300 BMW 323i 1995 E36 Owner's Manual

Fig
.
36
.
BMW
special
tool
no
.
11
2
300
installed
through
bellhousing
and
finto
flywheel
.

8
.
Remove
oil
line
fitting
from
VANOS
control
unit
.

NOTE-

Wrap
the
VANOS
oil
line
fitting
with
a
shop
to
absorb
leaking
oil
.

9
.
Using
hollow
bolt
and
seals
from
oil
supply
line,
instan

BMW
special
tool
no
.
11
3
450
(air
line
fitting)
and
con-
nect
a
supply
of
compressed
air
(30-115
psi)
to
VANOS

oil
fitting
.

10
.
Measure
and
record
distance
between
trigger
plate

edge
and
side
of
secondary
timing
chain
tensioner
.

See
Fig
.
37
.

Fig
.
37
.
VANOS
reference
measurement
(dimension
A)
between
trig-
ger
píate
(sender
gear)
and
side
of
secondary
chain
tensioner
.

CAMSHAFT
TIMING
CHAIN



117-
1
5

11
.
Disconnectharness
connector
from
VANOS
solenoid
.
Connect
BMW
special
tool
no
.
12
6
410
(electrical
test
lead)
to
VANOS
solenoid
connector
.

"
Connect
positive
(+)
test
lead
to
positive
(+)
terminal
ofbattery
Connect
negative
(-)
test
leadto
chassis
ground
.
solenoid
should
audibly
click
and
intake
cam-
shaft
should
advance
.

CA
UTION-

"
Be
sure
to
connect
the
test
hamess
polaritycor-
rectly
.
lf
the
polarity
is
reversed,
the
intemal
diode
in
the
VANOS
solenoid
will
be
destroyed
.
Although
the
solenoid
will
still
functionwith
a
faultydiode,
a
fault
code
may
be
set
in
the
ECM
memory
.

"
To
confirm
voltage
polarity,
turn
the
ignition
on
and
check
for
positive
(+)
batteryvoltage
at
the
terminal
corresponding
to
the
redlwhite
wire
in
the
main
harness
connector
.
Check
that
the
pos-
itive
terminal
(+)
in
the
main
connector
corre-
sponds
to
the
same
terminal
in
the
solenoid
connector
that
is
being
connected
to
the
battery
.

12
.
With
solenoid
actuated,
measure
and
record
new
dis-

tance
between
trigger
plate
edge
and
side'of
second-
ary
timing
chain
tensioner,
as
shown
in
Fig
.
37
.

13
.
Difference
between
first
measurement
(step
10)
andsecond
measurement
(step12)
should
be
at
least
8
.5
mm
(0
.3346
in
.)
.
lf
any
faults
arefound,
solenoid
may

be
faulty,
or
hydraulic
control
unit
may
be
faulty
or
incor-
rectly
installed
.

14
.
Check
VANOS
solenoid
byremoving
it
from
control
unit
.
Check
that
solenoid
plunger
and
control
unit

plunger
move
freely
.
Install
solenoid
using
tighteníng

torque
given
below
.

NOTE-

"
The
solenoid
is
available
asareplacement
part
.
lf
the
control
unit
plunger
is
sticking,
the
complete
control
unit
will
have
to
be
replaced
.

"lf
the
VANOS
system
does
not
advance
correctly
and
no
other
faults
can
be
found,
itis
possible
that
the
VANOS
control
unit
may
Nave
been
fnstalled
incor-
rectly-especially
if
the
camshaft
sprockets
have
pre-
víously
been
removed
for
other
repairs
.
Check
the
installation
by
removing
and
reinstalling
the
control
unit
as
described
later
.

VANOS
(VARIABLE
VALVE
TIMING)

117-
1
6



CAMSHAFT
TIMING
CHAIN

15
.
Remove
crankshaft
locking
tool
.
Remove
special
test

equipment
.
Insta¡¡
oil
supply
line
using
new
seals
and

reconnect
solenoid
connector
.
Remainder
of
installa-

tion
is
reverse
of
removal
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Cylinder
head
cover
to
cylinder
head
.
10
Nm
(89
in-lb)

"
VANOS
oil
supply
line
to
VANOS

control
unit
(banjo
bolt)



..
.........
32
Nm
(24
ft-Ib)

"
VANOS
solenoidlo
VANOS

control
unit
........
.
.
.
..
........
30
Nm
(22
ft-Ib)

VANOS
control
unit,
removing

Special
BMW
service
tools
are
required
lo
remove
and
in-

stall
the
VANOS
control
unit
.
Read
the
procedure
through
be-

forestarting
the
job
.

1
.
Remove
radiator
cooling
fan
shroud
and
cooling
fan
.

See
170
Radiator
and
Cooling
System
.

CAUTION-

Radiator
fan
has
left
hand
threads
.

2
.
Remove
top
plastic
engine
covers
.
Disconnect
ignition

coil
harness
connectors
from
coils
.
Remove
ignition

coils
.
Remove
cylinder
head
cover
.
Unclip
andremove

oil
baffle
cover
from
above
intake
camshaft
.See
113

Cylinder
Head
Removal
and
Installation
.

NOTE-

Make
note
of
the
mounting
bolt
insulator
arrangement
during
removal
of
the
cylinder
head
cover
.

3
.
Set
engine
lo
TDC
by
rotating
engine
in
normal
operat-

ing
direction
until
camshaft
lobes
at
cylinder
no
.
1
are

facing
each
other
and
"0/T"
mark
(0°TDC)
on
vibration

damper
lines
up
with
cast
boss
on
lower
timing
chain
cover
.
See
Fig
.
38
.

4
.
Lock
crankshaft
at
TDC
by
inserting
BMW
special
tool

no
.
11
2
300
through
transmission
bellhousing
and
finto

flywheel
or
drive
plate
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
36
given
earlier
.

NOTE-

Confirm
that
the
locking
tool
has
been
correctly
in-
stalled
by
trying
to
rotatethe
crankshaft
.

5
.
Remove
three
cylinder
head
cover
mounting
studs
from
rear
of
head
.
Lockcamshafts
at
TDC
bymounting

BMW
special
tool
no
.
11
3
240
at
ends
of
camshafts
.

Check
that
tool
is
squarely
seated
on
cylinder
head
gasket
surface
.
If
necessary,
rotate
camshafts
slightly
using
a24
mm
wrench
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
24
given
earlier
.

VANOS
(VARIABLE
VALVE
TIMING)

Fig
.
38
.
Camshafts
positioned
at
TDC-Cyl
.
No
.
1
cam
lobes
face
in
Note
0/T
mark
(0°TDC)
on
vibration
damper
alígned
with
boss
on
front
cover
.

CA
UTION-

Thecamshafts
mustbe
locked
in
the
TDC
position
using
the
specialservice
tool
or
an
equivalent
be-
fore
removing
the
timing
chain
.
Thearrows
on
the
sprockets
should
not
be
used
to
accurately
set
the
engine
to
TDC
The
special
tool
holds
the
cam-
shafts
parallel
to
each
other
and
perpendicular
to
the
valve
cover
gasket
surface
.

6
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
and
oil
line
fitting
from
bottom
of
VANOS
control
unit
.

NOTE-

Wrap
the
VANOS
oilfine
fitting
with
a
shop
rag
to
ab-
sorb
leaking
oil
.

7
.
Remove
two
access
plugs
from
VANOS
control
unit
in
frontof
exhaustcamshaft
sprocket
.
Loosen
4exhaustcamshaft
sprocket
mounting
bolts
but
do
not
remove

(Torx
El
0
socket)
.

NOTE-

Removal
of
the
access
plugs
allows
the
lower
exhaust
camshaft
sprocket
mounting
bolts
to
be
accessed
.

8
.
Depress
secondary
timing
chain
tensioner
and
lock
it
in
down
position
by
inserting
a
stiff
wire
into
rear
of
ten-
sioner
.
See
Fig
.
27
.

9
.
Remove
VANOS
control
unít
mounting
nuts
and
boltat

front
of
cylinder
head
.

10
.
On
cars
built
up
to
3/95
:
Slide
control
unit
off
front
of
cylinder
head,
hand
turning
the
exhaust
sprocket
clock-
wise
(as
viewedfrom
front)
as
the
unit
is
removed
.

11
.
On
cars
built
3/95
and
latee
:
Use
a
spanner
toolto
ro-
tate
exhaust
sprocket
until
stop
on'
intake
sprocket
is
contacted
.
See
Fig
.
39
.
Then
slide
control
unit
off
front
of
cylinder
head
.

EMAÑ

0012514

Fig
.
39
.
On
VANOS
control
unit
withspringplate
(cars
built
3/95
and
later),
rotate
exhaust
camshaft
sprocket
clockwise
until
intake



NOTE-
camshaft
contacts
stop
.
BMW
special
tool11
5490shown
.



BMW
special
tool
no
.
113
'390
is
a
dummy
chain
ten-
sioner
and
simulates
the
function
of
thetensioner
.

VANOS
control
unit,
installing

CAUTION
-

Incorrect
installation
of
the
VANOS
control
may
result
in
damage
to
the
engine
valvetráin
.

1
.
Lock
camshafts
and
crankshaft
in
TDC
positionwith
BMW
special
tools
as
described
above
in
removal
pro-

cedure
.

CA
UTION-

The
camshafts
and
crankshaft
mustbe
locked
in
the
TDC
position
using
BMW
special
tools
no
.
11
2
300and
113
240
.
If
the
camshafts
and
crank-
shaft
are
not
at
TDC,
the
valves
can
contact
the
pistons
when
the
engine
is
turned
over
.

NOTE-

Be
sure
the
secondary
timing
chain
tensioner
is
locked
down
and
the
exhaustcamshaft
mounting
bolts
are
loosebefore
proceeding
.

2
.
Remove
primary
timing
chain
tensioner
from
side
of

cylinder
head
.
See
Fig
.
40
.

CAMSHAFT
TIMING
CHAIN



117-
1
7

Fig
.
40
.
Primary
timing
chain
tensioner
(arrow)
.
Remove
tensioner
slowlyto
relieve
spring
tension
beneath
end
plug
.

3
.
Install
BMW
special
tool
no
.
11
3
390
into
primary
tim-
ing
chain
tensionersleeve
.
Thread
tool
in
finger
tight
to
remove
chain
slack
.

4
.
Hand
turn
secondary
sprocketsclockwise
(as
viewed
from
front
of
engine)
until
sprockets
contact
stops
.

5
.
Apply
a
small
amount
of
¡¡quid
gasketsealer
(3-Bond

1209
®
or
equivalent)
to
VANOS
housing
alignment

doweis
on
front
of
cylinder
head
.
lnstall
a
new
gasket
.

6
.
Push
VANOS
piston
gear
cup
finto
VANOS
housing
until

it
bottoms
out
in
housing
.
Position
VANOS
control
unitinto
place,
but
do
not
engage
splines
on
gear
cup
.

7
.
On
cars
built
up
to
3/95
:

"
Hand
turn
exhaust
sprocketcounterclockwise
(as

viewedfrom
front
of
engine)
only
enough
to
mesh
gear
cup
splines
with
camshaft
gear
:
"
Slowly
push
VANOS
control
unit
in
untilfully
seated,
guiding
chains
in
counterclockwise
direction
.

VANOS
(VARIABLE
VALVE
TIMING)

130-
8



FUEL
INJECTION

Fig
.
8
.



Fuel
pump
relayterminal
identification
.
1.
Peel
back
rubber
boot
on
oxygen
sensor
electrical
har-
ness
connector
(car
wiring
side)
.
With
connector
at-
Oxygen
sensor,
testing



tached
to
sensor,
connect
digital
voltmeter
to
pins
1
(BOSch
systems
only)



and
2
in
rear
of
connector
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

CAUTION-

"
The
information
inthis
sectionapplies
to
Bosch
engine
management
systems
only
.

"
The
Siemens
MS
41
.1
system
uses
resistive-type
oxygen
sensors
.
This
sensor
uses
a
5-volt
refer-
ence
signal
input
and
the
output
to
the
ECM
var-
ees
from
1-5
volts,
in
stepped
increments
based
on
oxygen
content
in
the
exhaust
.

NOTE-

"
On
pre-08D
11(1992-1995)
cars,
there
is
one
oxygen
sensor
mounted
upstream
of
the
catalytic
convert-
er(s)
in
the
exhaust
pipe
.
See
Fig
.
9
.
"
On
OBD
11
cars
(1996-1998)
cars,
there
is
one
oxygen
sensor
before
andone
after
each
catalytic
converter
.

"
OnM52
and
S52US
engines,
the
front
pairof
oxygen
sensors
are
installed
in
the
exhaust
manifolds
.

The
oxygen
sensor
providesan
input
voltage
signal
(0-1
VDC)
to
the
ECM
based
on
the
oxygen
content
in
the
exhaust
gas
.
TO
generate
voltage,
the
sensor
temperature
must
exceed
575°F
(300°C)
.
Therefore
it
ís
electrically
heated
.

NOTE-

"
The
test
given
below
is
not
a
conclusive
test
of
oxygen
sensor
efficiency
and
does
not
test
how
quickly
the
oxygensensor
can
react
to
changing
conditions
.

"
Pin
numbers
and
wirecolors
can
vary
.
Always
check
the
wiring
diagrams
to
conflrm
wire
color
and
pinas-
signment
.

ELECTRICAL
CHECKS
AND
COMPONENT
TESTING

0013135

Fig
.
9
.



Oxygen
sensor
location
(arrow)
ahead
of
catalytic
converter
.
3181
model
with
M42
engine
shown
.

1
.
Black
(ground)
2
.
Grey
(signal)



4
.
White
(heater
circuit)
3
.
White
(heater
circuit)

0013189
Fig
.
10
.
Oxygen
sensor
connector
terminal
identification
(sensor
sede)
.
Terminals
numbers
are
molded
into
connector
.

2
.
Start
engine
.
Oxygen
sensorshould
start
to
output
a
fluctuating
voltage
within
a
short
period
.
If
voltage
is
in-
correct,
turn
engine
off
and
check
preheater
circuit
as
described
below
.

WARNING
-

Exhaust
manifolds
and
pipes
can
be
hot
enough
to
cause
serious
burns
.
Wear
suitable
heavy
gloves
and
other
appropriate
protection
.

230-
4



MANUAL
TRANSMISSION

Output
shaft
sea¡,
replacing

(transmission
installed)

1
.
Raise
and
safely
support
vehicle
.
Support
transmission

with
transmission
jack
.

WARNING
-

"
When
raising
thecar
using
a
floor
jack
or
a
hy-
draulic
lift,
carefully
position
the
jack
pad
to
pre-vent
damaging
the
car
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
driveshaft
.
See
260
Driveshaft
.

3
.
Remove
transmission
crossmember
and
lower
trans-

mission
at
rear
.

CAUTION-

Tilting
the
engine
to
lower
thetransmissíon
can
lead
to
damage
to
various
componente
due
to
lackof
clearance
.
-On
cars
with
AST
(traction
control)
remove
throt-
tle
body
before
tilting
engine
.
-Remove
brake
fluid
reservoir
if
necessary
.

4
.
Bend
back
and
remove
collar
nut
lockplate
.

5
.
Hold
flange
steady
andremove
collar
lock
nut
(use

30mm
thin-walled
deep
socket
.)
See
Fig
.
5
.

Fig
.
5
.



Use
holding
tool
when
loosening
output
shaft
collar
nut
.

6
.
Remove
flange
.
If
necessary,
use
a
puller
.

7
.
Use
a
sea¡
puller
to
remove
seal
from
transmission
housing
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

8
.
Coat
new
sea¡
wíth
transmission
fluid
and
drive
into
po-
sition
until
it
is
flush
with
housing
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

TRANSMISSIONSERVICE

Fig
.
6
.



Puller
used
to
remove
transmission
seal
.

Fig
.
7
.



Output
shaftseal
being
installed
using
seal
driver
(BMW
spe-
cial
tool
no
.
232
300)
.

9
.
Reinstall
output
flange
(and
shims,
if
applicable)
to
out-

put
shaft
.

NOTE-

On
Getrag
S5D200G
and
S5D
250G
transmissions
BMW
recommends
heating
theoutputflange
to
about
176°F
(80°C)
to
aid
in
installation
.
This
canbe
done
by
placing
the
flange
in
hot
water
.

10
.
Coat
bearingsurface
ofcollar
nut
withsealer
and
install
nut
.
Tighten
collar
nut
in
two
stages
.
Insta¡¡
new
lock-
plate
.
Bend
tabs
into
flange
grooves
.

NOTE-

BMW
recommends
the
use
of
a
sealer
such
as
Loctite
®
242
when
installing
the
flange
collar
nut
to
prevent
oil
from
leaking
past
the
threads
.

SUSPENSION,
STEERING
ANDBRAKES-GENERAL



300-1

300
Suspension,
Steering

and
Brakes-General

GENERAL
.....
.
....
.
.....
.
.
.
........
.300-1



M3
SUSPENSION
AND
BRAKES
.......
.
...
300-7

Front
Suspension
..........
.
.
.
...
.
.....
300-1

Steering
...
.
.
.
.
.
....
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
...
.
...
.
.
300-2



SUSPENSION
AND
STEERING

Rear
Suspension
....
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
...
.
.....
300-2



TROUBLESHOOTING
..
.
.
.
.............
300-7

Brakes
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
....
.
...........
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2

Tires
and
wheeis
.
................
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2



TABLE

a
.
AST
Indicator
Lamp
Function
..
..
.
..
.
.........
300-5

INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS
.........
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2



b
.
Suspension
and
Steering
Troubleshooting
......
.300-8

Antilock
Brake
System
(ABS)
.......
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-2

Al¡
Season
Traction
(AST)
.........
.
.
.
.
.
.
300-4

GENERAL



Front
Suspension

This
section
covers
general
information
for
front
and
rear



The
lower
control
arms
connect
the
front
suspension
struts

suspension,
the
steering
system,
and
the
brakíng
and
traction



to
mounting
points
on
the
subframe
crossmember
and
the

control
systems
.



body
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

The
BMW
E36
suspension
and
steering
systems
are
engi-

neered
to
provide
a
compromise
between
taut,
responsive
handling
and
ride
comfort
.
Although
the
front
and
rear
suspen-
sion
assemblies
are
independent
subsystems,
they
work
to-

gether
to
achieve
BMW's
overall
combination
of
precise

handling
and
comfort
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

Fig
.
1
.



BMW
E36
front
and
rear
suspension
systems
.

Each
front
strut
assembly
includes
a
shock
absorber
car-

tridgeinside
the
tubular
strut
housing
and
a
large
coil
spring
.

The
upper
strut
mount
bearing
allows
the
strutto
turnwith
the

wheels
.
The
lower
end
of
the
strut,
which
includes
the
stub
axle
for
the
front
wheel,
connects
to
a
ball-joint
on
the
control
arm
.

0013098

GENERAL

300-2



SUSPENSION,
STEERING
AND
BRAKES-GENERAL

Steering

INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS

The
steering
linkage
connects
the
rack-and-pinion
unit
through
tie
rodsto
the
steering
arms
.
The
tie
rod
ends
allow
the
wheels
to
pivot
and
react
to
suspension
travel
.

Rear
Suspension

The
rear
axle
carrier
is
the
main
mounting
point
for
the
final

drive
housing
and
the
rear
suspension
components
.

Trailing
arms
locatethe
rear
wheels
and
anchorthe
springs,

shocks
and
stabilizer
bar
.
Driveaxies
with
constant-velocity

(CV)
joints
at
both
ends
transfer
power
from
the
differential
to

the
road
wheels
.
The
differential
is
mounted
to
the
rearaxle

carrier
through
rubber
mountsand
bushings
to
hele
isolate

drivetrain
noise
and
vibration
.

Brakes

E36
cars
areequipped
with
power
disc
brakes
with
an
inte-
gral
antilock
brakes
(ABS)
.
The
parking
brake
is
a
dual-drum

system
integrated
with
the
rear
brake
rotors
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

Power
assist
is
provided
by
a
vacuum
booster
when
the
en-

gine
is
running
.
The
brakepedal
pushrod
is
connected
directly

to
the
master
cylinder,
so
failure
of
the
vacuum
booster
does

not
normally
result
in
total
brake
failure
.

0012124



Each
disc
brakeuses
a
caliper
with
a
single
hydraulic
cylin-
Fig
.
2
.



Front
suspension
control
arm
(arrow)
.



der
.
Brake
pads
in
the
left
front
and
right
rear
contain
wear

sensors
.
When
the
padsneed
replacement,the
sensors
illu-
The
front
suspension
is
designed
with
minimum
positive



minate
a
light
on
the
dashboard
.
steering
offset
.
This
geometry
contributes
to
stability
when

traction
is
unequalfrom
side
to
side
.
Suspension
travel
is
lim-



Tires
and
Wheels
ited
by
rubber
bump
stops
.

The
three
point
mounting
of
each
L-shaped
control
arm
ere-



Tiresize
is
critica¡
to
the
proper
operatíon
of
the
E36
ABS
or

cisely
controls
the
front-to-rear
and
side-to-side
position
of
the



ABS/AST
system
.
Severa¡
different
styles
of
wheels,
in
15,16

strut,
while
the
flexibility
of
the
joints
and
mounts
alsoallows



and
17
inch
diameters,
are
available
from
an
authorized
BMW

the
movement
necessary
for
suspension
travel
.
The
control



dealer
.

arm
mounting
points
are
designed
with
anti-dive
geometry
.

The
suspension
reduces
the
normaltendency
for
the
front
of



NOTE-
the
vehicle
to
dive
under
hard
braking
.



Aftermarket
wheelsshould
be
selected
wlth
care
.
Im-
properly
fitted
wheels
can
contact
anddamage
sus

Control
arm
position
is
fixed,
with
no
adjustment
provisions



pension,
brakeorbodycomponentsandmayadversely

on
the
control
arms
for
alter¡ng
front
wheel
al
ignment
.
A
stabi-



affect
vehicle
stability
.

lizer
bar
mounted
to
both
control
arms
heles
to
reduce
body
rol¡
whencomering
.



INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS

Antilock
Brake
System
(ABS)
is
standard
on
all
E36
cars
.

The
variable-assist
power
steering
system
consists
of
an



Standard
on
some
models
and
installed
as
optional
equipment
on

engine-driven
hydraulic
pump,
a
rack-and-pinion
type
steer-



others,
is
All
Season
Traction
(AST)
.

ing
gear,
and
connecting
linkage
to
the
road
wheels
.
TheE36
utilizes
an
engine-speed
dependent
variable
effort
steering



Antilock
Brake
System
(ABS)

system
.
At
low
speeds,
maximum
power
assist
is
provided
to
ease
parking
and
city
driving
.
Athigh
speeds,
assist
is
re-



The
electronically-controlled
ABS
maintains
vehícle
stabili
duced
to
ensure
stability
.



ty
and
control
during
emergency
braking
by
preventing
wheel
lock-up
.
ABS
provides
optimum
deceleration
and
stability
dur-

Wheel
brake
caliper

Electronic
control
module
Fig
.
4
.



Schematic
representation
of
ABS
.

SUSPENSION,
STEERING
ANDBRAKES-GENERAL



300-3

Fig
.
3
.



Schematic
view
ofdual
circuit
brakes
with
4-channel
ABS
.

ing
adverse
conditions
.
It
automatically
adjusts
brake
system
hydraulic
pressure
at
each
wheel
to
prevent
wheel
lock-up
.

The
system's
main
components
arethe
wheel
speed
(pulse)
sensors,
the
ABS
control
module,
and
the
hydraulic

control
unit
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

Warning
lamp

u
Master

Whee

_

l
speed



I-lydraulic



cylinder

sensor



control
unit



0012135

UNI

The
wheel
speed
sensors
continuously
send
wheel
speed
signals
to
the
control
module
.
See
Fig
.
5
.
The
control
module
compares
these
signals
to
determine,
in
fractions
of
a
second,
whether
any
of
the
wheels
areabout
to
lock
.
If
any
wheel
is
nearing
a
lock-up
condition,
the
module
signals
the
hydraulic
unit
to
maintain
or
reduce
pressure
at
the
appropriatewheel(s)
.
Pressure
is
modulated
by
electrically-operated
sole-

noid
valves
in
the
hydraulic
unit
.

Fig
.
5
.



ABS
wheelspeed
sensor
.

0006563

INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS

300-4



SUSPENSION,
STEERING
AND
BRAKES-GENERAL

Three-channel
ABS
ís
used
on
al[
E36
cars
equipped
with



Al¡
Season
Traction
(AST)
standard
ABS
.
Each
front
wheelhas
a
separate
solenoid

valve
to
modulate
hydraulic
pressure
to
that
brake
caliper
.



The
traction
control
system
works
in
conjunction
with
ABS
The
rear
wheels
are
modulated
asa
pair,
controlled
by
a
sin-



and
the
engine
management
system
to
enhance
vehicle
con
gle
solenoid
valve
.



trol
.
The
main
function
of
the
AST
system
is
to
maintain
the
rolling

contact
between
the
tires
and
the
road
surface
under
al¡
driving
E36
cars
equipped
with
ABS/AST
utilize
a
four
channel
sys-



conditions
.
This
is
achieved
through
exact
application
and
tem,
which
functionsexactly
as
the
three
channelsystem



management
of
braking
and
drivetrain
forces
.
above,except
that
the
rear
wheels
are
modulated
individually
.

IDLE
SPEED
CONTROL
VALVE

HROTTLE
PLATE

6
.

Í
III

i



ADS
ACTU
AT
OR

THROTTLE
PLATE
POSITION
SENSOR

DME

Fig
.
6
.
All
Season
Traction
(AS)
works
withother
drivetrain
systems
to
enhance
vehicle
control
.

INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS

The
throttle
control
system
used
in
AST
is
illustrated
in
Fig
.

MASS
AIR
FLOW
SENSOR

JADS
THROTTLE
PLATE
POSITION
SENSOR

0013006

NOTE-

The
traction
control
system
referred
to
as
AST
(all
sea-
son
traction)
may
also
be
referred
to
as
ASC
(Automat-
ic
Stability
Control)
and
ASC+T
(Automatic
Stability
Control+Traction)
.

The
AST
system
improves
traction
by
electronically
apply-

ing
the
rear
brakes
when
therear
drive
wheels
are
spinning
at

a
faster
rate
than
the
front
wheels
.
The
combined
ABS/AST

control
module,
operating
through
the
ABS
hydraulic
control

unit,
modulates
braking
force
at
therear
wheels
.

In
addition,
AST
uses
retarded
ignition
timing
and
an
auxil-iary
engine
throttle
plate
to
reduceengine
torque
and
maintain

vehicle
stability
.

The
auxiliary
throttle
plate
is
held
open
by
spring
pressure
.

The
AST
system
actívates
the
auxiliary
throttie
position
motor

(ADS)
to
cose
the
AST
throttle
as
needed
.
This
reduces
the

volume
of
engine
intake
air
.
Due
to
the
throttle
closing
very
rapidly
during
AST
operationthe
driver
cannot
increase
theengine
power
output
regardless
of
how
far
theaccelerator
pedal
is
pushed
to
the
floor
.

The
auxiliary
throttle
plate
is
placed
ahead
of
the
conven-

tional
throttle
plate
in
the
throttle
body
.

Traction
control
also
comes
into
operationduringdecelera-
tion
.
Decelerating
on
snowy
or
icy
road
surfaces
can
lead
to
rear
wheel
slip
.
If
a
rear
wheel
startsto
drag
or
lock
up
when

the
throttle
is
closed
rapidly
orduringdownshifting,the
AST
system
can
limit
the
problem
by
advancing
the
ignition
timing
.

A
switch
on
the
center
console
is
used
to
togglethe
AST
on

or
off
.

The
AST
system
is
designed
to
be
maintenance
free
.
There

are
no
adjustments
that
can
be
made
.
Repair
and
trouble-
shooting
of
the
AST
system
requires
special
test
equipment

andknowledgeand
should
be
performed
only
by
an
autho-

rized
BMW
dealer
.
Table
a
lists
theconditions
indicated
by

the
AST
indicator
light
in
the
instrument
cluster

SUSPENSION,
STEERING
AND
BRAKES-GENERAL



300-5

Tablea
.
AST
Indicator
Lamp
Function

Indicator
lamp



1
Condition



1
Comment

Light
on



Normal
AST
start-



Automatic
AST
up



self-test

Light
off



AST
monitoring



Automatic
AST
op-
mode



eration

Press
AST
button,



AST
off
(disabled)



Rocking
the
car
tolight
comes
on



getout
of
snow
or
other
loose
surface
Driving
with
snow
chains

Press
AST
button
:



AST
monitoring



Automatic
AST
op-
light
goes
out



I
mode



eration

Light
flashes



AST
active
mode



I
Normal
AST
oper-
ation
as
it
controls
wheel
speed

Light
stays
on
af-



Defect
in
AST



Consult
BMW
ter
start
up
or



dealer
for
diagno-
comes
on
while



sis/repair
driving



(Vehicle
operation
remains
normal)

WARNING
-

Even
a
car
with
AST
is
subject
to
the
normal
physi-
cal
laws
.
Avoid
excessive
speeds
for
the
road
con-
ditions
encountered
.

CAUTION-
"
If
the
tires
on
the
carare
of
different
makes,
the
AST
system
may
over-react
.
Only
fit
tires
of
the
same
make
and
tread
pattem,

"In
adverse
conditions,
such
as
trying
to
rock
the
car
outof
deep
snow
or
another
soft
surface,
or
when
snow
chainsare
fitted,
it
is
advisable
to
switch
off
AST
and
allow
the
cars
driveline
to
op-
erate
conventionally
.

INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS