1996 BMW 318i Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 1996 BMW 318i covers the year the four grew to 1.9 liters — still a naturally aspirated twin-cam design on gasoline, still the only engine offered. The car came as a four-door sedan and a two-door convertible in Base trim, so the engine, fuel and emissions specifications are single-valued while the body and interior sections track the two shapes separately, including the hardware and wiring the convertible carries and the sedan does not.

Engines covered

• 1.9L inline-four — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door sedan
• 2-door convertible

Trims covered

• Base

Known issues on the 1996 318i. One recall stands against this year. The throttle and cruise control cables share an actuating lever, and the plastic bushing on either cable can break under vibration and environmental exposure; if the outer housing then separates and catches on the broken edge, the throttle valve can remain partly open and the car will not slow as the driver intends. Three complaints are on record, two of them on the air bags and one on the power train. Throttle linkage adjustment, restraint diagnostics and driveline specifications are all set out here with torque values.