The 2014 Alpina D3 Touring with *almost* moon mileage
Discussion
bolidemichael said:
Such a great thread and effort. Epic is really appropriate, well done OP, you’ve really looked after this special car.
It’s tried its best to die since I got it:Engine going
Front springs snapping
High pressure fuel pump dying and taking the injectors with it
Then I hydrolocked it
Followed by a near terminal coolant leak
Still troops on though.
So fitted some gearbox mounts and an engine mount. With the help of my furry helper.
Sadly as is the way with cars, taking the slack out of those has only highlighted that I really need to replace the prop shaft centre bearing.
For some reason in all their wisdom BMW made these none serviceable.
Luckily with the amount of F30/F31's going to the scrap yard in the sky, I got a full propshaft, from a 2018 330d with 28k miles on it, for the princely sum of £75 delivered!
I'll be fitting that this week, once I work out how to get an exhaust off, which has been on for 299k miles....
Only 298 miles to go before the big 300k.
I don't want to just limp it past that mile stone. So fix we must.
Sadly as is the way with cars, taking the slack out of those has only highlighted that I really need to replace the prop shaft centre bearing.
For some reason in all their wisdom BMW made these none serviceable.
Luckily with the amount of F30/F31's going to the scrap yard in the sky, I got a full propshaft, from a 2018 330d with 28k miles on it, for the princely sum of £75 delivered!
I'll be fitting that this week, once I work out how to get an exhaust off, which has been on for 299k miles....
Only 298 miles to go before the big 300k.
I don't want to just limp it past that mile stone. So fix we must.
ATM said:
Waitey said:
Is this just some cheap roll of carpet or door mat type stuff. Feels - or looks like it would feel - almost luxurious compared to rolling around on the floor without.
Starting to test me now.
Changed gearbox mounts - Clunk remained.
Changed engine mounts - Clunk remained
Changed prop shaft - Clunk remained
So here we are:
The clunk was the diff.
Observations:
Case didn’t move at all
Only occurred when going from D to R with the brakes applied
Only occurred after the diff “wound” up on the road.
Doesn’t slip under load
The crown and pinion are spotless
The oil was clean with a few metal sparkles but nothing like I expected.
With the case not moving I’d say it isn’t the mounts.
The fact it doesn’t slip under load would lead me to believe the clutch packs are ok friction surface wise.
So:
It’s the bearings
It’s the friction plate ears which have worn and the clunk is those moving across.
Other things, it runs a 2.81 diff and not a 2.56 from a 330d/335d which is interesting.
What can I do:
1) Get a used open diff, put it in and off I go.
2) Get a used diff and swap my LSD core into it.
3)Fully refurb my current diff.
I think I’ll do option 4) which is 1 + 3.
Get a diff to get it back on the road, then rebuild the lsd one at my leisure.
I've managed to source a 2.81 ratio Diff from a 2019 F30 for the grand total of £59 delivered. So that'll get this back on the road and over 300k miles.
Changed gearbox mounts - Clunk remained.
Changed engine mounts - Clunk remained
Changed prop shaft - Clunk remained
So here we are:
The clunk was the diff.
Observations:
Case didn’t move at all
Only occurred when going from D to R with the brakes applied
Only occurred after the diff “wound” up on the road.
Doesn’t slip under load
The crown and pinion are spotless
The oil was clean with a few metal sparkles but nothing like I expected.
With the case not moving I’d say it isn’t the mounts.
The fact it doesn’t slip under load would lead me to believe the clutch packs are ok friction surface wise.
So:
It’s the bearings
It’s the friction plate ears which have worn and the clunk is those moving across.
Other things, it runs a 2.81 diff and not a 2.56 from a 330d/335d which is interesting.
What can I do:
1) Get a used open diff, put it in and off I go.
2) Get a used diff and swap my LSD core into it.
3)Fully refurb my current diff.
I think I’ll do option 4) which is 1 + 3.
Get a diff to get it back on the road, then rebuild the lsd one at my leisure.
I've managed to source a 2.81 ratio Diff from a 2019 F30 for the grand total of £59 delivered. So that'll get this back on the road and over 300k miles.
Drexler out and apart:
Interesting spec, 100% locking plate set up but really steep ramp angles for engagement.
So it’ll take some effort to lock it but then it’s really bloody locked!
Also, and I’ll write this twice.
The friction plates are still in spec. Thinest being 1.92mm down from 2mm.
THE FRICTION PLATES ARE STILL IN SPEC
Good differentials these Drexlers! 299k in and all in spec.
Interesting spec, 100% locking plate set up but really steep ramp angles for engagement.
So it’ll take some effort to lock it but then it’s really bloody locked!
Also, and I’ll write this twice.
The friction plates are still in spec. Thinest being 1.92mm down from 2mm.
THE FRICTION PLATES ARE STILL IN SPEC
Good differentials these Drexlers! 299k in and all in spec.
bolidemichael said:
Perhaps I’ve asked you before, but do you have any formal engineering training? You seem to know a lot and be quite confident with getting hands on.
Self taught in the main.Google and YouTube can help with everything these days.
Also once you get it into your head that they are just bits of metal which are bolted together, it becomes less daunting.
Gallons Per Mile said:
Cool! Where did you find the spec for the diff? The friction plates in the GKN diffs on the M3's seem to wear out far more quickly.
From Drexler. They ship with 2mm friction plates.
My outers were still 2mm.
Middles were 1.95-1.97mm
Inners were 1.92-1.94mm
So hardly any wear.
If there were any under 1.8mm I’d have swapped them out.
WAVman said:
I often see you on Victoria Road in Beverley when I'm walking the dog, I had noticed the car rattling a bit recently!
I was one of the early posters on this thread, providing info about the previous keeper Jeremy Mallett.
Great to see the car is still going!
Hopefully it'll sound a bit healthier after all this!I was one of the early posters on this thread, providing info about the previous keeper Jeremy Mallett.
Great to see the car is still going!
The replacement open diff arrived today. So I'll try to get it fitted this evening.
What a time I've been having with this!
Bought the wrong diff. What a c**k.
Right ratio, wrong case size.
Looks like I need one from a 140i.
7 days later....
The right diff is here!
Found the issue with my old diff, which also scuppers me with the new one.
This part goes between the diff and the vibration mount.
You can just make out it only has teeth for about 2mm then it’s just rust. The spline shaft it fitted to in the old diff is the same, eg, f
ked.
Sadly my new diff didn’t come with one, so I took this off the old one. Thats when I saw how fked it is.
Sadly BMW don’t sell these as separate parts as they generally come with the full diff.
FFS.
Bought the wrong diff. What a c**k.
Right ratio, wrong case size.
Looks like I need one from a 140i.
7 days later....
The right diff is here!
Found the issue with my old diff, which also scuppers me with the new one.
This part goes between the diff and the vibration mount.
You can just make out it only has teeth for about 2mm then it’s just rust. The spline shaft it fitted to in the old diff is the same, eg, f
ked.Sadly my new diff didn’t come with one, so I took this off the old one. Thats when I saw how f
ked it is.Sadly BMW don’t sell these as separate parts as they generally come with the full diff.
FFS.
So in the quest to get a front flange, I bought ANOTHER diff
M140i diff ordered.
Its done 12 miles...... look how clean the ali is on the front!
Sodding Alpina….
Swapped the fronts of the diff over.
All good.
Vibration mounts won’t bolt up.
Have a look at them and….
Rolls Royce logo.
Hmmm I can tell this won’t be ideal.
So Alpina use Rolls Royce vibration mounts at both ends of the drive shaft.
They also used Rolls Royce front diff and rear gearbox flanges.
How the f**k am I going to get a new one of those for the front of the diff.
The real OEM list is making me sad.
M140i diff ordered.
Its done 12 miles...... look how clean the ali is on the front!
Sodding Alpina….
Swapped the fronts of the diff over.
All good.
Vibration mounts won’t bolt up.
Have a look at them and….
Rolls Royce logo.
Hmmm I can tell this won’t be ideal.
So Alpina use Rolls Royce vibration mounts at both ends of the drive shaft.
They also used Rolls Royce front diff and rear gearbox flanges.
How the f**k am I going to get a new one of those for the front of the diff.
The real OEM list is making me sad.
Found an Alpina diff at a breakers. Will go collect this one, so I can check it over before hand!
All things crossed.
It’s from a D5 which uses the same Roll Royce vibration mounts.
...........
Went to the breakers to collect my diff, to be told, oh its still in the car.
We might take it out on Wednesday.
You could have mentioned that when I called on Monday!
....................
The gamble on diff number 4 paid off.
It’s totally mint
All things crossed.
It’s from a D5 which uses the same Roll Royce vibration mounts.
...........
Went to the breakers to collect my diff, to be told, oh its still in the car.
We might take it out on Wednesday.
You could have mentioned that when I called on Monday!
....................
The gamble on diff number 4 paid off.
It’s totally mint
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