BMW noisy Diff

[HumbleJim]

Hi I've an E30 with a noisy diff. Has anyone had any joy with synthetic or snake oil to quieten it down a bit? or am i just as well sticking with a std gear oil?

[C Lee Farquar]

If it's an LSD it would be worth checking it has the right oil, the wrong oil can cause noise.

[ctsdave]

I had an old E30 325 Sport a few years ago and had a whiny diff. New oil cured it but be careful - from memory they have a plate diff which needs special oil!

[Sardonicus]

HumbleJim said:

Hi I've an E30 with a noisy diff. Has anyone had any joy with synthetic or snake oil to quieten it down a bit? or am i just as well sticking with a std gear oil?

Sure its diff an not rear wheel bearings? changed more rear wheel bearings than I care to remeber on the E30 and they dont sound like your average wheel bearing failure I can assure you which is why I mention it

[buggalugs]

Second hand open diffs are cheap as chips and a couple of hours to swap

[HumbleJim]

The noise isn't huge, a barely(Mrs H hasn't noticed it but I hear every noise in every car I've had) audible whine between 60 & 80, power on whine power off no whine. The wheel bearings aren't new but feel good with no play. It's not bad enough to change the diff. I just thought I would change the oil (100k on the clock) if @ the same time I could make it a bit quieter then I would. if not no matter it's an old car after all.