roof BMW 318i 1997 E36 Workshop Manual

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)
.

TheE36
convertible
is
an
all-season
vehicle
with
a
high
lev-
e¡offunctionality,
excellent
interior
comfort,
and
acoustic
re-

finement
.
Interior
materials
and
colors,
the
soft
top
and
the

light-alloy
wheelshave
been
carefully
matched
.

Various
versions
of
manual
and
automatic
soft
tops
have
been
used,
with
the
fully
automatic
convertible
roof
being
in-

stalled
beginning
in
the
1997
model
year
.

A
hard-top
in
body
color
with
heated
rear
window
is
avail-

ableas
an
option
for
the
cold
season
.

BODY-GENERAL
400-
3

Coupe
Models



The
convertible
body
structure
includes
many
passive
safe-

ty
refinements
over
its
fixed-top
counterparts
.
Some
of
the
en-

TheE36
coupe
is
similar
to
the4-door
sedan,
but
has
a



hancements
include
:

more
stretched
and
sleeker
appearance
.
Thus,
with
the
same

wheelbase
and
identicallength,
it
looks
different
but
still
famil-



"
More
rígíd
underbody
.

iar
.



"
Transverse
seat
members
.

"
Reinforced
windshield
frame
with
bonded
windshield,

The
2-door
variant
differs
from
the
4-door
sedan
by
a
3
.12



and
tubular
door
reinforcements
.

inch
(8
cm)
longer
front
end,
a
flatter
hood
line
with
air
slits,



"
Rollover
protection
system,
which
is
tripped
into
position

and
a
roof
almost
1
.2
inches
(3
cm)
shorter
.
Additional
differ-



in
a
fraction
of
second
.
This
is
available
as
optional

ences
include
wider
doors
with
frameless
Windows,
glass-



equipment
(standard
on
the
1998
328iC)
and
may
be
fit-

covered
door-posts
(B-pillars)
and
a
shorter
and
lower
lug-



ted
to
earlier
convertible
models
.
With
this
feature,
two

gage
compartment
lid
.



bars
fully
independent
of
each
other
come
up
behind

each
rear-seat
backrest
when
the
vehicle
is
in
danger
of

Convertible
Models



turning
over
.

A
convertible
body
normally
flexes
and
vibrates,
transfer-

ring
oscillations
to
the
luggage
compartment
.
In
the
E36
con-

vertible,
BMW
utilizes
a
special
battery
in
the
luggage
compartment,
in
conjunction
with
a
unique
battery
tray,
asa

vibration
dampening
system
to
counteract
thisoscillation
.

CAUTION
-

The
E36
convertible
requires
a
specialbattery
which
is
designed
for
constant
vibration
.

Information
for
the
convertible
top
and
its
related
mecha-

nisms
can
be
found
541
Convertible
Top
.

BODYASSEMBLY

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

Fig
.
10
.
Panel
edge
trim
piece
trim
being
removed
.

Rear
side
trimpanel,
removing
and
install-

ing
(convertible
models)

To
remove
the
rearside
panel
in
convertible
models
it
is
necessary
to
:

"
Remove
rear
seat
cushion
and
rear
backrest
side
sec-
tion
.

"
Lower
side
window
;
open
convertible
roof
.

"
Leftside
:
Remove
convertible
top
lid
release
lever
trim
.

"
Remove
power
window
switch
and
disconnect
harness
connector
.

"
Remove
door
panel
inset
by
pulling
forward
.

"
Remove
corner
protector
rubber
trim
.

"
Pull
off
side
panel
after
removing
screw
fastener(s)
.
Dis-
engage
from
front
shoulder
belt
.

512-
8



DOOR
WINDOWS

NOTE-

To
achieve
an
accurate
window
adjustment
in
2-door
models
with
"close
with
door
shut"
feature,
simulate
a
closed
dooras
follows
:
On
early
cars,
manually
turn
the

latch
on
the
door
to
the
closed
position
.
See
Fig
.
16
.
On

latercars,
insert
a
wedge
of
wood
into
the
striker
on
the

body
to
close
the
striker
switch
.
Be
sure
to
open
thero-
tary
latch
(by
pulling
upon
the
door
handle)
or
remove
the
wedge
before
closing
the
door
.

0013066

Fig
.
16
.
To
manually
close
door
latch,
push
rotary
latch
in
direction
of
arrow
.

CAUTION-

Do
not
close
the
door
with
therotary
latch
in

closed
position,
orwith
a
wedge
in
the
striker
.

WINDOW
SERVICE,
2-DOOR
MODELS

A
Window
insertion
depth
at
A-pillar
B
B-pillar
preload
gap
(measure
gap
at
20
mm
from
top
of
door)
C
Window
insertion
depth
at
roof
line/window
parallelism
(make
measurement
at
3
.5
in
.
and
16
in
.
from
B-pillar
edge)

Fig
.
17
.
2-door
window
adjustment
positions
.

NOTE-

In"



some
models
covered
inthis
manual,
it
is
not
es-

sential
to
remove
the
side-impact
airbag
to
access
in-
terna¡
door
components
.
However,
the
procedure
is
recommended
for
safety
reasons
.

"
After
each
adjustment
step,
fully
lower
and
raise
win-
dow
and
check
adjustment
before
goingon
to
the
next

step
.

"
1f
parts
of
the
front
window
mechanism
were
replaced,

make
sure
initial
adjustments
are
in
the
center
of
their
travel
range
.
Once
the
glass
isinstalled,
position
glass
to
the
rear
guide
rail
as
shown
in
Fig
.
18
.

4
.
To
set
window
preload
B
(See
Fig
.
1
g
.):

0013076

When
making
adjustments
to
the
front
door
window,
see



"
Measure
up
20
mm
(0
.75
in
.)
from
topof
door
and

Fig
.
17
.



mark
position
on
glass
.

"
Close
door
just
until
top
of
glass
contacts
seal
.
1
.
On
cars
with
side-impact
airbags,
disconnect
negative



"
Measure
gap
between
glass
(at
20
mm
mark)
and
win-

(-)
cable
from
battery
.



dow
seal
.

"
If
adjustment
is
necessary,
move
bottom
of
window

CAUTION-



guide
inor
out
to
correct
.
See
Fig
.
20
.

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery



"
If
further
adjustment
is
needed,
move
bottom
ofwin-

disconnection
cautionsgiven
at
the
front
of
this



dow
in
or
out
by
sliding
guide
bracket
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
18
.

manual
on
page
viii
.

2
.
Remove
interior
door
panel
and
vapor
barrier
.
See
411



Preload
Gap

Doors
.



"
B
(Referto
Fig
.
1
g
.)

Coupe
......................
.
.
.8
mm
(0
.32
in
.)

3
.
Where
applicable,



remove
side-impact
airbag
from



Convertible
..................
.
..
3
mm
(0
.12
in
.)

door
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

512-
1
0



DOOR
WINDOWS

0013078

Fig
.
22
.
Move
window
fore/aftatrear
guide
rail
top
mounting
bolts
(ar-

rows)
.

Insertion
Depth

"
A
(See
Fig
.
17
.)
.
..........
.1-1
.5
mm
(0
.04-0
.6
in
.)

6
.
To
set
Insertion
depth
C
(Refer
to
Fig
.
17
.)
:

"
Lower
window
slightly
.
Loosen
stop
at
window
regula-

tor
motor
.
See
Fig
.
23
.

Fig
.
23
.
Window
regulator
stop
(arrow)
.

WINDOW
SERVICE,
2-DOOR
MODELS

0013075

"
Raise
window
.
Loosen
rear
boltat
regulator
support

arm
(5mm
Allen
wrench)
.
See
Fig
.
24
.
Align
window

parallelto
roof
line
by
moving
support
arm
up
or
clown
.

Tighten
arm
bolt
.

"
Lower
window
and
remove
rubber
plugs
at
bottom
of

door
.
If
necessary,temporarily
reconnect
battery
ca-

ble
.

"
Adjust
front
and
rear
limit
stops
so
that
window
retracts

into
window
seal
as
specified
.
See
Fig
.
25
.

"
Raise
window
to
check
adjustment
.

"
Push
regulator
stop
fully
forward
and
tighten
bolt
.

"
Closedoor
and
check
window
operation
.

0013077

Fig
.
24
.
Use
5mm
Afen
socket
to
loosen
mounting
boltat
support
bracket(arrow)
and
slide
bracket
up
or
clown
to
adjust
win-
dow
position
at
roof
line
.
(Allen
bolt
head
faces
outside
of
door
.)

CAUTION
-

"
Recheck
preload
gap
B
(step
4)
.
Excessive
pre-
load
could
cause
window
to
shatter
.

"
The
fully
closed
window
must
not
contact
the
rain
gutter
when
opening
the
door
(in
the
event
the
"close
with
door
shut"
feature
is
faulty
or
the
bat-tery
is
dead)
.

7
.
Usenew
mounting
bolts
when
reinstalling
the
side-im-
pact
airbag
to
the
door
(where
applicable)
.
Reset
SRS
warning
light
and
clear
SRS
fault
memory
using
special

test
equipment
.
See
721
Airbag
System
(SRS)
.

8
.
Replace
door
panel,
rubber
door
plugs
and
outside
doormolding
.

9
.
Re-initialize
window
regulator
motors
as
described
ear-
lier
.

0013080
Fig
.
25
.
Reach
through
doorbottom
to
adjust
window
limit
stops
.
Rear
stop
beingadjusted
.

Rear
vent
window
or
vent
latch,

replacing
(2-door
modeis)

1
.
Remove
C-pillar
(rear
roof
pillar)
trim
.
See
Fig
.
26
.

0013069

Fig
.
26
.
C-pillar
trim
shown
removed
.
Peel
off
window
sealing
trím
and
then
unclip
pillar
trim
piece
.
Unplug
interior
light
socket
(ar-
row)
.

2
.
Remove
window
latch
screws
atC-pillar
.
See
Fig
.
27
.

DOOR
WINDows



512-11

0013070
Fig
.
27
.
Rear
vent
latch
screws
on
C-pillar
andon
window
(arrows)
.

3
.
Remove
front
seat
belt
sliding
anchor
trim
at
B-pillar
(door
post),
andremove
anchor
nut
.
See
Fig
.
28
.

Fig
.
28
.
B-pillar
seat
belt
anchor
trim
(arrow)
.

5
.
Remove
seat
belt
sliding
anchor
.
See
Fig
.
29
.

úulzoiz

4
.
PA
off
sliding
anchor
adjustíng
knob
.
Partially
pull

away
door
edge
and
vent
window
trimstrips
and
re-
move
top
B-pillar
plastic
trim
.

6
.
While
supporting
window,
remove
its
B-pillar
mounting
fasteners
.
See
Fig
.
30
.

7
.
Installation
is
reverseof
removal
.
Keep
in
mind
the
fol-

lowing
:

"
Plastic
sealing
washers
mustbe
installed
between
glass
and
body
on
forward
glass
mounting
studs
.
"
Reinstall
sealing
washers
on
both
sides
of
glass
at
rear

latch
attachment
.

WINDOW
SERVICE,
2-DOOR
MODELS

515-8



CENTRAL
LOCKING
AND
ANTI-THEFT

Central
Body
Electronics
(ZKE
IV)



Electronic
Immobilization
System
(EWS)

Beginning
withvehicles
produced
9193
(model
year
1994),



The
electronic
anti-theft
system
known
as
EWS
was
first
in-

the
centrallocking
system
was
integrated
with
sunroof
and



troduced
in
January
1994
.
The
early
version
of
the
system

window
closure
into
the
Central
Body
Electronics
(ZKE
IV)



uses
a
starting
inhibition
module
to
interrupt
the
ignition,
the

(generation
four)
system
.
The
control
module
for
this
system



fuel
injection
and
the
starter
motor
.
This
system
is
activated

ís
mounted
in
front
of
the
glove
compartment
.



and
deactivated
by
the
centrallockíng
system
.
The
control

module
for
the
system
is
installed
under
the
left
side
of
the

Inthis
system
two
microswítches
are
operated
viathe
door



dashboard
.

lock
cylinder
at
both
front
doors
.
Turning
the
key
approximate-

ly
45°
(position
1)
operates
the
door
locking
microswitch
and



Startingwith
modeis
built
since
January
1995,
E36
cars

activates
the
alarm
system
.
Holding
the
key
in
thatposition



come
equipped
with
a
sophisticated
coded
electronic
immobi

also
closes
any
open
windows
and
the
sunroof
.



lization
system
called
EWS
II
.
Foraschematic
of
the
system,

refer
to
Fig
.
21
.

Turning
the
key
approximately
45°
in
the
opposite
direction

through
position
0
actuates
theunlocking
microswitch
and
de-

activates
the
alarm
system
(position
2)
.
See
Fig
.
20
.
NOTE
-

The
EWS
11
system
is
also
sometimes
referred
to
as
the

Driveaway
Protection
System
or
the
electronic
immobi-
lization
system
.

On
EWS
II
equipped
cars,
the
ignition
key
is
embedded
with

a
computer
chip
and
permanently
encoded
.
A
primary
code
is

programmed
into
the
keyand
finto
the
vehicle
itself
.
A
second-

ary
code
is
changed
every
time
the
vehicle
is
started
.
If
thekey

code
and
EWS
II
control
module
code
do
notmatch,
the
en-

gine
management
control
module
and
the
starter
are
dis-

abled
.
EWS
II
ignition
keyscannot
be
duplicated
.

The
system
is
designed
to
have
up
to
ten
keys
and
only
an

authorized
BMW
dealer
can
provide
replacement
keys
.
j
NOTE-
0011762a



ft
is
possible
to
damage
the
electronic
circuítry
in
the
Fig
.
20
.
ZKE
IV
door
lock
cylinder
positions
.



key,
rendering
if
unusable
.
In
that
case,
a
new
key

shouldbe
purchased
and
initialized
byan
authorized
BMW
dealer
.

LOCKING
SYSTEM
AND
ELECTRONIC
IMM081LIZATION

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

540-2
SUNROOF

SLIDE-TILT
SUNROOF

Sunroof
panel,
emergency
closing

1.
Remove
access
panel
frombelow
sunroof
motor
.
See

Fig
.
2
.

Fig
.
2
.



Sunroof
motor
access
coverbeing
pried
off
.

0011816

2
.
Insert
hex
key
into
drive
in
sunroof
motor
and
turn
hex
key
to
Glosepanel
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

SLIDE-TILT
SUNROOF

0~i18r7

Fig
.
3
.



Use
hexkey
to
manually
Glose
sunroof
.
Turn
hexkey
to
mah-
ually
Glose
sunroof
.

NOTE-

The
hex
key
for
manually
(emergency)
closing
the
sun-

roof
canbe
found
in
the
tool
kit
located
in
the
luggage

compartment
.

Sunroof
panel,
adjusting

The
sunroof
panel
should
be
adjusted
whenever
thetop
of

the
closed
sunroof
becomes
misaligned
with
the
roof
of
the

car,
ifit
does
not
Glosesquarely,
if
there
arewind
noises
at

speed,
if
there
arewater
leaks,
or
if
the
sunroof
has
been
re-

moved
.

1
.
Open
sunroof
slightly
.
Rear
of
sunroof
should
be
2
to
3

mm
below
surface
of
roof
.

2
.
Slide
sunroof
liner
slowly
and
carefully
back
into
roof

cavity
as
far
as
possible
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

Fig
.
4
.



Slide
sunroof
liner
back
into
roof
cavity
.

3
.
Shut
sunroof
fully
.

CAUTION
-

Do
not
open
sunroof
with
liner
inthis
position
.
Damage
to
sunroof
mechanism
could
result
.