rear BMW 328i 1997 E36 Workshop Manual

When
bleeding
the
brakes,
startat
the
wheel
farthest
from



4
.
Close
bleeder
screw
and
release
brake
pedal
.
Refill
the
master
cylinder
and
progress
in
the
following
order
:



brake
fluid
reservoir
and
proceed
to
rear
left
wheel
.

"
right
rear
brake



5
.
Proceed
with
the
remaining
wheels
using
the
order
list-

"
left
rear
brake



ed
earlier
.

"
rightfront
brake

"
left
front
brake

Pressure
bleeding
brakes

(except
carswith
AST)

1
.
Top
off
brake
fluid
in
reservoir
and
connect
pressure

bleeder
to
reservoir
.
Connect
bleeder
hose
and
bottle
to
right
rearcaliper
bleeder
screw
.
Pressurize
system

to
approximately
1
bar
(14
.5
psi)
.

BRAKES
340-
3

Tightening
Torques

"
Bleeder
screws
:

7
mm
screw
..........
..
.
.
.
.
......
5
Nm
(4
ft-Ib)

9
mm
screw
..........
..
.
..
.......
6
Nm
(5
ft-Ib)

BRAKE
PADS,
CALIPERS,
AND
ROTORS

CAUTION-



TheE36
front
brake
caliper
is
shown
in
Fig
.
2
.
The
rear

Do
not
exceed
a
pressure
of
2
bar
(29
psi)
when



brake
caliper
is
shown
in
Fig
.
7
.

pressure
bleeding
the
brake
system
.
Excessive
pressure
will
damage
the
brake
fluid
reservoir
.



Brake
pads
canbe
replaced
without
disconnecting
the
brake
fluid
hose
from
the
caliper
or
having
to
bleed
the
brakes
.

2
.
Have
a
helperhold
brake
pedal
down
.



The
rotors
can
be
replaced
without
disassembling
the
wheel
huband
bearing
.
Always
machine
or
replace
rotors
in
parts
.

3
.
Open
bleeder
screw
.
See
Fig
1
.
Have
helper
slowly
,



Replace
pads
in
sets
.

pump
brakes
about10
times
with
bleeder
screw
open,

holding
pedal
down
on
the
last
pump
.
When
escaping



WARNING-

fluid
is
free
of
air
bubbles,
close
bleeder
screw
.



"
Althoughsemi-metallicandmetallicbrake
friction
materials
in
brake
pads
or
shoes
no
longer
con

CAUTION-



tain
asbestos,
they
produce
dangerous
dust
.

Bleeder
hose
must
alwaysremain
submersed
in



"
Treat
all
brake
dust
asa
hazardous
material
.
the
clean
brake
fluid
whenever
the
bleeder
valve
is
open
.



"
Do
not
create
dust
by
grinding,
sanding,
orclean-
ing
brake
friction
surfaces
with
compressed
air
.

"
Breathing
any
brake
dust
can
cause
serious
dis-
eases
such
as
cancer,
and
may
result
in
death
.

Brake
pads,
replacing

This
procedure
is
applicable
lo
both
front
and
rear
brakes
.

Front
and
rear
brake
assemblies
are
basically
the
same,
ex-

cept
that
the
rear
brake
rotors
house
the
parking
brake
mech-

anism

1
.
Raise
car
andremove
wheels
.

WARNING
-

Make
sure
thecar
is
firmly
supported
onjack
stands
designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
stands
be-
neath
a
structural
chassis
point
.
Do
not
place
jack
stands
undersuspension
parts
.

2
.
Remove
plastic
caps
from
guide
bolts
and
then
remove

guide
bolts
.
See
Fig
.
3
.

0012113



3
.
If
applicable,
disconnect
brake
pad
wear
sensor
con-
Fig
.
1
.



Brake
caliper
bleeder
screw
(arrow)
.



nector
and
remove
wiring
from
its
holder
.

4
.
Remove
anti-rattle
clip
from
caliper
.
See
Fig
.
4
.

BRAKE
PADS,
CALIPERS,
AND
ROTORS

340-
6BRAKES

bolt~



Guide
bolt

caps
covers
Brake
caliper
Shoe
retaining
píns

Parking
brake
cable

Fig
.
7
.



Rear
brake
caliper
assembly
.

Caliper
guide



Brake



ad
bolts
,



Bleeder
valve



i
_
~wear
sénsor
®



and
dust
cap



(right
wheel
V
.
.,,,

Brake
caliper,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Raise
car
and
remove
wheel
.

WARNING
-

Make
sure
the
car
is
firmly
supported
on
jack
standsdesigned
for
the
purpose
.

2
.
Loosen
brake
hose
fitting
at
caliper
.
Do
not
remove
.

3
.
Remove
caliper
mounting
bolts
from
steering
arm
(Font

caliper)or
from
trailing
arm
(rear
caliper)
.
See
Fig
.
8
.

4
.
Press
piston
back
into
caliper
and
slide
caliper
off
brake

rotor
.
Spin
caliper
off
brake
hose
.

5
.
Inspect
brake
caliper
for
signs
of
leakage
.
Check
that
caliper
piston
slides
smoothly
into
caliper
.
Replace
cal-

iper
if
any
faults
are
found
.

6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Bleed
entire
brake

system
before
driving
car
.
See
Bleeding
Brakes
.

Tightening
Torques

"
Front
brake
caliper
to
steering
arm
..
110
Nm
(81
ft-Ib)

"
Rear
brake
caliper
to
trailing
arm
....
67
Nm
(50
ft-Ib)

"
Brake
fluid
hose
to
caliper
....
17-19
Nm
(13-14
ft-Ib)

"
Road
wheel
to
hub



........
100±10
Nm
(74±7
ft-Ib)

BRAKE
PADS,CALIPERS,
ANDROTÓRS

Cover

Caliper



!



Brake
pad
Oringiston



carne
-
p

Circli

©
ot~
AV
~:
Z



1vo~
Spring
and
spring
retainer



uust
seas



~~



Aniráttle

j),
Brake



spring
Shoe
pads
_
_

adjuster



per
return

nf

MIL

Rotor
with
integrated
parking
brake
drum
6573

0011256

Fig
.
8
.



Front
brake
pad
carrier
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.
Rear
caliper
mounting
bolts
are
similar
.

Brake
rotor,
removing
and
installing

Brake
rotors
shouldalways
be
replaced
in
pairs
.

Fig
.
9
.



Brake
rotor
mounting
screw
(arrow)
.

3
.
Inspect
rotor
for
excessive
grooving,
cracks,
and
warp-

ing
.
Check
rotor
thickness
.
See
Table
b
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

"
Clean
rotor
with
brakecleaner
before
installing
.

"
If
brake
fluid
hose
veas
removed
or
loosened,
brake

systemmustbe
bled
as
described
aboveunder

Bleeding
Brakes
.

BRAKES
340-
7

5
.
Once
brake
assembly
is
instalind,
depress
brakepedal

several
times
to
adjust
caliper
and
pads
.

"
Pedal
should
feel
firm
and
be
at
proper
height
.

"
Check
fluid
leve¡
.
Top
up
if
necessary
.

NOTE-

M3
models
use
directional
brake
rotors
and
mustbe
in-



NOTE-

stalled
on
the
proper
side
.
Part
numbes
are
cast
finto



When
installing
new
rear
brake
rotors,
the
parking

therotors
.
A
part
that
ends
in
an
odd
number
is
a
left



brakeshouldbe
adjusted
.
See
Parking
Brake
.

rotor
.
One
that
ends
in
an
even
number
is
a
right
rotor
.

1.
Remove
caliper
as
described-above
and
hang
from



Tightening
Torques
chassis
using
stiff
wire
.



"
Brake
rotor
to
wheel
hub
..........
16
Nm
(12
ft-Ib)

"
Front
brake
caliper
to
steering
arm
...
110
Nm
(81
ft-Ib)

NOTE-



"
Rear
brake
caliper
to
traíling
arm
....
67
Nm
(50
ft-Ib)

Do
notloosen
caliper
brake
hose
.



"
Road
wheel
to
hub



...
..
.
100
±
10
Nm
(74
t
7
ft-Ib)

2
.
Remove
mountingscrew
holding
rotor
to
wheel
hub
.



,

See
Fig
.
9
.



Table
b
.
Brake
Rotor
Reconditioning
Specificati*M`

Front
Rear

Vented
rotor
wear
limit
(min
.
thickness)



20
.4
mm
(0
.803
in.)

Solid
rotor
wear
limit
(min
.
thickness)



8
.4
mm
(0.331
in
.)

M3
models
wear
limit
(min
.
thickness)



26
.4mm
(0
.977
in
.)



18
.4
mm
(0
.723
in
.)

Axial
runout
(max
.)
rotor
removed



0
.05
mm
(0
.002
in
.)



0
.05
mm
(0
.002
in
.)
rotor
installed



0
.20
mm
(0
.008
in
.)



0
.20
mm
(0
.008
in
.)

CAUTION-

M3
brake
rotors
must
not
be
machined
.

MASTER
CYLINDER

The
brake
master
cylinder
is
mounted
to
the
front
of
the
vac-

uum
booster
on
the
driver
side
bulkhead
.

Master
cylinder,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Using
a
clean
syringe,
empty
brake
fluid
reservoir
.

WARNING
-

Brake
fluid
is
highly
corrosive
and
dangerous
to
the

environment
.
Dispose
of
it
properly
.

NOTE-

On
original
equipment
rotors,
the
mínimum
allowable



2
.
Disconnect
brake
fluid
leve¡
sender
connector
from
fluid

thickness
is
stamped
on
the
rotor
hub
.
Measure
the
rotor



reservoi
r
cap
.

brakingsurface
with
a
micrometer
at
eight
to
ten
different

points
and
use
the
smallest
measurement
recorded
.



3
.
Disconnect
brake
fluid
lines
frommaster
cylinder
.
See

Fig
.
10
.
Disconnect
hydraulic
clutch
system
supply
line
.

4
.
Unscrew
mounting
nuts
and
remove
master
cylinder

from
brake
booster
.

5
.
Make
sure
all
nuts,
fluid
couplings,
thread
bores,
and

mating
surfaces
are
clean
.

MASTER
CYLINDER

6
.
Disconnect
ABS
electrical
connectors
.
Label
and
then

disconnect
brake
lines
from
hydraulic
brake
unit
.
Plug

openíngs
.
See
Fig
.
12
.

~
~
A
1/
B
'1v
C
~
F

lu
11
-ri
J
.

0013244
A
.
Right
front



F



Front
from
master
cylinder
B
.
Leftfront



R
.
Rear
from
master
cylinder
C
.
Rear

Fig
.
12
.
Brake
fluid
linesat
ABS
hydraulic
unit
.

WARNING
-

"
On
cars
with
All
Season
Traction
(AST),
special
BMW
service
equipment
is
required
to
properly
bleed
the
Antilock
Brake
System
(ABS)
.
Removal
of
the
ABS
hydraulic
unit
is
not
recommended
un-
less
this
equipment
is
available
.
For
safetyrea-
sons,
the
brake
system
on
cars
with
ABS
must

not
be
bled
using
the
procedures
described
inthis
repair
group
.

"
Do
not
mix
up
the
fluid
fines
at
the
ABS
hydraulic
unit
Label
all
connections
before
disconnecting
.

7
.
Remove
ABS
hydraulic
unit
from
engine
compartment
.

8
.
Working
inside
car,
remove
panel(s)
frombeneath

steering
column
to
access
pedal
assembly
.
See513
In-

terior
Trim
.

12
.
Make
sure
al¡
nuts,
fluid
couplings,
thread
bores
and

mating
surfaces
are
clean
.

BRAKES
340-
9

0011261

Fig
.
13
.
Brake
pedal
clevispin
and
retaining
clip
(A)
.
Brake
booster
mounting
nuts
shown
at
arrows
.

13
.
If
necessary,
mount
master
cylinder
to
vacuum
booster

using
a
new
O-ríng
and
newself-locking
nuts
.

CAUTION-

Do
not
over-torque
the
master
cylinder
mounting
bolts
.
This
could
damage
the
brake
booster
and
prevent
proper
vacuum
build-up
.

14
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
Rmoval
.

"
Bleed
brakes
as
described
earlier
.

"
Check
and,
if
necessary,
adjust
brake
light
switch

above
brake
pedal
.

Tightening
Torques

"
Brakemaster
cylinder
to

brake
booster
...........
.
..
..
...
26
Nm
(18
ft-Ib)

"
Brake
booster
to
bulkhead
.
.
..
..
...
22
Nm
(16
ft-Ib)

"
Brake
fluidline
to
master
cylinder
or

ABS
hydraulic
unit
.......
.
..
17-19
Nm
(13-14
ft-lb)
9
.
Remove
clip
and
clevis
pin
from
brake
booster
pushrod

and
disconnect
it
from
brakepedal
.
Remove
brake

booster
mounting
nuts
.
See
Fig
.
13
.
NOTE-

10
.
Working
in
engine
compartment,
remove
brake
booster



When
replacing
the
brake
booster
one-way
valve
or
together
with
master
cylinder
.



vacuum
hose,
install
the
valve
so
that
the
molded
arrow

is
pointing
toward
the
intake
manifold
.
Use
new
hose

11
.
If
booster
or
master
cylinder
O-ring
is
being
replaced,



clamps
.

disconnect
master
cylinder
from
brake
booster
.

BRAKE
BOOSTER

340-
1
0
BRAKES

PARKING
BRAKE

The
parking
brake
is
a
brake
drum
system
integrated
into
the
rear
brake
rotors
.
See
Fig
.
14
.

Adjustment
of
the
shoes
may
benecessary
compensate
for
wear
.
The
parking
brake
should
also
be
adjusted
any
time
the
cable,
the
rear
brake
rotor,
or
the
parking
brake
shoes
are
re-
placed
.

Lower
Parking
brake



Parking
brake



retum
shoe
actuator
spring

Fig
.
14
.
Parking
brake
shoeassembly
.

Parking
brake,
adjusting

2
.
Raise
rearof
car
.

PARKING
BRAKE

Shoe
retainer



Rotor
with
and
spring



integrated
parking
brake

Shoe



drum
I

adjuster



Upper
return
spring

-í
<~
:
:

Rotor
mounting
screw

WARNING
-

Make
sure
the
car
is
firmly
supported
on
jack
stands
designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
stands
be-
neatha
structural
chassis
point
.
Do
not
placejack
stands
undersuspension
parts
.

0011265
3
.
Remove
one
lug
bolt
from
each
rear
wheel
.
Turnroad
wheel
until
lug
bolt
hole
lines
úp
with
parking
brake
ad-
juster
(approximately
65°
to
rear
of
wheel
centerline)
.
See
Fig
.
16
.

4
.
Usinga
screwdriver,
turn
adjusterto
expand
brake
shoes
until
road
wheel
canno
longer
turn,
then
back
adjuster
off
.
Repeatprocedureon
other
rear
wheel
.

Fig
.
15
.
Parking
brake
cable
adjustingnuts
(arrows)
.

The
parking
brake
can
be
adjusted
with
the
wheels
in-

stalled,
although
the
rear
wheels
will
have
to
be
raised
off
the



1



f
l



i\
aground
.

1
.
Lift
parking
brake
lever
boot
out
of
console
.
While
hold-
ing
cables
stationary,
loosen
parking
brake
cable
nuts
until
cablesare
completely
slack
.
See
Fig
.
15
.

0011263
0012727

Fig
.
16
.
Access
parking
brake
shoe
adjuster
approxímately
65°
to
rear
of
vertical
.
Use
flat-bladed
screwdriver
to
turnadjuster
.
On
left
wheel,
turn
adjuster
in
direction
1
to
expand
shoes
.
On
ríght
wheel,
turn
adjuster
in
direction
2
to
expand
shoes
.

Parking
Brake
Adjusting
(initial)

"
Back
off
adjuster
through
wheel
lug
bolt
hole
ex
.
M3
models
.........
..
...
...
.
...
.
18notches
M3
models
............
.
.....
..
..
..
.
.
8notches
5
.
Working
inside
car,
set
parking
brake
several
times
to
seat
cable
.
Then
pull
parking
brake
lever
up
four
notch-
es
.
Tighten
cable
adjusting
nuts
until
it
is
just
possible
to
turnrear
wheels
with
slight
resistance
.

6
.
Release
lever
and
make
sure
rear
wheels
turn
freely
.

7
.
Turn
on
ignition
.
Check
that
light
comes
on
as
soonas



4
.
Remove
parkíng
brake
shoes
as
described
above
.

lever
is
pulled
up
.
5
.
Disconnect
cable
from
parking
brake
actuator
and
then

8
.
Install
parking
brake
lever
boot
.
Install
road
wheel
lug



remove
parking
brakecable
from
cable
holder
on
trail-

bolts
.



ing
arm
.
See
Fig
.
17
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Road
wheel
to
hub
.
..
......
100±10
Nm
(74±7
ft-Ib)

Parking
brake
shoes,

removing
and
installing

1.
Raise
rear
of
car
andremove
road
wheels
.

WARNING
-

Make
sure
the
car
is
firmly
supportedon
jack
stands

designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
stands
be-

neath
a
structural
chassis
point
.
Do
not
place
jack

stands
undersuspension
parts
.

2
.
Without
disconnecting
brake
fluid
hose,
remove
rear

brake
calipers
from
trailing
arms
.
Remove
rear
brake

rotors
.
See
Brake
Pads,
Calipers
and
Rotors
.

CA
UTION-

Do
not
let
the
brake
caliper
assembly
hang
from

the
brake
hose
.
Support
caliper
from
chassis
with
strong
wire
.

3
.
Unhook
upper
return
spring
from
brake
shoes
.
Remove

shoe
retainers
bypushing
them
in
and
rotating
1
/4turn
.

BMW
special
tool
no
.
344
000
can
beused
to
remove

retainers,
if
needed
.

4
.
Spread
shoes
apart
and
lift
them
out
.



7
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Adjust
parking
brake

as
described
earlier
.

NOTE-

When
removing
the
brake
shoes
the
shoe
expander
pivot
pin
in
the
brake
actuator
may
fall
out
.

Two
versions
of
the
Antilock
Brake
System
(ABS)
are
in-

5
.
Inspect
shoe
expander
to
make
sure
it
functions
prop-



stalled
onthe
cars
coveredby
this
manual
.
Early
cars
use
the

erly
.
Apply
a
thin
coat
of
grease
tosliding
parts
and



Teves
Mark
IV
G
ABS
.
Later
cars
use
the
Teves
Mark
20-I

pins
.



ABS
.
The
main
difference
between
the
two
systems
is
that
the

Mark
20-I
system
integrates
the
ABS
control
module
into
the

6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Be
sure
to
adjust



hydraulic
unit
as
a
single
component
.

parking
brake
cables
as
described
earlier
.

ABS
is
designed
to
be
maintenance
free
.
There
are
noad
Parking
brake
cable,
replacing



justments
that
canbe
made
to
the
system
.
Repair
and
trouble-

shooting
of
the
major
ABS
components
requires
special
test

1
.
Raise
rear
of
car
and
remove
road
wheels
.



equipment
and
knowiedge
and
should
be
done
by
an
autho-

rized
BMW
dealer
.

2
.
Remove
rear
brake
caliper
and
rotor
.
See
Brake
Pads,

Calipers
and
Rotors
.

3
.
Working
inside
car,
lift
parking
brake
lever
boot
out
of

console
.
Remove
cable
adjusting
nut
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
15
.

Fig
.
17
.
Parking
brake
cable
insertion
point
in
rear
trailing
arm
(arrow)
.

6
.
Slide
cable
out
of
housing
.

NOTE
-

BRAKES
340-
1
1

On
some
models
it
may
be
necessary
to
remove
rear

muffler
to
access
the
brake
cabes)
.

ANTILOCK
BRAKE
SYSTEM
(ABS)

0013209

ANTILOCK
BRAKE
SYSTEM
(ABS)

340-
1
2
BRAKES

ABS
is
self-tested
by
the
ABS
diagnostic
unit
each
time
the
car
is
started
.
Once
the
test
is
complete,
the
ABS
dashboard
light
tucos
off
.
If
the
light
remains
lit
or
comes
on
at
any
time
during
driving,
a
system
fault
has
occurred
and
ABS
is
elec-
tronically
disabled
.
The
conventional
braking
systemremains
fully
functioning
.

ABS
Inspection

A
visual
inspection
of
the
ABS
may
help
to
locate
system
faults
.
If
no
visual
faults
can
befound
and
the
ABS
light
re-
mains
on,
have
the
system
diagnosedbyan
authorized
BMW
dealer
.

Carefully
inspect
the
entire
ABS
wiring
harness,
particularly

the
pulse
sensorharnesses
and
connectors
near
each
wheel
.

Look
for
chafing
or
damage
due
to
incorrectly
routed
wires
.

Carefully
remove
the
wheelspeed
sensors
.
Clean
the
sen-



Fig
.
18
.
Front
ABS
pulse
sensor
mounting
bolt
(arrow)
.
sor
tips
.
Inspect
the
toothed
wheel
on
thewheel
hub
.
Check
for
missing,
clogged
or
corroded
teeth,
or
other
damage
that
could
alter
the
clearance
between
the
sensor
tip
and
the
toothed
wheel
.

NOTE-

If
a
toothed
ring
is
damaged,
the
entire
wheel
hub
mustbe
reptaced
.
See
310
Front
Suspension
or330
Rear
Suspension
.

ABS
wheel
speed
sensors,
replacing

1
.
Raise
applicable
end
of
car
.

WARNING
-

Make
sure
thecar
is
firmly
supportedon
jack
stands
designed
for
the
purpose
.
Place
the
jack
stands
be-
neath
a
structural
chassis
point
Do
not
place
jack
stands
under
suspension
parts
.

2
.
Unscrew
wheelspeed
sensor
mounting
bolt
.
Remove
sensor
from
its
housing
.
See
Fig
.
18
.
Remove
harnessfrom
retaining
mounts
.

3
.
Front
ABS
sensor
:
Working
in
front
wheel
housing,
dis-
connect
and
remove
sensor
.
See
Fig
.
19
.

4
.
Rear
ABS
sensor
:
Working
in
rear
wheel
housing,
dis-
connect
andremove
sensor
.

5
.
During
installation,
apply
thin
coat
of
Molykote
0
Long-
term
2
or
an
equivalent
grease
to
pulse
sensor
and
housing
.

ANTILOCK
BRAKE
SYSTEM
(ABS)

0012122
Fig
.
19
.
Front
ABS
wheel
speed
electrical
connector
(arrow)
in
wheel
well
.

6
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

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

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
.