Removal and installation of the exhaust system (BMW 3 Series E36)

Removal

Raise the car.

Cover all bolted connections with rust solvent. Wait for some time for the solvent to act.

Remove the lambda probe.

Unscrew the front pipe from the exhaust manifold from below (on a diesel engine: from a turbocharger).

Support the exhaust system with a wooden support.



Only vehicles with six-cylinder engines and automatic transmission: Loosen the transmission crossmember. The transmission does not fall because it is secured to the rear support.



Unscrew the exhaust system from the mount on the gearbox.



Disconnect the rubber rings of the middle suspension. On a four-cylinder engine, the suspension is located on the rear axle beam.





Loosen the left and right mounting brackets of the end muffler.

Remove the exhaust system as a complete unit.

Installation

Before installing the exhaust system, check that the flange connecting to the exhaust manifold is not bent and straighten it if necessary.

Coat the studs on the exhaust manifold with copper paste.

Petrol engines: Bolt the front pipe to the exhaust manifold with a new gasket and new self-locking nuts.



Diesel engines: Check the O-ring "arrow" and replace if necessary. Coat the O-ring with high-temperature copper paste. Bolt the front exhaust pipe to the turbocharger. Tighten the new self-locking nuts evenly until both springs are compressed to a length of 27 + 1 mm. Do not compress the springs completely.



Slide the end muffler onto the catalytic converter, unscrew the flanges with new gaskets. Tighten the bolts slightly. If necessary, sand the parts before assembly. When assembling the pipes, ensure the correct position of the sealing rings. Be sure to replace the self-locking nuts.

Note: It is recommended to coat all bolts with high-temperature paste, such as Liqui Moly ZM-508-ASC, so that they can be loosened more easily.

Insert the exhaust system and screw it to the holders without tightening the bolts.

Install the lambda probe.

Bolt the front pipes to the exhaust manifold. Tighten the tension springs to 30 Nm. Then, on the 2nd pass, tighten the bolts to 50 Nm.

Before tightening, align the system so that a minimum distance of 25 mm from the body is provided everywhere. In addition, the final exhaust pipe should be located at the same distance from the cutout in the body at the rear of the car.



Secure the mounting brackets so that they are under the tension of the rubber suspensions. To do this, with the bracket released, move the muffler slightly forward (approximately A = 15 mm) and tighten in this position with a torque of 20 Nm.



Tighten all bolts and nuts. In this case, tighten the muffler bracket fastener on the gearbox last to ensure its free position. If necessary, loosen bolts "1" and move the bracket to the sides accordingly (Figure W 2627).

Tightening torques for threaded connections of the exhaust system: front pipe to exhaust manifold -50 Nm; threaded connections of triangular flange - 20 nm; bracket on the gearbox and on the muffler: bolts M6 - 10 Nm, bolts M8 - 20 Nm; retaining brackets - 20 nm; final silencer bracket - max 15 Nm.

If removed, insert the automatic transmission crossmember and tighten the bolts to 20 Nm.

Start the engine and check the exhaust system for leaks by covering the exhaust pipe with a rag.

Lower the car.