BMW M3 1992 E36 Workshop Manual

GENERAL

This
repair
group
covers
removal
and
installation
of
the

front
and
rear
seats
.

FRONT
SEATS

The
front
seats
installed
in
E36
cars
come
in
either
manual

or
electrically
powered
versions
.
Cloth,vinyl
and
leather
ver-

sions
are
offered
.
M3
sport
seats
have
extra
bolsters
on
the

sides
of
the
sean-back,
a
thigh
support
bolster,
and
extra
con-

trols
for
sean
inclination
.

Seat
removal
and
installation
is
similar
for
all
versions
.
Seat
disassembly
differs
in
details
among
the
many
models
of

seats
.

Front
seat,
removing
and
installing

1
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
forward
position
and
raise
it
as
far
as

possible
.
Remove
two
mounting
bolts
at
rear
of
sean

rails
.
See
Fig
.
1
.

2
.
Move
seat
to
fui¡
rear
position,
keeping
it
raised
.

3
.
Disconnect
negative
(-)
cable
from
battery
.



Fig
.1
.



Frontseat
rear
mounting
bolts
(arrows)
.

CAUTION-

Prior
to
disconnecting
the
battery,
read
the
battery
disconnection
cautions
given
at
the
front
of
this

manual
onpage
viii
.

520
Seats

SEATS
520-1

GENERAL
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..............
.
.
520-1



Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

removing
and
installing

FRONT
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
......
.
.
.
...
.
.
.
.
.
.
520-1



(fixed
seat
back
models)
......
.
.
.
...
.
...
520-5

Front
seat,
removing
and
installing
...
.
.
.
..'
520-1



Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

Manual
Front
Seat
Assembly
.............
520-3



removing
and
installing

fold-downsean
back
models
(



)
..
.
.
..
..
.
...
520-5
Power
Fronf
Seat
Assembly
..
.
.....
.
.
.
.
.
;
520-4



Rear
seat
backrest
side
section,

REAR
SEATS
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
............
.
...
520-5



removing
and
installing

(fold-down
seat
back
models)
..
.
.....
.
..
.520-6

4
.
Remove
plastic
caps
from
front
mounting
nuts,
and

then
remove
mounting
nuts
.
See
Fig
.
2
.

WARNING
-

Deactivate
front
seat
belt
lock
tensioners
before
proceeding
to
next
step
.
See720
Seat
Belts
.

NOTE-

Use
a
blanket
to
protect
door
sill
from
scuffing
bysean
rail
during
seatremoval
.

FRONT
SEA
TS

520-2



S
EATS

Fig
.
2
.



Frontseat
front
mounting
nut
(arrow)
.

FRONT
SEA
TS

0013166

5
.
On
2-door
cars
:
unhook
seat
belt
from
guide
on
seat

back
.

8
.
Remove
seatfrom
car
.

Fig
.
3
.



Seat
belt
mounting
bolt
(arrow)
.

0013216

9
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Keep
the
following
in

mind
:

6
.
Tilt
seat
back
to
access
and
unplug
electrical
harness



"
Use
wire
ties
orequivalent
means
to
keep
seat
har
connectors
.
Cut
or
untwist
wire
ties
as
necessary
.



ness
wiring
from
being
exposed
to
fraying
.
"
Reactivate
front
seat
belt
locks
.
7
.
On
4-door
cars
:
Unbolt
seat
belt
from
seat
frame
.
See



"
Start
all
seat
mounting
boits
.
Fig
.
3
.



"
Tighten
seat
mounting
fasteners
in
thís
sequence
:
in-
ner
front
;
outer
front
;
inner
rear,
outer
rear
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Front
seat
to
floor



........
.......
55
Nm
(41
ft-Ib)

Manual
Front
Seat
Assembly

The
non-power
seat
in
E36
cars
is
shown
disassembled
in

Fig
.
4
.
Component
replacement
is
possible
once
theseat
has

been
removed
from
the
vehicle
as
described
earlier
.

Fig
.
4
.



Construction
of
non-power
front
seat
.

SEATS
520-
3

1.
Backrest
padding



4
.
Seat
adjustment
controis



7
.
Seatframe2
.
Backrest
frame



5
.
Seat
adjustmentcables



8
.
Seat
cushion
3
.



Backrest
release
lever
(two-door)



6
.



Seat
tilt
control
(M3
only)



9
.



Knee
bolster
(M3
only)

FRONT
SEA
TS

520-
4
SEATS

Power
Front
Seat
Assembly
The
power
seat
in
E36
cars
is
shown
disassembled
in
Fig
.

5
.
Component,
actuator
and
drive
cable
replacement
is
possi-
ble
once
theseat
has
been
removed
from
the
vehicle
as
de-
scribed
earlier
.

FRONT
SEA
TS

Fig
.
5
.



Construction
of
power
front
seat
.

1
.



Backrest
frame



6
.



Lumbar
support
(to
9/94)



11
.
Seat
track
2
.



Seatframe



7
.



Vertical
adjustment
(rear)



12
.
Seat
tilt
motor3
.



Backrest
release
lever
(two-door)



8
.



Backrest
adjustment
gearbox



13
.
Tilt
motorgearbox4
.
Backrest
release
lever
cable



9
.
Backrest
adjustment
motor



14
.
Forward/backward
driveshafts
5
.
Lumbar
support
(from9/94)



10
.
Wiring
harness



15
.
Forward/backwardmotor

REAR
SEATS

Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

removing
and
installing

(fixed
seat
back
modeis)

1
.
Pull
front
of
bottomcushion
up
and
out
of
clips
.

NOTE-

Remove
rear
headrests,
if
equipped
.

2
.
Fold
down
center
armrest
andremove
belts
from
be-
hind
arm
rest
.

3
.
Slide
seat
backup
off
holders
.
Then
slide
to
side
lo
clear
seat
belts
.
See
Fig
.
6
.

Rear
seat
cushion
and
backrest,

removing
and
installing

(foid-down
seat
back
modeis)

1
.
Pullfront
of
bottom
cushion
up
and
out
ofclips
.

NOTE-

Remove
rear
headrests,
if
equipped
.

Fig
.
6
.
To
remove
rear
seat,
remove
bottom
cushion
.
Remove
belts
(A)
behindcenter
armrest
.
Slide
seat
back
up
off
holders,
then
forward
.

SEATS
520-
5

2
.
Remove
bottom
seat
belt
anchor
belts
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

NOTE-

Be
sure
to
note
relative
positions
of
metal
belt-end
an-
chors
in
order
to
reassemble
correctly
.

00131b!

Fig
.
7
.



Rearseat
belt
anchor
bolt
under
rear
seat
cushion(arrow)
.

3
.
Tilt
backrests
forward
and
unclip
plastic
cover
.
See
Fig
.
8
.


t
;
Fig
.
8
.



Rear
seat
back
mountingcover
plate
at
base
ofseat
back
.

REA
R
SEA
TS

520-
6
SEATS

4
.
Push
spring-loaded
lock
back
and
unclip
seat
back
.

See
Fig
.
9
.

Fig
.
9
.



Push
spring-loaded
clip
back
(arrow)
.

UU13117

5
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Make
sure
backrest

locks
at
top
seat
belt
connection
.

REA
R
SEA
TS

Rear
seat
backrestside
section,

removing
and
installing

(foid-downseat
back
modeis)

1.
Pull
front
of
cushion
up
and
out
of
clips
.

2
.
Fold
down
rear
seat
backrest
.

3
.
Lift
backrest
side
section
up
and
out
.
See
Fig
.
10
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.

0013175

Fig
.
10
.
Remove
backrest
sidesection
by
lifting
out
(A)
and
up
(B)
.

1#=am

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
.

4
.
Rear
adjustment
:
Loosen
rear
adjusting
wedges
and
push
in
or
out
until
rear
of
sunroof
is
aligned
correctly
withroof-top
.
See
Fig
.
5
.

0013103
Fig
.
5
.



Adjust
rear
of
sunroof
by
loosening
nuts
1
and3
.
Push
adjust-
íng
wedges2
in
or
out
to
achieve
correctheight
.

NOTE-

"
Push
sunroofforward
before
retightening
wedge
fas-
teners
.

0013170

Fig
.
6
.



Adjust
front
of
sunroof
by
loosening
screw
(arrow)
.
Push
sun-
roof
up
or
down
to
achieve
correctheight
.

SUNROOF
540-
3

NOTE-

Use
Loctite®
270
or
an
equivalent
thread
sealing
com-
pound
when
reinstalling
theretaining
screws
.
Alterna-
tively,
install
new
screws
.

6
.
Open
sunroof
slightly
.
Rear
of
sunroofshould
be2
to
3
mm
below
surface
of
roof
.

7
.
Slide
sunroof
liner
slowly
and
carefully
forward
out
of
roof
cavity
as
far
as
possible
.

Sunroof
Height
Adjustment
Specifications

"
Rear
........
....
.
.
flush/1
mm
higher
than
roof
top
"
Front
...
..
.
....
..
.
..
flush/l
mm
lower
than
roof
top

Tightening
Torque

"
Front
orrear
adjusting
fasteners
...
...
6
Nm
(53
in-lb)

Sunroof
motor,
removing
and
installing
"
Use
Loctite®270
oran
equivalent
thread
sealing
com-
pound
when
reinstalling
the
retaining
fasteners
.
Alter-



The
sunroofshould
be
in
theclosed
posítion
before
remov-
natively,install
new
fasteners
.



ing
or
installing
the
sunroof
motor
.
If
necessary,
manually

5
.
Front
adjustment
:
Loosen
retaining
screws,
then
push



close
the
sunroof
panel
as
described
under
Sunroof
panel,

frontof
sunroof
panel
up
or
down
until
it
is
aligned
cor-
emergency
ciosing
.

rectly
with
roof-top
.
Retighten
screws
.
See
Fig
.
6
.



1
.
With
ignition
switch
off,
Rmove
access
panel
from
be-low
sunroof
motor
.
Refer
to
Fig
.
2
.

2
.
Remove
sunroof
motormountingscrews
.
See
Fig
.
7
.

0011825

Fig
.
7
.



Sunroof
motor
mountingscrews
(A
and
B)
.
Screw
at
A
is
longer
than
screws
at
B
.

SLIDE-TILT
SUNROOF

540-
4
SUNROOF

3
.
Disconnect
harness
connector
from
motor
and
remove

motor
.

4
.
Installation
is
reverse
of
removal
.
Be
sure
the
motor
is
in
the
"closed"
position
before
installing
it
to
the
sunroof

carrier
.
See
Fig
.
8
.

SLIDE-TILT
SUNROOF

0011813

Fig
.
8
.



Sunroof
motor
in
"closed"
position
.
Hole
(arrow)
in
large
gear

aligns
with
shafts
on
both
gears
(to
mid-1994)
.

NOTE-

On
cars
manufacturedfrom
mid-1994,
the
sunroof
mo-

tor
gearassembly
is
encased
and
cannot
be
seen
.
Be-

fore
installing
the
motor
in
the
roof,
connect
electrical

harness
connector,
operate
switch
to
rear
until
motor

stops,
then
to
front
until
motor
stops
.
Then
install
motor

in
roof
.

Tightening
Torque

"
Sunroof
motor
to
motor
carrier
.
.
.
.
.
2
.8
Nm
(25
in-lb)