1997 BMW 740iL Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 1997 BMW 740iL addresses a four-door sedan in one trim, Base, with the naturally aspirated 4.4L DOHC V8 under the hood. Because there is no second engine or body style to account for, the book reads as one continuous description of a single car: engine mechanical and cooling, fuel delivery and ignition, the automatic transmission and driveline, steering and suspension geometry, brakes, and the wiring diagrams that tie the sedan's electrical systems together.

Engines covered

• 4.4L V8 — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door sedan

Trims covered

• Base

Known issues on the 1997 740iL. Two recalls stand on the federal record. One covers a replacement steering center drag link that can shear through the shaft and leave the driver with no control at all. The other covers front spring mounts that collect road grit, develop notches and cracks in the rubber, and let the bottom coil of the spring break, which changes ride height and makes the car less stable at speed. Complaints run to 19: five on the engine and cooling system, four on steering and two on the fuel system.