Make your 325ix rear wheel drive for summer?

[e30BMart]

I heard you can unbolt an axle or something on the 325ix and make your AWD only rear wheel drive for the summer? Thus using less gas?

[drewjak]

i know nothing about what your talking about , but it sounds like the craziest idea ive ever heard if you cant afford to run it you should`nt of bought it

[Ilkorin]

Unfortunately not a lot of people on here have a lot of experience with the ix as it wasn't sold in the UK... In theory I can't see why you couldn't unbolt the axle off the transfer case and make it rear wheel only...

Check on realoem, it will show how it all comes together and what part to remove.

Hopefully someone might come along with some practical experience!

[DHFiS]

Can you lock the centre diff?

[Morat]

I don't think so, it's viscous with a 90% maximum lockup iirc.

[DHFiS]

So it might run for a while with the front driveshaft removed but you wont save any fuel.

[town325i]

If you remove the front drive shafts the wheel will fall off if its the same shaft as the rear as in the splined end is all in one witht the shaft.

[cecotto479]

If the centre diff can't be locked, then I don't see how it's possible.

[e30BMart]

i know nothing about what your talking about , but it sounds like the craziest idea ive ever heard if you cant afford to run it you should`nt of bought it

My idea for it was not to save gas but more to have fun with the rear wheels if you know what I mean . Burnouts, drifts are things I am refering to.

[HairyScreech]

the simple way would be to get a dead centre diff welded and swap the transter box for that one. then remove the front prop.

should see you with just the drive flange spining at the front (blanking plate?) and drive to the rear.

dont know if its been done on e30s but i know its bindun on wrxs and evos before.

[Speedtouch]

I know many Land Rover Freelander owners remove the propshaft to the rear wheels and blank off the front propshaft output to apparently improve handling, performance and fuel economy.

I may have tried it on mine, but have just sold it.

[Duke137]

I know many Land Rover Freelander owners remove the propshaft to the rear wheels and blank off the front propshaft output to apparently improve handling, performance and fuel economy.

I may have tried it on mine, but have just sold it.

improved handling on a freelander..... chocolate fireguard springs to mind.

[Morat]

A bit like limbo dancing on a pogo stick

[e30mtec]

i know nothing about what your talking about , but it sounds like the craziest idea ive ever heard if you cant afford to run it you should`nt of bought it

My idea for it was not to save gas but more to have fun with the rear wheels if you know what I mean . Burnouts, drifts are things I am refering to.

why not just buy a rwd e30 instead???

[town325i]

I know many Land Rover Freelander owners remove the propshaft to the rear wheels and blank off the front propshaft output to apparently improve handling, performance and fuel economy.

I may have tried it on mine, but have just sold it.

Thats to make it front wheel drive a bit crap on an E30 really

[rp2]

it will need work to lock the centre diff as if you just remove the link to the front wheels the rear shaft will not move as all the power will be spun away through the frot drive link. its the same as trying to drive with one drive wheel off the ground without a locked diff.

i drove a front wheel drive land rover defender for a while as i broke one of the rear drive shafts. when the centre diff was left unlocked it went nowhere. you had to pull the lever which locked the centre diff to stop the power going to the broken bit. this will be the same concept.

will be simpler to buy a standard e30 for the summer!

[e30BMart]

i know nothing about what your talking about , but it sounds like the craziest idea ive ever heard if you cant afford to run it you should`nt of bought it

My idea for it was not to save gas but more to have fun with the rear wheels if you know what I mean . Burnouts, drifts are things I am refering to.

why not just buy a rwd e30 instead???

Because I sadly have to get through canadian winters with it. I would LOVE AWD for winter and I would LOVE to have RWD in the summer. If I didn't have to endure winter i'dd get a 325i. I simply need awd for the winter...

[e30BMart]

My god! The dealer said it would be 4 bolts and it would be easy as hell to do... I was overjoyed to hear that but with you guys doubting it i'm kinda doubting his skills with e30 bmw's...........

[TomCropp]

why would you buy an ultra rare ultra cool 4 wheel drive ix and then make it rear wheel drive?

[e30BMart]

why would you buy an ultra rare ultra cool 4 wheel drive ix and then make it rear wheel drive?

Dude I need the ultra rare ultra cool AWD for winter, then I'dd make it RWD for summer, then back to AWD in the winter and so on Why would you want AWD in summer? I heard the RWD ones handle better than the AWD ayway

[tomson]

All you would need to do is remove the transfer box to front diff prop shaft.

[cecotto479]

That'll only work if the centre diff is locked, Tom. Otherwise all the drive will just go to the point of least resistance - the front.

[gareth]

sounds like a good way of blowing the centre diff!

http://www.awdwiki.com/article.html?inc=bmw

[HairyScreech]

im sure the viscous would provide drive, but i wouldnt like to be the one that owns the car. sure fire way to wear a viscous diff down.

[cecotto479]

Sorry, someone earlier in the thread said the centre diff didn't lock. If it's viscous coupled it'll lock up to some extent and provide drive to the rear with the front prop off. I've driven Land Rovers for miles and miles - weeks - with a broken rear halfshaft and the centre diff locked with no ill effects.

[tomson]

There isnt a centre diff, only front and rear. The front diff is bolted to the sump and is a complete PITA to remove.
An iX gearbox is basically a normal E30 box with a small transfer case bolted to the back of it and its drive connects via a rubber guibo the same as a normal E30's prop connects to the gearbox, very crude IMO though I've had no experiance of any other 4wd systems ! There is then a splined prop shaft that puts power to the front diff, with this shaft removed I see no reason why the car would not drive as the transfer case is only cogs etc supplying drive to the front diff. E30 iX's are permanent 4wd and the viscous diffs can not be locked in any way . The power is a permanent 37:63% front to rear split so it may slow the car down removing the front drive shaft ??

[e30BMart]

There isnt a centre diff, only front and rear. The front diff is bolted to the sump and is a complete PITA to remove.
An iX gearbox is basically a normal E30 box with a small transfer case bolted to the back of it and its drive connects via a rubber guibo the same as a normal E30's prop connects to the gearbox, very crude IMO though I've had no experiance of any other 4wd systems ! There is then a splined prop shaft that puts power to the front diff, with this shaft removed I see no reason why the car would not drive as the transfer case is only cogs etc supplying drive to the front diff. E30 iX's are permanent 4wd and the viscous diffs can not be locked in any way . The power is a permanent 37:63% front to rear split so it may slow the car down removing the front drive shaft ??

Thanks but whats a PITA? Nice explaination though I almost understood everything. So your telling me that by disconnecting the front shaft I would have 37% less power? from 168hp to 117.6hp?

I was thinking you could just take the front shaft off and the car would know that front wheels were not connected to the drive so it would just put all the available power for the back wheels.... Aw man

[Speedtouch]

PITA = Pain in The A*se.

You'd probably lose some power, but I doubt as much as 37%.

[tomson]

I would tend to agree with Speedtouch, you may possibly notice a small drop in "go" but I would think that really would me minimal. By disconnecting the transfer case to front diff prop shaft the 37% power to the front is now not being used by the front wheels so all available power through the gearbox, in theory, would go to the rear diff. The only power loss should be whatever it takes to move the internal parts of the transfer case which are now driving nothing... I could be talking utter bollocks but I have had an iX transfer case apart and its only cogs and a chain drive, no "slip unit" like a rear diff, so I believe what I've written to be correct and hopefully will help you out

To remove the front diff you would first need to remove both front struts and driveshafts = a pain in the arse, believe me I've been there too ! The front struts themselves is no big issue and its the same as any other 325i apart from the ARB mounting points, and the drive shafts. The drive shafts have probably never been off in the last 20 odd years and believe me they can be right cnuts to punch/pull/push/beat out of the hubs !

Feel free to shout if you dont understand anything

[e30BMart]

I would tend to agree with Speedtouch, you may possibly notice a small drop in "go" but I would think that really would me minimal. By disconnecting the transfer case to front diff prop shaft the 37% power to the front is now not being used by the front wheels so all available power through the gearbox, in theory, would go to the rear diff. The only power loss should be whatever it takes to move the internal parts of the transfer case which are now driving nothing... I could be talking utter bollocks but I have had an iX transfer case apart and its only cogs and a chain drive, no "slip unit" like a rear diff, so I believe what I've written to be correct and hopefully will help you out

To remove the front diff you would first need to remove both front struts and driveshafts = a pain in the arse, believe me I've been there too ! The front struts themselves is no big issue and its the same as any other 325i apart from the ARB mounting points, and the drive shafts. The drive shafts have probably never been off in the last 20 odd years and believe me they can be right cnuts to punch/pull/push/beat out of the hubs !

Feel free to shout if you dont understand anything

Haha! great to see someone that has actually done it here! It obviously is not as easy as my guy said it would be.. How much time did it take you to do all of that job? Can you put it back on after? thanks