Diff Disassembly?

[bmwman91]

As a continuation of my interest in spraying out the differential......

I am going to be installing the LSD I picked up months ago this weekend and need some quick advice.

Can the diff unit in the casing be removed without destroying anything, other than the seals maybe (which I plan to replace anyway)? Does anyone have pics of this? I remember one guy actually taking the LSD unit apart into individual parts. I don't have any plans for that, but I would like to get the unit out so I can hot-tank the casing.

Thanks!

[r0ckrat]

Yes, it can be safely disassembled. There should be snap rings holding in the stub axles, and once those are out the unit should drop out. Keep track of which shims are where, as that sets the spacing of the ring & pinion gears. (Moving the LSD left & right tightens and loosens the ring to pinion spacing.)

There's more info available here and also here if you want to do some reading, mostly based on American iron. The basics are the same though. If you need more specific details for the diff, contact Dan at www.diffsonline.com. He specializes in BMW diffs. Helped me find a small LSD carrier to replace one I had that had a broken bearing journal. Mostly works on medium and large case diffs though.

[bmwman91]

Yes, it can be safely disassembled. There should be snap rings holding in the stub axles, and once those are out the unit should drop out. Keep track of which shims are where, as that sets the spacing of the ring & pinion gears. (Moving the LSD left & right tightens and loosens the ring to pinion spacing.)

There's more info available here and also here if you want to do some reading, mostly based on American iron. The basics are the same though. If you need more specific details for the diff, contact Dan at www.diffsonline.com. He specializes in BMW diffs. Helped me find a small LSD carrier to replace one I had that had a broken bearing journal. Mostly works on medium and large case diffs though.

So to just get the unit out, I pull the covers on the outsides (4 bolts each) and remove some circlips?  The shims and stuff are inside the diff, unit correct?  I just want to get it out so I can hot tank the casing.

[r0ckrat]

There are shims on each side of the carrier between the case and the carrier that keep it in position, I think. I haven't done it myself, just have read some about it and also talked to the shop guys here at Randy's. In actuality, it's a better idea to leave it alone unless it needs work. But if you really want to take it apart, you can.

Just realized that if you are dipping the case then you are going to have to remove the pinion and yoke as well, which requires a new crush sleeve, and resetting the lash, which I don't know how to do. Possibly replacing the pinion support bearings.

You'd be better off just masking and painting the case than going through all that trouble.

[bmwman91]

There are shims on each side of the carrier between the case and the carrier that keep it in position, I think. I haven't done it myself, just have read some about it and also talked to the shop guys here at Randy's. In actuality, it's a better idea to leave it alone unless it needs work. But if you really want to take it apart, you can.

Just realized that if you are dipping the case then you are going to have to remove the pinion and yoke as well, which requires a new crush sleeve, and resetting the lash, which I don't know how to do. Possibly replacing the pinion support bearings.

You'd be better off just masking and painting the case than going through all that trouble.

Yarr.  You are probably right.