Blown diff on 330d e91 at motorway speed

[The Lodge]

Hi all,
Huge bang wasn't sure what had happened but managed to coast to a layby.
no forward or reverse gears, got towed to a garage and yes diff is destroyed.
can anyone recommend a transmission specialist or service I'm in the Bedford are, is this a common problem?
Ratio is 2.35 and I believe the part number is 107571189
I've looked on ebay but only found international sellers would prefer something closer to home

Thanks, Paul.

[Mr Tidy]

Sorry to hear of your problem OP.

If I had that problem I'd call Bird's and see how much they would want to put a Quaife LSD in!

[Turkish91]

There is a place in Digbeth, Birmingham that I know has a good rep for rebuilding E9X diffs that have shat themselves!

[buggalugs]

Can’t believe these would be that hard to find at a breakers

[twokcc]

buggalugs said:

Can’t believe these would be that hard to find at a breakers

Or maybe Birds will sell you standard one taken off a car that they have fitted LSD

[iSore]

Birds? Money to burn?

330d diffs very, very rarely fail. I've never heard of one going.

£200 for a used one, an hour on a ramp to fit.

[iSore]

2.35 is a manual 330d diff, autos are 2.81.

A 2.81 diff would certainly make it a lot more lively but a tad under geared.

Here's one - they're a straight swap and would at least get the car mobile. These take 60 mins to change on a ramp, piece of piss with air tools.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-3-E90-E91-E92-E93-3...

[helix402]

An auto diff on a manual 330d does not make for a pleasant drive. (Briefly had one mid manual conversion).

[iSore]

Scrub that then. There will be a 2.35 somewhere.

[The Lodge]

Thanks for the advice.
If I fitted a diff with a different ratio would this cause any problems.
I expect the speedo would be out a bit but would a different ratio cause issues with abs or traction control or any other electronic system?

[SebringMan]

The Lodge said:

Thanks for the advice.
If I fitted a diff with a different ratio would this cause any problems.
I expect the speedo would be out a bit but would a different ratio cause issues with abs or traction control or any other electronic system?

You would need to recode the DME. I know there is software out there that does this for E46s. Martyn Thomas @ ECUWorx may be worth speaking to.

Helix402 may know of a way. I'm not sure if iCarly can do it.

[SebringMan]

Turkish91 said:

There is a place in Digbeth, Birmingham that I know has a good rep for rebuilding E9X diffs that have shat themselves!

Are you talking about Driver Transmissions?

I'd be tempted to fit a Quaife into it now TBH. A great time to do it .

[helix402]

A diff with a different ratio would cause no electronic problems and all dsc/abs and speedo will work properly. However it will change the gearing. As mentioned earlier a diff with the wrong ratios can make the car unpleasant to drive.

[pah250]

I slightly miss-understood the thread topic at first. From the title I thought you had an F1 inspired blown diffuser on your 3-series!! I was wondering if I ought to look into getting one fitted to mine

Sorry to hear about the differential, as already mentioned I'd consider a locking diff rather than the silly open diffs that these cars come with. Birds seem to have a good rep from the reading I've done, but no personal experience with them as yet.

[Russ Sims]

Whilst the diff is off and oil drained I'd recommend getting all bearings and seals renewed to ensure no more diff related problems for a while.

[Faizy16786]

Hi, I wonder if anyone in this thread can help me!! My diff is making alot of noise while im driving and after opening the oil cap the mechanic told me that there is metal bits inside the oil indicating the diff is damaged and that i need to buy a replacement. Does anyone here know which ratio diff would fit a 06 plate E90 330d Manual Bmw. Thanks

[iSore]

2.35, and autos have a 2.81.

Edited by iSore on Monday 4th February 19:28

[Mattiebmw]

My diff has also started making a hell of a noise recently. Cars a 57 plate 120i, not really sure what to do about it. Thought it could need the oil changing but I guess it might be two far gone for that. Am based in york/Leeds area, anyone know anywhere that might be able to help?

[buggalugs]

Once they're making noise they're too far gone generally, just have a ring round some local garages and see if one will source and fit you a 2/h diff.

[mikeyscott]

Mr Tidy said:

Sorry to hear of your problem OP.

If I had that problem I'd call Bird's and see how much they would want to put a Quaife LSD in!

This