BMW 318I CONVERTIBLE 1996 E36 Convertible Tops Manual

Convertible Tops - 11
COMPONENTS REVIEW

OPERATION
The following prerequisites must be met for the top to function:
Trunk Lid Closed- Electrical interlock of the trunk and top. Due to the design of the top
storage cover and trunk lid, damage to the cover or lid would occur if both were open at
the same time.
Ignition key switched on KL R, (preferably engine running to prevent unnecessary bat-
tery drain)
Vehicle stopped(speed “A” signal <3 MPH)
Roll over bars retracted (if equipped) - bars interfere with the top operation as it is low-
ering into the storage compartment.
LOWERING THE TOP
•SEMI AUTOMATIC TOP ONLY - Unlock the top with the turn lock fastener and push
the top over the tension point.S4 must close for the top to operate. Press and hold
the top switch.Go to “TENSION BAR RAISED” on next page.
•FULLY AUTOMATIC TOP ONLY -Press and hold the top switch. All Side windows
lower automatically regardless of their position, by a signal from the top module to the
General Module (ZKE IV).
1. The top lock motor is powered in the unlock direction.
2. The left and right side locks are mechanically released via the drive cables.
3. Microswitch S7 opens indicating the top is unlatched from the windshield frame.
4. Once the locks are completely released, the top lock motor continues to run lifting
the front bow above the tension point via the tension rods.
5. As the front bow passes the tension point, micro switch S8 closes. The top lock
motor switches off and the top motor is switched ON.
Convertible Tops - 12

Convertible Tops - 13
TENSION BAR RAISED
At the same time the windows are lowering, the top drive motor is switched on and the ten-
sion bar is raised to a vertical position. The drive lever of the top linkage rotates counter
clockwise to push the tension bar to a raised position.
The control module recognizes the raising of the tension bar by the closed contacts of
micro switch S1 in the motor assembly.
When the tension bar has raised to the full vertical position micro switch S2 closes and the
motor is switched off.
STORAGE COVER OPENED
The top storage cover motor is switched on and turns counter-clockwise. This action
releases the locks of the cover via the bowden cables. The locks are forced out of the
clamps by spring pressure.
The drive linkage continues to push the cover to a raised position. A hall sensor integrat-
ed in the cover motor provides status of the storage lid movement and position to the CVM.
The motor is switched off when it reaches the end of its predetermined travel.
S6 also closes the moment the storage cover is released from its locked position. The sig-
nal is provided the GM to prevent the trunk from opening.

TOP ASSEMBLY LOWERED
The top motor turns clockwise immediately opening S1 & S2. It pulls the top into the stor-
age compartment. The tension bar drive linkage is mechanically released from the top drive
as the motor continues to run. Once the top is completely lowered microswitch S3 closes
signalling the control module to switch the motor off.
STORAGE COVER CLOSED
The storage cover motor is switched on and the drive linkage pulls the cover down. As the
locking clamps grab onto the cover locks, the linkage engages the bowden cables and the
cover is locked closed.
The CVM monitors the storage lid position via the hall effect sensor signal. When the fully
closed position is detected, the top cover motor is switched off.
WINDOW RAISING
If the top switch is held down after the top storage cover is closed, the windows will auto-
matically close. The EM top module signals the ZKE to closed the windows. Once the top
switch is released the window operation is terminated.
Convertible Tops - 14

 






 
 !"#
$%&' ( )

 

 
 




 
 


  
  


 






 



  
 





  



 




  


 
  



  

 
 
   

 
  

!   
  



 
  


    
 
"

 
 
  

 ! 
 

 
 
  

 ! 
!  

 


  


  














Convertible Tops - 15


 
    

       ! " 
#$%&
 

 
 





 


 
 
  



 

 





 

 


 
  
 

 

 
 
  
 
  
   
  


 
  


    
 

  
  

  
 

  
  
  
  

  

 


  !!!!!!!!!!



Convertible Tops - 16
RAISING THE TOP
The procedure for raising the top follows the same pattern as lowering.
Press and hold the top switch.
•The windows are automatically lowered.
•The top storage cover opens
•The top is raised out of the storage compartment
•The top storage cover is closed and locked.
•The tension bar is lowered. Micro-switch S1 signals the lowered position of the ten-
sion bar.
FULLY AUTOMATIC TOP- The top lock motor is activated, S8 opens. The motor is
switched off the moment S7 closes. The top is fully raised and locked to the windshield.
SEMI AUTOMATIC TOP - Pull the top over the tension point and lock it to the wind-
shield frame.
The automatic closing of the windows on raising the top is not functional due to lack of
anti trap feature during this function.

Convertible Tops - 17
EM TOP EMERGENCY OPERATION
In the event of electrical failure, the top can be raised manually. The procedure is as fol-
lows:
 Pull the release lever located under the left rear
seat cushion as shown.
 Both motors are disconnected from the gear
drives.
 The top storage cover is unlocked.
NOTE:The top can not be lowered again until electrical power is restored to the system.
This is due to the fact that the top storage cover can not be locked until power is restored.

RE-CONNECTING DRIVE MOTORS
Due to the interlock of the trunk lid an unlocked top storage cover, the following procedure
must be followed to reconnect the top drive motors, to restore electrical operation:
•Lower all the side windows with the central switch
•Unlock the top from the windshield frame, raise it over the tension point and open the
storage cover.
•Lower the top into the storage compartment and close the storage cover.
•Disconnect fuse #7 in the front power distribution box (this will override the forced lock-
ing of the trunk).
•Open the trunk lid and remove the trim cover from the left side of the trunk.
•Reconnect the motors with the gear drives. The actuating rods can be moved slightly
to allow the gear teeth to engage.
•Close trunk lid and reinstall fuse #7.
•The EM top system must now be initialized to restore normal operation.
Convertible Tops - 18

Convertible Tops - 19
EM TOP INITIALIZATION
Initialization of the system is required for the CVM to learn the end limits of the top storage
cover. The CVM counts the pulses from the integrated hall sensor in the cover motor to
determine the cover position.
An initialization run occurs automatically after every eighth operation of the top. This
ensures that the hall sensor counting circuit is not adversely affected by any backlash or
elasticity of the top cover drive mechanism.
The hall sensor counter reading is
stored in a NV RAM, however it is
possible for this data to be incor-
rect or out of sync for the following
conditions:
 Power supply interrupted while
top is in operation
 Electrical failures that require
manual closing of the top.
Follow the procedures on this page
or refer to Group 54 in the Repair
Manual of TIS.
INITIALIZATION PROCEDURE
1. The top must be placed in the storage compartment
 Motors engaged with the drives.
 Top storage cover closed
2. Ignition key switched OFF.
3. Press and hold the top switch in the lowering direction.
4. Switch the ignition on (KL R).
5. After approximately 10 seconds the top storage cover will start to close and lock.
6. At this point release the the top switch. The initialization procedure will continue run-
ning. The procedure is complete approximately 0.5 seconds after the top storage cover
is closed and locked.
NOTE: The initialization procedure can be interrupted by switching the ignition off.

Convertible Tops - 20
CONTROL MODULE DIAGNOSIS/TROUBLESHOOTING
 Faults that occur during opera-
tion of the top are stored in the
CVM.
 They are accessed with the DIS
Tester or MoDiC.
 The table reflects the possible
fault codes stored in the CVM.
 Additionally, the diagnostic
requests (status) and compo-
nent activation function pro-
vides quick diagnostic checks
of signal status and output
function of components.
 Always verify the control mod-
ule identification against the
tester display screen when
testing or troubleshooting the
EM top system.
 Always check any associated
or inter-connected systems
when troubleshooting EM top
problems. (ie: ZKE IV).
 Check the coding data to
make sure the control module
is coded correctly for the spe-
cific top system in the vehicle.
 Always use the latest software
available to test and trou-
bleshoot the system.Fault Code Description
1 Short to ground motor
2 Short to B+ motor
3 Position not plausible
4 Distance/time measurement of the
convertible top
5 Fault “rollover sensor”
6 Internal fault of the module
7 Current through CVM too great