Does a 325 se have LSD as standard?

[edf]

Hi,

I have looked in the forums, on the Internet, but I have not found the exact answer.

Is there a section somewhere on here for standard specifications of E30's because I searched and couldn't find it.

What I want to know is, does a 325 SE have an LSD as standard?

If it is an 86 model, what dif would it have in it if it was a 325 or the v5, and a 323 on the v5?

As far as I know at the moment, the 323 had a 3.64 (were they all LSD's), and the 325 had a 3.91 or 3.73 (were all the SE models LSD's).

Cheers,
Ed

[HartgeH27]

325 SE did not come with a LSD as standard, the sport had a 3.91 final drive and ZF LSD as standard.

The SE would be fitted with the 3.64 out of the factory but some made it with optional extra LSD.

To be one hundred percent sure you would need to check the tag on the diff which if preceded by a 'S' indicates a slipper.

Iain

[edf]

Cheers Iain,

If the tag is real rusty can you tell the ratio from any of the other markings on the casing, or is that it really? Can most of the tags be cleaned with piece of sandpaper to reveal the number?

Also, if you really floor it on set off with an open dif is there any way of getting two lines of rubber, even a short strip of two, or are we always talking one line? Conversely, is there any way if you don't give it enough power on set off, you might manage a one liner with an LSD?

Cheers

Ed

[e30-320i]

you can jack the back up so both rear wheels are off the ground and spin one side if the other side spins in the same direction=lsd

[edf]

Cheers, I sort of knew this, but wanted a quicker and more fun way to test it out!

Ed

[thesaint]

Cheers, I sort of knew this, but wanted a quicker and more fun way to test it out!

Ed

well put your foot down in a corner, if the inside wheel spins you dont, if you do a lovly smooth drift, or crash it is.

[Lordschleife]

The tag should clean up enough to tell you what you need to know

I had an 1989 325i SE, that had an open 3.73 diff, put a 3.64 LSD (prob pre facelift sport?) on it and that seemed nice ratio wise.

[edf]

Cheers for that, least I know I'm on the right track. I'm probably going to go for a 3.64 if I can get one but living in Spain it's a nightmare finding anything like this (unless I want to pay about £1.5m)!

Apparently (thanks to some people on E30 Zone) I probably have a dif ratio of 4.1 or higher, as my car used to be a 320 cabrio. Problem now is my MOT is running out in August, and I don't fancy another troop across Spain from Marbella to Bilbao, then up to Yorkshire, then all the way back again at 5500 RPM! I'm off to the one scrappers in Marbella today to start spinning some E30 wheels!

Does anyone know of a cheap way of getting a diff from the UK out here? Even for a courier to carry one it has to be split into the casing and internals, and then we are talking at least fifty nicker per package!


Cheers

Ed

[Lordschleife]

Might be easier to source one from germany if you're on the continent anyway?
Eg http://cgi.ebay.de/BMW-E30-Sperre-Diffe ... dZViewItem

[edf]

Yeah thanks, I'll email the guy, but I asked another seller in Germany, and they still said about £80 shipping! This guy loooks like he's really thrashed this diff too -he's admitted he needs a lower ratio!

Thanks again

Ed

[DelaneyG]

It should have I think dey all do my 320,s got one its only 10% it tells you in the owners manuel they where designed to drive in the snow an that so they needed it

[DelaneyG]

but to check it by jacking it up you have to spin the prop shaft

[edf]

Thanks for the help, I've had word back from the German guy selling the 3.64 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-E30-Sperre-Di ... dZViewItem , he says 40 EUR for shipping to Spain (I'm not sure how he came up with this though as it's 35 EUR to Germany)!

He says its a "3.64 closed differential (Sperr differenzial)" and the "exact locking action is not well know to him", do you think he means it's an LSD but he doesn't know if it's a 25%, or 40% lock etc, or that he doesn't know if it's an LSD or not?

I've asked him twice, once if it's an LSD, and now if it's a limited slip differential, so hopefully he'll tell me.

Cheers

Ed

[Lordschleife]

Yeah sperre means closing/locking in german, Sperredifferential= LSD
He prob just doesnt know if its 25% (most likely) or 40% (slight chance)

[edf]

Cheers, I'm going to try and have a bid, and just pray that:

1. It doesn't go too high for me; and,
2. It's not shagged! (The guy has admitted to tanking it at 240 KMPH which if I'm not mistaked is 150MPH)

Can something this old still be ok after all that hammer?

Also do you really need to spin the propshaft to check if it's a LSD? Can't it just be taken out of gear and spin one wheel? There are about 6 E30's in the scrappers, all accessible, but I didn't get the chance to spin the wheels as I was looking for the rubber boot that joins the throttle body, idle control valve, and the airflow meter, but there wasn't one.

Cheers

[Lordschleife]

Well I had mine at an indicated 145mph on the way back from the 'ring
As long as its not whiney I guess it should be OK?

But they come up pretty often on german ebay, so if you're not sure or it goes high then leave it and wait for another

You should be able to look at the tags on the cars at the scrappy, take a bit of sandpaper in case you need to clean em up, an LSD will have an S before the number on it. eg S 3.64 S 3.91 etc etc

[edf]

Cheers,

I apprciate the speeds, but I was thinking if he was blasting up and down the Autobahns all day long that it might be a bit tired?


He's just come back to me and said in his words

"Hi ed, I think the diff. is 25 % . It is really perfect. I hope it´s the correct answer, because I don´t now, what you´re mean about a limited slip diff. By Mario"

Do I trust him -I hope so as I feel like bidding!