swapping diffs

[E30 Wagen]

Is it a hard job to replace the rear diff? Just want to know about how much a shop would charge.

thanks

[FredK]

Naw it's an easy job. They'll probably charge you an hour or two. It should only take around 45 mins. I did mine in around that time, all you need to do is unbolt 12 halfshaft bolts, four input flange locknuts, and four diff mount bolts on the top of the diff. You can even do it on jackstands like I did.

[Mike325]

Naw it's an easy job. They'll probably charge you an hour or two. It should only take around 45 mins. I did mine in around that time, all you need to do is unbolt 12 halfshaft bolts, four input flange locknuts, and four diff mount bolts on the top of the diff. You can even do it on jackstands like I did.

Yes, it is very easy. Heavy though.

[kommissar]

Top Bolts

I have always found the top two bolts on the diff mount to be a PITA. Getting a wrench up there is not hard; however there is not a lot of clearance so you have to use a box wrench. This means you have to turn a quarter turn, pop the wrench off, and put it back on and repeat. A lot.

Also, they are usually really tight and there is not much room to get leverage on them. The trailing arm, exhaust, and e-brake cables tend to get in the way.

Do you have any tips on how to get them out easily? I always hate that part of the job.

[FredK]

Ah, what made it easy was that my exhaust is not currently installed. :)

I used a regular 19mm combination wrench and liberally doused the bolts with PB Blaster so that they'd back out easily once I got them fairly loose. That way you can remove the bolts the rest of the way by hand.