sensor BMW 540I SEDAN 2000 Owners Manual

Contents

Operation, care and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Advanced technology

Under the hood:

Hood143
Engine compartment 144
Washer fluids148
Washer nozzles148
Engine oil149
Coolant151
Brake fluid152
Vehicle Identification
Number153

Care and maintenance:

The BMW Maintenance
System154
Caring for your car155
Airbags160
Vehicle storage160

Laws and regulations:

Technical modifications161
OBD connector162

Replacement procedures:

Onboard tool kit166
Wiper blades166
Lamps and bulbs167
Changing tires173
Battery176
Fuses178

In case of electrical
malfunction:

Fuel filler door180
Sliding/Tilt sunroof180
Tailgate181

Assistance, giving and
receiving:

Jump-starting182
Towing the vehicle183Airbags188
Adaptive Transmission Control
(ATC) 188
Automatic Stability Control plus
Traction (ASC+T)/Dynamic
Stability Control (DSC) 189
Radio reception190
BMW active seat 190
Safety belt tensioner191
DSP sound system 192
Interior rearview mirror with
automatic dimmer 192
Rain sensor 193
Tire Pressure Control (RDC) 194
Integrated rear suspension194
Level control system 195
Xenon lamps 195

29n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Fuel specifications Tire inflation pressureUse unleaded gasoline only.
Recommended octane rating: 91 AKI.
BMW engines are equipped with knock
sensors and will adapt automatically
to different octane ratings, provided
that the minimum octane requirement
(87 AKI) is met.
Fuels with higher octane ratings will
provide enhanced performance and
lower fuel consumption, while the use
of fuels with low octane ratings will
have an opposite effect.
Do not use leaded fuels. The use
of leaded fuels will cause perma-
nent damage to the system's oxygen
sensor and the catalytic converter.<
AKI = Anti Knock Index
The inflation pressures are indicated on
a sticker attached to the B-pillar behind
the driver's door (visible with door
open).Check tire pressuresAll pressure specifications are indicated
in psi (kilopascal) for tires at ambient
temperature (refer also to the next
pages).
For vehicles with Tire Pressure Control
(RDC)
*:
After a correction of the tire inflation
pressure, reactivate the system. Refer
to page 92.
390de351
Check tire inflation pressures reg-
ularly Ð at least every two weeks
and before beginning a longer trip.
Incorrect tire pressure can lead to tire
damage and accidents.
Check the inflation pressure of the
spare tire also. Inflate the spare tire to
the highest inflation of any tire on your
vehicle.<
Comply with tire approval
specificationsThe inflation pressures in the table
apply to tires from BMW approved
manufacturers. Your BMW center is
familiar with these pressures. Higher
pressures may be specified for tires
from other manufacturers. You will find
a list of approved tires beginning on
page 140.
Your vehicle is equipped with tires that
not only meet US standards, but also
European standards. We recommend
the exclusive use of BMW approved
tires.

38n
Opening and closing Ð from the outside Unlocking and convenience
opening modeTo release: Press button 1.
Press the button once to unlock the
driver's door only; press a second time
to unlock all remaining doors as well as
the luggage compartment and fuel filler
door.
Convenience opening mode: Press and
hold button 1. The windows and the
sliding/tilt sunroof are opened.463de025
To lock and securePress button 2.463de027
Deactivate the tilt sensor alarm
system and interior motion sensorAfter locking the vehicle press button 2
again.
For additional information: Refer to
page 46.To switch on the interior lampsAfter locking the car, press button 2.380us646463de027

45n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Alarm systemThe conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the lug-
gage compartment lid/tailgate is
opened
>To movement inside the vehicle
(interior motion sensor)
>To variations in the vehicle tilt sensor
such as occur during attempts to
steal the wheels or tow the vehicle
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized
vehicle entry and attempted theft by
simultaneously activating the following:
>Sounding an acoustical alarm for
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are
activated for approx. five minutes
>The high beams flash on and off in
the same rhythm.
To activate and deactivate the
alarm systemWhen the vehicle is locked or unlocked
with the key or the remote control, the
alarm system is also simultaneously
armed or disarmed.
The interior motion sensor is activated
approx. 30 seconds after you have fin-
ished locking the car.
The system indicates that it has been
correctly armed by switching on the
hazard flashers for a single cycle and by
emitting an acoustical signal.
You can have different acknowl-
edgment messages set to confirm
arming and disarming (not released at
this time).<
When the system is active, you can still
gain access to the luggage compart-
ment by pressing button 3 on the
remote control transmitter (refer to
page 39). When you close the luggage
compartment lid/tailgate, it locks again.
Indicator lamp displays>The indicator lamp below the interior
rearview mirror flashes continuously:
The system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes during
arming: Door(s), the hood or luggage
compartment lid/tailgate are not
completely closed. Even if you do not
close the alerted area, the system be-
gins to monitor the remaining areas,
and the indicator lamp flashes contin-
uously after 10 seconds. However,
the interior motion sensor is not acti-
vated
>If the indicator lamp goes out when
the system is disarmed: No manipula-
tion or attempted intrusions have
been detected in the period since the
system was armed390de020

46n
Alarm system>If the indicator lamp flashes for
10 seconds when the system is
disarmed: An attempted entry has
been detected in the period since the
system was armed.
Following triggering of an alarm, the
indicator lamp will flash continuously.Avoiding unintentional alarmsThe tilt alarm sensor and interior motion
sensor may be switched off at the same
time to prevent a false alarm from being
triggered (in garages with elevator
ramps, for instance), or when the
vehicle is transported by trailer or train:
Lock the vehicle (arm the alarm system)
twice in succession: Press button 2 on
the remote-control transmitter twice
(refer to page 38), or turn the key in the
door lock to the right (lock) twice in
succession (refer to page 36).
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and
then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm
sensor and the interior motion sensor
are deactivated for as long as the
system remains armed.
Interior motion sensorThe illustration depicts the transmitter
and receiver of the interior motion sen-
sor.
In order for the interior motion sensor to
function properly, the windows and
sliding/tilt sunroof must be completely
closed.
Nevertheless, you should deactivate the
interior motion sensor (refer to the
previous column) if you intend to leave
the windows or sliding/tilt sunroof
open.390de153

77n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Indicator/Headlamp ßasherWiper/Washer system1 High beam (blue indicator)
2 Headlamp flasher (blue indicator)
3 Turn signal (green indicator accom-
panied by periodic clicking sound
from the relay)
If the indicator lamp and the clicking
from the relay are both faster than nor-
mal, one of the turn indicators has
failed.To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond the
detent. It then returns to the center po-
sition when released.390de335
0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent wipe or rain sensor
*
2 Normal wiper speed
3 Fast wiper speed
4 Brief wipe
5 Automatic windshield washer
6 Automatic intensive-action washer
*
7 Rotary dial for control of the wipe in-
terval or the sensitivity of the rain
sensor
*
394de041
1 Intermittent wipe or rain sensor*Intermittent wipe:
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with rotary dial 7.
In addition, the wipe interval is varied
automatically depending on road
speed.
Rain sensor:
When the rain sensor is activated, the
windshield wiper is controlled automati-
cally, depending on the degree of wet-
ness of the windshield (in both snow
and rain). You do not have to be con-
cerned with switching the windshield
wiper on or off or adjusting the wipe in-
terval between intermittent and full
wipe. Instead, you can concentrate fully
on the traffic conditions. This is espe-
cially important under adverse weather
conditions.
The rain sensor is positioned on the
windshield, directly ahead of the interior
rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
From ignition key position 1 and up,
move the lever to position 1. The wipers
travel once across the windshield,
regardless of the weather.

78n
Wiper/Washer systemYou can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. It is then only necessary to
activate the rain sensor from ignition
key position 1 and up. To do this
>turn rotary dial 7 briefly or
>use either the automatic windshield
washer 5 or the automatic intensive
washer 6.
To modify the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 7.
Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes.
If you do not, damage may occur if the
wipers switch on unintentionally.< 2 Normal wiper speedThe wipers automatically revert to inter-
mittent operation when the vehicle is
stationary (not on vehicles with rain
sensor
*).
3 Fast wiper speedThe wipers automatically revert to nor-
mal speed when the vehicle is station-
ary (not on vehicles with rain sensor
*).
5 Automatic windshield washerThe system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.
If you only pull the lever briefly, the sys-
tem sprays washer fluid onto the wind-
shield without activating the wipers.6 Intensive automatic
cleaning unit
*
As in setting 5. In addition, an intensive-
action washer fluid is first sprayed on
the windshield.
For changing the wiper blades, refer to
page 166.
Headlamp washers
*
If they are on, the headlamps will also
be cleaned every fifth time you activate
the automatic windshield washer (inten-
sive-action or standard wash/wipe).
Do not use the washers if there is
any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield, otherwise vi-
sion could be obscured. For this rea-
son, use an antifreeze agent. Refer to
page 148.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty, since this could cause
damage to the washer pump. Windshield washer jetsThe windshield washer jets are warmed
automatically when the ignition key is in
position 2.

90n
The PDC assists you when you are
parking. A signal warns you of the real
distance to an obstacle. To do this, four
ultrasonic sensors in the rear bumper
measure the distance from the nearest
object. The monitoring range for the
two corner sensors ends approx. 2 feet
(60 cm) beyond the respective bumper.
The range of the two middle sensors is
approx. 4.9 feet (1.50 meters) outward.
The system starts to operate automati-
cally about one second after you select
reverse with the ignition key in posi-
tion 2. It is similarly deactivated when
you engage reverse gear or move the
selector lever position from the "R" po-
sition.
Acoustical signalsThe distance to the nearest object is in-
dicated by a tone sounding at various
intervals. As the distance between vehi-
cle and object decreases, the intervals
between the tones become shorter. A
continuous tone indicates the presence
of an object less than 1 ft. (30 cm)
away.
The warning signal will be canceled af-
ter approx. 3 seconds if the distance to
the obstruction remains constant during
this time (if you are moving parallel to a
wall, for instance).
System malfunctions will be indicated
by a continuous high-pitched tone
when the system is activated the first
time. Please have the cause checked
and corrected by your authorized BMW
center.The PDC does not remove the
driver's personal responsibility for
evaluating the distance between the ve-
hicle and any obstacles. Even when
sensors are involved, there is a blind
spot in which objects cannot be de-
tected. This applies especially in those
cases where the system approaches
the physical limits of ultrasonic mea-
surement, as occurs with tow bars and
trailer couplings, and in the vicinity of
thin and painted objects.
Certain sources of sound, such as a
loud radio, could drown the PDC signal
tone.<
Keep the sensors clean and free
of ice or snow in order to ensure
that they continue to operate effectively.
Do not apply high pressure spray to the
sensors for a prolonged period of time.
Maintain an adequate distance of more
than approx. 4 inches (10 cm).<
Park Distance Control (PDC)
*

99n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Automatic climate control1 Air flow directed toward the
windshield and side windows
2 Air flow for the upper body
The side rotary dials provide
infinitely-variable regulation of
the air supply, while the levers
change the airflow direction.
The center rotary dial controls the
temperature of the air as it
flows out102
3 Front footwell ventilation
4 Rear footwell ventilation
5 Air flow for the upper body in the
rear seat102
6 Automatic air distribution100
7 Individual air distribution100
8 Temperature control Ð
left-hand side100
9 Display for temperature and
air supply100, 10110 Temperature control Ð
right-hand side100
11 To defrost windshield and door
windows101
12 Air conditioner101
13 Automatic recirculated air control
AUC101
14 Rear window defroster79, 102
15 Air supply101
16 Residual heat mode102
17 Air grill for interior temperature
sensor Ð please keep clear and
unobstructed

126n
Catalytic converterThe catalytic converter reduces harmful
exhaust emissions, and is designed for
use with unleaded fuel only.
Even minute quantities of lead would be
enough to permanently damage both
the catalytic converter and the system
oxygen sensor.
To ensure efficient, trouble-free engine
operation and avoid potential damage:
>Be sure to comply with the scheduled
maintenance requirements
>Fill the fuel tank well before it is
empty
>Tow-start the vehicle only when the
engine is cold, since unburned fuel
may otherwise reach the catalytic
converter. It is better to start the vehi-
cle with an outside starting aid>Avoid other situations in which the
fuel is not burned, or burns incom-
pletely, such as engaging the starter
frequently or for extended periods, or
repeated start attempts in which the
engine does not start (stopping and
restarting an engine which is running
properly does not present a problem).
Never let the engine run with any of
the spark plug cables disconnected.Be sure to comply with the in-
structions above to prevent un-
burned fuel from reaching the catalytic
converter. Otherwise there is danger of
overheating and damage to the cata-
lytic converter.
Extreme temperatures occur at the cat-
alytic converter on this and every cata-
lyst-equipped vehicle. Heat shields are
installed adjacent to some sections of
the exhaust system. Never remove
these shields; do not apply undercoat-
ing to their surfaces. When driving,
standing at idle, and parking the vehi-
cle, take care to avoid contact between
the exhaust system and flammable ma-
terials (grass, hay, leaves, etc.). Such
contact could lead to a fire, resulting in
personal injury and property damage.<