BMW 3 1992 - Important Safety Warnings and Cautions; General Safety Precautions; Battery and Electrical Safety; Vehicle Lifting and Support

Please read these warnings and cautions
before proceeding with maintenance and repair work
.
WARNING-

"
Friction materials (such as brake pads or shorts or clutch discs)
contain asbestos fibers or other friction materials . Do not create
" See also Cautions on page viü

dust by grinding, sanding, or by cleaning with compressed air .
" Some repairs may be
beyond your capability . If you lack the

Avoid breathing dust . Breathing any friction material dust can lead
skills, tools and equipment, or a suitable workplace for any proce-

to serious diseases and may result in death .
dure described in this manual, we suggest you leave such repairs
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"
Batteries give
off explosive hydrogen gas during charging .
to an authorized BMW dealer service department or other quali-

Keep sparks, lighted matches and open flame away from the top
fied shop .

of
the battery If hydrogen gas escaping from the cap vents is
" Do not re-use any fasteners that are
worn or deformed in normal

ignited, it will ignite gas trapped in the cells and cause the battery
use . Many fasteners are
designed to be used only once and

to explode .
become unreliable and may
fail when used a second time . This
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" Connect and disconnect
battery cables, jumper cables ora bat-
includes, but is
not limited to, nuts, bolts, washers, self-locking nuts
or
bolts, circlips and cotter pins . Always replace these fasteners
with new
parts .
" Do not quick-charge the battery (for boost
starting) for longer
" Never work under a lifted car unless it is
solidly supported on

than one minute . Wait at least one minute before boosting
the bat-
stands designed for the purpose . Do
not support a car on cinder

tery a second time .
blocks, hollow tiles or other props that
may crumble under contin-
uous load . Never work under a
car that is supported solely by a

" Do not allow battery
charging voltage to exceed 16 .5 volts . If the
jack . Never work under
the car while the engine is running .

battery
begins producing gas or boiling violently, reduce the charg-
ing
rate .
Boosting a sulfated battery at a high charging rate can
" If you are
going to work under a car on the ground, make sure
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cause an explosion .
that the ground is
level . Block the wheels to keep the car from
roll-
ing .
Disconnect the battery negative (-) terminal
(ground strap) to

" The air-conditioning system is
filled with chemical refrigerant,
prevent others from starting the car while you
are under it .

which is hazardous .
The A/C system should be serviced only by
trained technicians
using approved refrigerant recovery/recycling
" Never run the engine
unless the work area is well ventilated .

equipment, trained in related safety precautions,
and familiar with
Carbon monoxide kills .

regulations governing the discharging and disposal of
automotive
" Finger rings,
bracelets and other jewelry should be removed
so

chemical refrigerants .
tery charger only
with the ignition switched off, to prevent sparks .
Do
not disconnect the battery while the engine is running .
that they
cannot cause electrical shorts, get caught
in running

"
Do not expose any part of
the A/C system to high temperatures
machinery, or be crushed by heavy parts .

such as open
flame . Excessive heat will increase system pressure
"
Tie long hair behind your head . Do not wear
a necktie, a scarf,

and may cause
the system to burst .
loose clothing, or a necklace when you
work near machine tools or

"
Some aerosol tire inflators are highly flammable .
Be extremely
running engines . If your
hair, clothing, or jewelry were to get caught

cautious when repairing a tire that may
have been inflated using
in the machinery, severe
injury could result .

an aerosol tire inflator . Keep
sparks, open flame or other sources
" Do not attempt to
work on your car if you do not feel
well . You

of
ignition away from the
tire repair area . Inflate and deflate the tire
increase the
danger of injury to yourself and
others if you are tired,

at least four
times before breaking the bead from
the rim . Com-
upset
or have taken medication or
any other substance that may

Pletely remove the tire from the rim before attempting
any repair .
keep
you from being fully alert .
"
Illuminate your work area
adequately but safety . Use a portable
safety light for working
inside or under the car . Make sure
the bulb
is enclosed by a wire
cage . The hot filament of an accidentally
bro-
ken bulb can ignite
spilled fuel or oil .
" Catch
draining fuel, oil, or brake fluid in
suitable containers . Do
not use
food or beverage containers
that might mislead someone
into
drínking from them . Store flammable
fluids away from fire haz-
ards .
Wipe up spills at once, but do
not store the oily rags,
which
can ignite and burn
spontaneously .
" Always observe
good workshop practices .
Wear goggles when
you operate
machine tools or work with
battery acid . Gloves or
other protectioe
clothing should be
worn whenever the job requires
working with harmful substances
.
" Greases, lubricants
and other automotive
chemicals contain
toxic substances,
many of which are absorbed
directly through the
skin . Read
the manufacturer's instructions
and warnings carefully
.
Use
hand and eye protection . Avoid
direct skin contact
"
Cars covered by this manual are equipped
with a supplemental
restraint system (SRS), that
automatically deploys an airbag(s) in
the event of a frontal
ímpact . The airbag(s) is inflated by an
explo-
sive device . Handled
improperly or without adequate
safeguards,
can be accidently
activated and cause serious injury .
" The
ignition system produces high voltages
that can be fatal .
Avoid contact with exposed
terminals and use extreme care when
working on a car with the engine
running or the ígnition switched on
.
" Place jack stands
only at locations specified by
manufacturer .
The vehicle
lifting jack supplied with the vehicle
is intended for tire
changes only . A heavy duty floor jack should be
used to lift vehicle
before
installing jack stands . See 010
Fundamentals for the Do- .
it-Yourself Owner .
" Battery
acid (electrolyte) can cause
severe burns . Flush contact
area with
water, seek medical attention .
"
Aerosol cleaners and solvents
may contain hazardous ordeadly
vapors and are highly
flammable . Use only in a
well ventilated
area . Do
not use on hot surfaces (engines,
brakes, etc .) .
"
Disconnect the battery
negative (-) terminal
(Ground strap)
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"
Do not remove coolant reservoir or
radiator cap with the engine
whenever you work
on the fuel system orthe
electrical system . Do

hot . Danger of bums and
engine damage .
not smoke
or work near heaters or
other fire hazards . Keep an
approved
fire extinguisher handy .
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continued on
next page
vii