quick fluid questions

[318iSdaniel]

hey everybody, i am planning to change my oil, transmission, and diff fluid this weekend.  i recently got the car so i am not sure of what fluids i should put in the tranny or diff.  i saw some people posting MTL for tranny or redline ATF D4.  I am pretty sure I have an LSD, but just in case it would be very helpful if someone could let me know the recommended oils for both LSD and open diffs.

If someone wanted to be extra nice they could also tell me the torque values for the drain plugs for the 3 liquids, too.

Thanks a bunch in advance, and i hope to contribute more as i learn more about this car myself.

P.S. - what service manual(s) should i purchase for this car?  i currently have an e30 bentley, so should i just get the e36 bentley which covers the M42?

[P. Kennedy]

I just went through the same processes last week, with my new (to me) 318is.  I jacked up the rear and spun a tire/wheel to determine if the car has a limited slip.  I read on this forum that if both rear wheels spin in the same direction, it is an LSD.  I was delighted to discover that my car had one.

I read a post on this forum from a very knowledgeable petro-chemist sort of guy, that he picked Shell Rotella T 5W-40 as the best motor oil for his 318is.  It's not easy to find, but from what I have heard, it's worth the pursuit.  I just located it tonight at AutoZone.

Redline ATF D4 in the transmission (1.1 quarts) and Redline 75W-90 in the differential (1.2 quarts.)  There are 2 types of 75W-90 gear oil, one for LSD and one for non LSD that has an "NS" on the bottle.  

17mm bolts are on the transmission for draining and filling, but the differential has 2 14mm allen-cap plugs.  I've got a pretty good selection of tools, but I had to go out and buy this one.  It also may be worthwhile to buy a suction gun to inject the new fluids.

Tightening torque for the transmission bolts is 37 ft-lb and for the differential plugs, 52 ft-lb.

[318iSdaniel]

Thank you very much!  exactly what i needed to know.  i will have to check the allen-cap to see if i have the tool.

while i'm at it here, does anyone have a recommendation for a specific torque wrench or where i should go to look for one?  obviously some place like sears but i figured there might be other places i wouldn't think of.

Thanks,
Daniel

[P. Kennedy]

I bought a couple of torque wrenches from the MATCO truck once upon a time.  Spent waaaaaaay too much on them.  Like, $240 apiece.  Craftsman is certainly more than acceptable for the non-professional.