1997 BMW 318ti Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 1997 BMW 318ti is the reference for a two-door hatchback powered by a naturally aspirated 1.9L inline-four with double overhead cams, running on gasoline, sold in a single trim. Everything in the book is written to that configuration, which is what makes it useful now: no cross-referencing between engine options, no trim-dependent wiring to eliminate, just the procedures and figures for one car.

Engines covered

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

Body styles covered

• 2-door hatchback

Trims covered

• Base

Known issues on the 1997 318ti. There is one recall against this model year. The plastic bushing that retains the throttle and cruise control cables at the throttle housing can fracture, after which the outer cable can catch on the broken bushing and keep the throttle valve partly open, so the car may fail to slow as expected. The single owner complaint recorded also concerns vehicle speed control. Throttle linkage, cable routing and the cruise control circuit are all documented here, with the adjustment procedures and wiring diagrams needed to check them properly.