rear
door
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
.411-5
Front
or
reardoor,
removing
and
installing
..
.
411-1



Rear
side
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
Door
check,
replacing
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.......
411-3



(coupemodel)
.
.
.
.
.
.
....
.
.............
411-6

Door
Adjustment
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.....
411-3



Rear
side
trim
panel,
removing
and
installing
(convertible
models)
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
...
.
411-6

DOORS
411-1

Fig
.
1
.



Door
harness
connector
being
removed
fromdoor
pillar
.
Re-
move
mountingscrews
atA,
then
separate
connector
by
pulling
upon
harness
lock(top
arrow)
.

3
.
Withdoor
fully
open,
remove
pin
bolts
from
top
and
bot-
tom
door
hinges
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

0011650

Fig
.
2
.



Door
hinge
pin
bolt
(arrow)
.
Top
hinge
shown
.
Also
remove
pin
bolt
from
lowerhinge
.

DOORS