what diff is this

[jordy101]

Hi Al, this is my first post on here so I hope I have the right section. Just got myself a 318i manual. Just cone from a life as a drift pig. Supposedly it has an e36 diff in it. Now to test that. Any ideas? The speed sensor and plug are different. So that might be one thing suggesting e36. Is it a 4.33? Or is it actually an e30 diff. Any suggestions would be much higher appreciated.
Cheers, Jordan

[SkiFree]

Well, to really know for sure you need to do some homework on your end. What really matters is the center pumpkin as you can retrofit an E36 318 pumpkin into an e30 318 case (and vice versa).

The little tab that is bent up in your picture should hypothetically tell you the diff's ratio in the last three digits. However it's best to check the ratio on your own.

Youtube has some great tutorials on this.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=differential+gear+ratio

It's also worth popping off the rear cover to check to see if you've got an LSD and if so, what kind (E30 318 or late e36 318). I've got some pictures showing the differences, but you'll need to PM me with your email as I'm not current on the computer with the pictures.

[TobyB]

As far as I can remember, there wasn't a small- case 4.33.
But measure it out- it's easy to do.

The E30 and E36 cases are different, so opening it up to have a look
might not be a bad idea...

t

[Poorboyz]

The tag you flipped up to take the picture of the 433....the tag is where the gear ratio is, not the diff case. Another thing...the first picture, it seems the shaft isn't all the way into the diff which is causing that leak. The flange in the diff should not be sticking out that far and if you can't push it in anymore than you have the wrong flange on there.

[packratbimmer]

That is a small case 168 differential. The flanges stick out more on them. Looks like it is leaking though. If it feels extremely short, it could be a 4.44 from an E36. Just pull the tag and clean it. Most tags have the ratio on them. Speed sensors can vary on the E30 (for instance - the iX uses the same # as some E36 cars). If it is LS mark the flanges and count revolutions.

The speed sensor looks like the early type. If the car feels pretty buzzy on the highway, It might be a 4.10 from an automatic. In the USA, manuals came in 3.64 and 3.91 while automatics were 4.10.

[Jaxx_]

If it is LS mark the flanges and count revolutions.

you can do it with an open as well... both wheels need to be off the ground, though. or you can turn one tire two revolutions.

[Poorboyz]

That is a small case 168 differential.

Not true. That is a 188mm Medium case Diff. The small case 168mm has the drain plug and fill plug offset from one another. The Diff on pic is a 188mm but maybe it has output flanges from the E28?

[packratbimmer]

My bad. It is a 188. I took one look at the flanges and jumped to conclusions too fast. Those don't look like E30 188 flanges.