Which M42/M44 cars came with LSDs?

[ClayW]

Which E36/E30 4 cylinder cars came with LSDs? I've got a line on a machinist that says the spools are the right size to fit into a machined 2002 case. My guess is that the E36 LSDs are a little more common and, hence, less expensive than E21 LSDs.

Thanks in advance!

[DesktopDave]

They all did, but as options.  Even the iS models might not have LSDs.  I think the spools are interchangeable for each size, but I'm not sure.

You'd likely want to stick with the small case, but if you went with a medium case you'd get a far larger selection of cars to choose from.

Here's a tip for you to identify cars that originally had LSDs without trying to read the rusted-out tags on the diff...pull the rear seat bottom, look on the drivers' side for a printed slip, the build sheet.  There will be some four-number codes printed across the bottom.  Look for 0209...that's the BMW code for the 25% lockup LSD installed at the factory.  Of course, the car might have had a new diff installed (I'd assume it if they have a small case diff) so YMMV.

[ziedas nr 1]

only 3 models e30 hawe a factory lsd.

m3
325ix all
325ia tauring

all others models(lsd) is a option.

[longms]

How can we tell without looking at the diff if we have an LSD??

[pdxmotorhead]

1. Both rear wheels off ground car in park or gear.
    - Wheels turn opposite directions when 1 is turned with open diff same direction with limited slip.
   
2. 1 rear off ground car in neutral
    - Wheel will turn very easily if car has open diff.
    - Wheel will not or be almost impossible to turn with limited slip.

There is no 100% positive way to tell without looking inside the housing, as someone could have changed the diff due to failure or swapped out parts of the diff and kept the tag. Because of the price difference its pretty common to find open diffs in cars that had limited slips because the owners did not want to spend the money on a replacement limited slip. You have to look inside the housing because some will still kinda work when the limited slip parts fail.

Dave