electrical BMW 318i 1994 E36 Manual Online

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

515-6



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
.

002262



In
this
system,
three
microswitches
are
operated
via
the
door
lock
cylinder
at
each
front
door
.
Turning
the
key
approximately
Fig
.
17
.
Pufl
off
luggage
compartment
lock
actuating
rod
in
the
direc-



45°
(position
1)
operates
the
door
locking
microswitch
.
Tuming
tionof
arrow
.



the
key
approximately
90°
(position2)
actuates
the
double
locking
microswitch
.
Tuming
the
key
approximately
45°
in
the
opposite
di-
rection
through
position
0
actuates
the
unlocking
microswitch
and
deactivates
the
alarm
system
(position3)
.
See
Fig
.
19
.

Fig
.
18
.
Luggage
compartment
actuatorwire
connectors
and
attach-
ing
screws
(arrows)
.

LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND

ELECTRONIC
IMMOBILIZATION

The
central
locking
system
uses
electrical
lock
actuators
at

each
door
and
at
the
trunk
lid
.
The
locking
system
can
be
ac-

tuated
by
either
front
door
lock
or
by
the
luggage
compartment

lock
.
Onsome
1994
and
later
cars,
an
additional
remote
con-

trol
keypadcan
also
be
used
to
activate
the
lock
and
anti-theft

systems
.

When
the
key
is
tuned
to
the
lock
position,
a
micro-switch

signals
a
central
control
module
to
lock
all
doors,
luggage

compartment,
gas
tank
flap
and,
in
later
convertibles,
the

glove
box
lid
.
Where
applicable,
this
also
arms
the
anti-theft

system
.

CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT



515-7

NOTE-

The
central
locking
system
responds
to
accidents
vía
animpact
(inertia)
switch
.
When
this
function
ís
activat-
ed,
the
doors
are
automatically
unlocked
and
the
haz-
ard
warning
lights
and
interiorlights
are
turned
on
.
The
impact
switches
are
mounted
in
the
left
and
right
foot-
wells
behind
the
speaker
grilles
.

Central
Locking
System
(ZVM)

Different
versions
of
the
central
locking
control
havebeen
used
in
the
E36
cars
.
In
early
production
cars
(model
years
1992
and
1993),
the
locking
system
is
controlled
through
the
central
locking
module
.
This
system
is
referred
to
as
ZVM
.

Fig
.
19
.
ZVM
door
lock
cylinderpositíons
.

CAUTION-

Do
not
engage
double
locking
position
with
pas-
sengers
in
the
car
unless
the
master
key
isavail-
able
.
The
door
cannotbe
opened
from
outside
orinside
without
the
master
key
.

NOTE-

In
case
of
a
discharged
battery,
the
car
can
still
be
locked
orunlocked
using
the
key
.

0011762

LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND
ELECTRONIC
IMMOBILIZATION

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
removal
and
installation
of
the

front
and
rear
seats
.

FRONT
SEATS

The
front
seats
installed
in
E36
cars
come
in
either
manual

or
electrically
powered
versions
.
Cloth,vinyl
and
leather
ver-

sions
are
offered
.
M3
sport
seats
have
extra
bolsters
on
the

sides
of
the
sean-back,
a
thigh
support
bolster,
and
extra
con-

trols
for
sean
inclination
.

Seat
removal
and
installation
is
similar
for
all
versions
.
Seat
disassembly
differs
in
details
among
the
many
models
of

seats
.

Front
seat,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
forward
position
and
raise
it
as
far
as

possible
.
Remove
two
mounting
bolts
at
rear
of
sean

rails
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

2
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
rear
position,
keeping
it
raised
.

3
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.



Fig
.1
.



Frontseat
rear
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this

manual
onpage
viii
.

520
Seats

SEATS
520-1

GENERAL
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..............
.
.
520-1



Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

removing
and
installing

FRONT
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
520-1



(fixed
seat
back
models)
......
.
.
.
...
.
...
520-5

Front
seat,
removing
and
installing
...
.
.
.
..'
520-1



Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

Manual
Front
Seat
Assembly
.............
520-3



removing
and
installing

fold-downsean
back
models
(



)
..
.
.
..
..
.
...
520-5
Power
Fronf
Seat
Assembly
..
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
;
520-4



Rear
seat
backrest
side
section,

REAR
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
............
.
...
520-5



removing
and
installing

(fold-down
seat
back
models)
..
.
.....
.
..
.520-6

4
.
Remove
plastic
caps
from
front
mounting
nuts,
and

then
remove
mounting
nuts
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

WARNING
-

Deactivate
front
seat
belt
lock
tensioners
before
proceeding
to
next
step
.
See720
Seat
Belts
.

NOTE-

Use
a
blanket
to
protect
door
sill
from
scuffing
bysean
rail
during
seatremoval
.

FRONT
SEA
TS

520-2



S
EATS

Fig
.
2
.



Frontseat
front
mounting
nut
(arrow)
.

FRONT
SEA
TS

0013166

5
.
On
2-door
cars
:
unhook
seat
belt
from
guide
on
seat

back
.

8
.
Remove
seatfrom
car
.

Fig
.
3
.



Seat
belt
mounting
bolt
(arrow)
.

0013216

9
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Keep
the
following
in

mind
:

6
.
Tilt
seat
back
to
access
and
unplug
electrical
harness



"
Use
wire
ties
orequivalent
means
to
keep
seat
har
connectors
.
Cut
or
untwist
wire
ties
as
necessary
.



ness
wiring
from
being
exposed
to
fraying
.
"
Reactivate
front
seat
belt
locks
.
7
.
On
4-door
cars
:
Unbolt
seat
belt
from
seat
frame
.
See



"
Start
all
seat
mounting
boits
.
Fig
.
3
.



"
Tighten
seat
mounting
fasteners
in
thís
sequence
:
in-
ner
front
;
outer
front
;
inner
rear,
outer
rear
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Front
seat
to
floor



........
.......
55
Nm
(41
ft-Ib)

GENERAL
...
.
.
.
.
.
................
.
.
.
.
540-1



Sunroof
panel,
emergency
closing
.......
.
.
.540-2

Sunroof
panel,
adjusting
..
.
...........
.
.
.540-2

SUDE-TILT
SUNROOF
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
.
540-2



Sunroof
motor,
removing
and
installing
...
.
.
.540-3

GENERAL



NOTE-

"
Be
sure
to
check
thedrains
in
the
front
comers
of
the
The
electrically-operated
slide-tilt
sunroof
is
controlled
by
a



sunroof
carrier
if
water
ls
entering
the
car
through
the

set
of
cables
that
move
the
sunroof
panelalongguide
rails



headliner
.

when
the
motor
is
operated
.
The
sunroof
canbe
adjusted



.
Removal
and
repairof
the
sunroof
and
other
compo-
without
removing
it
from
thecar
.
Replacement
of
the
sunroof



nents
insidethe
roof
cavity
is
beyond
the
scope
ot
this
liner
or
components
suchas
the
cable
assembly
require
that



manual
.
the
sunroof
panel
be
removed
.

The
components
of
the
slide-tilt
sunroof
are
shown
in
Fig
.
1
.

Fig
.
1
.



Slide-tilt
sunroof
assembly
.

540
Sunroof

SUNROOF
540-1

1
.
Sunroof
panel



5
.
Cable



9
.
Lever

2
.
Wind
deflector



6
.
Motor



10
.
Sea¡

3
.
Frame



7
.
L]ner



11
.
Center
rail

4
.
Drain



8
.
Lever



12
.
Sea]

GENERAL

540-
4
SUNROOF

3
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
motor
and
remove

motor
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Be
sure
the
motor
is
in
the
"closed"
position
before
installing
it
to
the
sunroof

carrier
.
See
Fig
.
8
.

SLIDE-TILT
SUNROOF

0011813

Fig
.
8
.



Sunroof
motor
in
"closed"
position
.
Hole
(arrow)
in
large
gear

aligns
with
shafts
on
both
gears
(to
mid-1994)
.

NOTE-

On
cars
manufacturedfrom
mid-1994,
the
sunroof
mo-

tor
gearassembly
is
encased
and
cannot
be
seen
.
Be-

fore
installing
the
motor
in
the
roof,
connect
electrical

harness
connector,
operate
switch
to
rear
until
motor

stops,
then
to
front
until
motor
stops
.
Then
install
motor

in
roof
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Sunroof
motor
to
motor
carrier
.
.
.
.
.
2
.8
Nm
(25
in-lb)

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

The
left
latch
in
the
fully
automatic
version
hastwo
mi-
croswitches
(S7
and
S8)which
signal
open,
closed
and
latched
states
.
See
Fig
.
8
.

The
length
of
the
dead
center
point
rod
is
critica¡
lo
correct
opening
and
latching
of
the
convertible
top
.
See
Fig
.
9
.

Dead
Center
Point
Rod

"
Dimension
A
........
205
.5
f
1
mm
(8
.09
t0
.04
in)

Visor
Latch
Motor

The
fully
automatic
convertible
top
is
latched
and
unlatched
by
one
electric
motor
installed
in
the
front
roof
bow
.
To
re-
place,
remove
front
cover
trim
from
the
roof
.
Remove
electri-
cal
harness
connectors
from
motor,
andremove
mounting
screws
.
Slide
the
motor
off
the
output
shafts
to
the
left
and
right
latches
.

During
reinstallation,
theoutput
shafts
must
be
tumed
until
the
S8
microswitch
in
the
left
latch
is
tripped
.

Convertible
top
and
frame,
replacing

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



Fig
.
9
.



Preset
lengthof
dead
centerpoint
rod
.
Open
back
windows
.

2
.
Fully
automatic
power
convertible
top
:
Remove
front
cover
trim
from
top
.
Disconnect
electrical
harness
con-

nectors
from
frontlatch
motor
.
Disconnect
connectors

from
S7
and
S8
microswitches
at
left
latch
.

Motors
M1
Convertible
top
M2
Convertible
top
lid
M3Front
latch
(fully
automatic
top)

Microswitches
S1
&S2
In
convertible
top
motor
S3
In
convertible
top
storage
compartment
S4
In
top
linkage
(semi-automatic
only)
S5
In
luggage
compartment
latch
S6
In
right
convertible
top
lid
latch
S7&S8
In
left
conv
.
top
latch
(fully
automatic)

Fig
.
8
.



Locationof
automatic
and
semi-automatic
convertible
latch
mechanisms,
motors
and
microswitches
.

CONVERTIBLE
TOP



541-5

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

541-
6



CONVERTIBLE
TOP

3
.
Remove
headliner,
starting
from
front
and
working



7
.
Remove
fasteners
in
bottom
of
storage
compartments

backward
.
Note
arrangement
and
lacing
of
tensioning



behind
door
posts
and
lift
out
complete
top
.
Note
num

cable
so
it
can
be
reinstalled
in
its
original
configura-



ber
of
shims
on
horizontal
mounting
bolt
.
See
Fig
.
12
.

tion
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

0012748

Fig
.
10
.
Headliner
tensioning
cable
and
some
of
its
retaining
eyelets
(arrows)
.

4
.
Disconnect
electrical
harness
connector
from
S4
mi-

croswitch
in
middle
linkage
of
convertible
top
.

5
.
Disconnect
electric
motor
linkage
rods
in
convertible

top
storage
compartment
behind
left
rearseat
.
See
Fig
.

Vizib1

Fig
.
11
.
Convertible
top
linkage
rods(arrows)
in
compartment
behind
left
rear
seat
.

POWER
CONVERTIBLE
TOP

8
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Be
sure
to
replace
U-

shaped
shims
on
horizontal
mounting
bolts
.
See
Fig
.

13
.

0012754

Fig
.
13
.
Horizontalpositioning
bolt
(A)
and
U-shaped
adjusting
shims
(B)
for
convertible
top
.
One
of
two
main
mounting
nuts
(ar-
rows)
also
visible
.

6
.
Pull
electrical
harness
through
to
disengage
from
top
.



9
.
To
adjust
position
and
fit
oftop,
Rmove
or
add
U-
shaped
shims
until
top
is
properly
aligned
.
Tighten
nuts

and
screws
.