Alright Everyone, Check Your Diffs!!! [Archive] - Bimmerforums

View Full Version : Alright Everyone, Check Your Diffs!!!

nickdrivesm3

01-09-2007, 09:36 PM

A friend of mine needed some assistance with his car, and he called the right guy. Some of you may know him and or his car.

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/6062/carai8.jpg

95 M3 w/ AA S/C. Currently has ~120k on car, 30 on S/C, misc other mods...its a nice car but needed some real TLC. The speedo didn't work, and he just had the sensor replaced a month ago. So something is defiantly up. I get the car up in the air and pull the sensor out, or what was left of it acutally. The fluid was grey in color so I pulled the back cover off to find this...

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/1660/screwsmz1.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5644/otherthingspt7.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/9084/diffdu6.jpg

Can you say, HOLY *UCK!!!
I know he beat on the car when he got the kit installed, but I guess this diff didn't like it. Luckly the place I got my head from still had my old diff, so we went and bought it back and installed it.

So FI guys, check your diffs!!!

techno550

01-09-2007, 09:40 PM

95 M3's just do that. They didn't loctite the bolts. Very common problem.

JamesM3M5

01-09-2007, 09:43 PM

Also, do not overtorque those puppies, either.

nickdrivesm3

01-09-2007, 10:41 PM

95 M3's just do that. They didn't loctite the bolts. Very common problem.

Really...We had a 98 M3/4 auto that had two heads of the screws in the fluid. Do they just break off if the screw dosn't want out?

techno550

01-09-2007, 10:57 PM

Really...We had a 98 M3/4 auto that had two heads of the screws in the fluid. Do they just break off if the screw dosn't want out?

had the diff been touched before? if so, they likely overtightened the screws. The 95 problem was a lack of any sort of thread locker. The screws would back out whole, and then get chewed up in the ring gear/pinion interface.

slcook54

01-09-2007, 11:22 PM

Yikes! I just pulled my Diff sensor and had that exact metal stuff on it, hence why my speedo was acting up.

nickdrivesm3

01-10-2007, 12:06 AM

had the diff been touched before? if so, they likely overtightened the screws. The 95 problem was a lack of any sort of thread locker. The screws would back out whole, and then get chewed up in the ring gear/pinion interface.

I'll bet the diff has never been touched, but I dont know for sure.

Yikes! I just pulled my Diff sensor and had that exact metal stuff on it, hence why my speedo was acting up.

Well in that pic, that was shavings and a lot of shavings. If you look at the top of the pic with the sensor, you will see shavings that came out when I drained the empty diff over night.

However most sensors do accumulate some shavings over time. You can kinda determine wear and tear of the diff based on how much shavings you find.

paul e

01-10-2007, 09:10 AM

had the diff been touched before? if so, they likely overtightened the screws. The 95 problem was a lack of any sort of thread locker. The screws would back out whole, and then get chewed up in the ring gear/pinion interface.

As great as our cars are to drive, its astonishing how many blunders of this sort our E36s have exhibited over the years. Failed RSMs, and shock supports that just brake through the towers; subframe issues; failed trannies; diffs; radiators and thermostats that give up the ghost way too early; etc, etc, etc... BMW: :nono

LynxZ3r0

01-10-2007, 09:15 AM

Every car has problems, but it seems BMWs like to have more catastrophic ones.

Why blow a fuse, when you can tear the rear end right out of the car?

What do we say around here? ;)

GO BIG OR GO HOME.

BMW was just following our old adage.

ParadigmGuy

01-10-2007, 10:35 AM

keeptheuroalive

01-10-2007, 12:18 PM

Eric BMW

01-10-2007, 12:22 PM

Looks very unfortunate for CJ.

No Biggie. Time for a 3.64

nickdrivesm3

01-10-2007, 08:29 PM

Looks very unfortunate for CJ.

No Biggie. Time for a 3.64

3.38 actually :devillook :devillook

dcvee

01-11-2007, 08:10 AM

As great as our cars are to drive, its astonishing how many blunders of this sort our E36s have exhibited over the years. Failed RSMs, and shock supports that just brake through the towers; subframe issues; failed trannies; diffs; radiators and thermostats that give up the ghost way too early; etc, etc, etc... BMW: :nono

Yeah it's amazing how poorly a car stands up when you double the hp and take every turn like it's a rally. Not to mention the autocross on saturday and the drags on sunday. Oh yeah. I forgot about DE's once a quarter. :) :)