BMW E36 Blog

I wrote before about Fixing BMW E36 Headliner and provided a link to where you can buy a kit to fix your car’s headliner. Today, I’ve found this video which shows how you’re supposed to fix your headliner. I couldn’t find a specific procedure to fix the headliner for the BMW E36, but this will give you an idea about how you’re supposed to do when you get the headliner fixing kit.

Take a look, I hope you like it.

BMW E36 Blog: The Ultimate E36 Information Source.

This DIY (Do It Yourself) is a contribution from David Mc. I’ve found it on the Bimmerfest forum and I asked David for permission to publish the DIY on the BMW E36 Blog. He was so kind to allow me to republish it here. The procedure shows how the odometer LCD can be fixed. I’ve written previously about how to fix the BMW E36 odometer backlight, but this is how to fix the LCD, not the light, so pay attention to the difference.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

This is the problem – only the top half of the odometer and trip meter is displayed. It is a backlit LCD device but the two blubs illuminate the odometer and service indicator respectively.

Since only the top half of the odometer is displayed the problem is obviously with the LCD and not the bulbs. Commonly this is an intermittent but annoying problem.

Begin by removing the cluster – the first step is to disconnect the battery, then undo the two torx screws on top of the housing and use a credit card to loosen and wiggle the cluster out of the dash. As soon as it is clear, reach behind the cluster and undo the three electrical connectors by first depressing the tabs then sliding the retainer up until the connector is released.

Make sure that you face your work surface with a towel to avoid scratching the cluster, then after removing the five torx screws from the back of the rear housing, carefully separate the gauges from the SI board.

Mark out the area of interest – I used white tape and then cut carefully with a piece of hacksaw blade. You could use a Dremel or even a hobby knife heated with a torch for this job.

There is a fair bit of clearance between the cover and the board but I would suggest extreme caution as you cut down the side of the housing toward the board as there are a couple of tracks that run across the board at this point and a slip here could cause big problems.

I worked carefully and completed the cut within about half an hour using a hacksaw blade – my modelling saw would have made life much easier if only I could remember what I did with it.

After removing the cut section carefully dress the edges of the cut area with a small file to remove burrs, then use a small paint brush and low pressure compressed air to clean the debris from the board.

Notice that there are also couple of little gold colored torx screws which secure the SI LCD to the board. Check that they are snug but do not over-tighten them. The idea is to make sure that all the electrical connections are firm, not to cause fractures in the board by over-tightening the components.

I used a hot pencil tipped soldering iron to reflow all of the SI board pins, then carefully replaced the cut cover section using 5 minute epoxy. Apply the epoxy carefully to the cut edges of the housing. Then once its back in place use a rag soaked with turpentine to remove the excess.

All that was left was to install the cluster back into the car, reconnect the connectors, battery and re-enter the radio code and it was up and running!

A heck of a lot cheaper than a new or even a used cluster and I didn’t have to worry about recoding or it displaying incorrect mileage.

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

This DIY (Do It Yourself) is for you BMW E36 owners with automatic gearbox. It was contributed by Bernard Gutnick (thanks Bernard). The procedure shows in very simple steps how you can fix the light inside your A/M gearbox switch. I think this same procedure can be used to replace the bulb inside your window switches as well, but I’m not sure if it’s the same bulb. Have fun…

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

If the A light bulb is burned out due to constantly being on, you can replace it rather than spending $70 on a new switch.

1. Gently pry up the window/window lock/window button carefully from the top with a tiny screwdriver.

2. Put hand in and push AM button up until it pops up. Disconnect yellow connector.

3. Put small screwdriver in switch and gently pry up the two side clips. Leave in screwdriver and do same for other side.

4. Light and switch unit can be removed. Gently pull up circuit board.

5. You’ll see the black burned out bulb ( A or M or both ).

6. Now the tricky part. You have to cut the bulb out but only one at a time. Replace it with a Radio Shack RS 272-1092 12vt Micro lamp

7. It’s important to try to get the wires to be the same length as the original and with the lamp in the same position. Take your time. When soldering, only put on a very small drop as it has to fit back into the black housing. 1/16 inch of solder is enough. Use pliers to protect the bulb. Try to get the wire length and shape to be equal to the other one.

8. When you are done, carefully put the wire into the slots of the black housing, and put the cover back on.

9. Reconnect yellow connector. Light will appear when car is started. Congratulations! You just saved $68 in 30 minutes!!

Note: the car will still work with the switch removed. I think it defaults to Automatic, but I am not certain.

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

Well, I had some free time couple days ago and I decided to clean my front pillars because they’ve been annoying me with their dirty look. So, I removed them carefully and took them inside my house and washed them. After that, I left them to dry for an hour or so. When I went to the car to put them back I’ve noticed a very very big difference between the color of the clean pillars and my headliner. Take a look:

It’s shocking how dirty my headliner is compared to my clean pillars.

So, I’ve decided to clean up my headliner as well but I was afraid to make it worse because the fabric has loosened with time and it’s not going to stand up again my cleaning brush. So, I’ve decided to search the web to see if someone tried this before. Luckily I found this which is a DIY for removing your headliner. Well, this is going to make things much easier for me instead of brushing upside down :p

I kept digging for more information about this subject and I found a kit that can help you change your headliner fabric instead of trying to give it a wash and best of all, it’s very cheap. Take a look here.

All you have to do is to glue the new fabric which comes with this kit on your fiberglass panel which you have removed using the DIY provided above. Then put everything back the way it was.

I’m going to order this kit and try it. Hopefully, it will be a success and give my car a very new OEM look again 😀

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.

If you’re thinking about replacing your BMW E36 M42 or M44 spark plugs, then this DIY (Do It Yourself) is for you. It was written by Olaf Johnson. The procedure is very clear and the pictures are just fabulous. I hope you will find it useful. Thanks Olaf.

Disclaimer: Use this info at your own risk!! I’m not responsible if this didn’t work for you :-).

I ordered my set off eBay for $20 free shipping. The dealership wanted $13.95 per plug. I decided to stick to OEM and be simple since this was my first time doing this DIY. I started the car before so I could take note of how the car started before changing the plugs (listen to sound, vibration and start speed).

Start with a cold engine; Get out your tools from the BMW Tool Tray in the trunk. If your tray is empty or molested with as is the case with buying used cars you can buy the two tools from the dealership for $20 or so or get it at eBay or the junkyard for cheap. I’m not sure if other spark plug tools are compatible with these cars.

Removal of the cover to get to the wire set that caps the plugs is easy on the M42/M44 E36 Engines.

OEM Bosch Super Plugs

I finally get to use these tools. This one is the spark plug wrench

Next get the wrench’s twister thingy that allows you to turn the wrench.

Open this by turning the two circles so the slits are vertical.

Careful not to break the cover clip at the front end.

Find your smurf tool and begin pulling the wire set caps off each plug. Start at the front (hole #1) where you can see better and have more room to maneuver.

Use it to pull out the plug wire set. Start at the front since it is easier to get to and see what you are doing.

Slide it over the head and pull up. It may take some effort if your plugs were not changed in a while.

If it is tough to pull you can use the spark plug wrench twister tool to get a good grip.

The cap comes off easily and you will see the hole that the plug sits in. Go to work with your wrench. If your plugs are old and haven’t been changed in awhile get ready to put some elbow grease in. Also remember to turn counter-clockwise to remove the plugs. Be careful not to damage the plug threading or the holes threading that the plug screws into or you could seriously damage your engine (ie. The engine will need to be replaced). So no power tools for this DIY!!! The plugs are also screwed in deep so be prepared to be standing there twisting for a few minutes until the plug releases.

Hole #1: You will hear a nice suction pop when the wire set cap is released from the hole.

use the wrench like this. Twist counter clockwise to release the plug. Again if your plugs are old it will be stubborn for the first twist. It’s also screwed in deep so keep at it until you feel the plug is loose.

Keep twisting. They are screwed in deep so be patient.

Hole #4 is particularly difficult to get to. Be creative and use lots of elbow grease especially if your plugs are old and stubborn to twist off.

The Spark Plug Wrench should grip the plug when you are done screwing it loose. Just lift the wrench up and the plug will come out with the wrench. Inspect the old plug, clean the hole* if it is dusty or oily and replace with the new plug and spark plug wire set cap for that hole before moving onto the next hole.

Note: If you have air-in-the-can you should blow any dust or debris out the hole before removing the old plug. You DO NOT WANT to get anything into the hole or chamber that lies below the plug. So once the old plug is out DO NOT clean or put anything down there. It may get into your chamber and damage the engine. And that is a trip to the dealership you do not want to make since a new engine will run you $5,000 to $8,000 plus the labor cost at around that much.

Some of your plug holes may be covered in oil and may look like this when you pull them out. A little bit of oil should be fine for now like I have here in my 2nd plug hole, but a lot of oil and you should replace the Valve Head gasket as soon as you can which is an easy DIY.

The threads on my second plug is covered in oil but the spark plug’s head is dry ?!

Inside second plug’s hole after the plug is removed notice oil trail. There was no oil deep inside the hole, and at best I could only see oil on the ledge.

Second plug:

Two of my middle plugs at hole#2 and #3 had oil in them, with 2 being the worse. Oddly enough, the oil was only on the top half and the threads of the plug but there was absolutely no oil on the business end of the plug a.k.a the spark plug head

When you are done you can inspect the old plugs for clues as to what is going on inside your engine block. I haven’t worked out how to read plugs yet, but I will read up on it later. You can easily Google this info.

When you are done clean your tools and put everything back and start your car and listen to the engine and note the start up time. Does it sound/start better?

Are you looking for more do it yourself procedures (DIY) ? I recommend the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual for you. I got it and I think it’s a gold mine for us -BMW E36 Owners-. If you didn’t grab your copy yet, get it right now! I’m sure you’ll find this book worth every penny you’ve paid for. Get the Bentley BMW 3 series service manual

BMW E36 Blog: The ultimate BMW E36 information source.