All you need to complete the change is a new drain plug and a couple of bottles of fluid. According to BMW, although the drain/fill plug is metal, the Viton-style seal they use is a one-time-use. The new plug will run you just over $5. BMW sells 500ml bottles of fluid, and the differential takes roughly 1-1.2L.
How much fluid does a rear differential hold?
Use the highest-quality gear oil you can afford to fill the differential. The weight and capacity will be listed in your owner’s manual; your differential will usually hold as much as 3 quarts.
When should I change my BMW diff oil?
every 20,000-50,000 miles
Differential oil lasts for a fairly decent amount of time. But our certified mechanics here at Jesse’s Garage recommend having the differential oil on your BMW assessed and changed every 20,000-50,000 miles to keep your differential running at peak performance and to avoid larger more costly repair issues from arising.
How many liters does a BMW manual rear differential take?
BMW TIS states the 328 diff capacity is 1 liter or 1.06 quarts OR to fill the diff until oil starts dripping out the fill port.
How many liters is a differential?
Standard differential oil capacity: 0.45 To 0.55 Liters (0.48 To 0.58 Us qts., 0.40 To 0.48 Imp.
What is differential oil?
Differential oil is sometimes referred to as gear oil and is found in the axle housing. Lubricates clutch packs, gears and bearings. Lubricates the ring and pinion gears that move power to the wheel axles from the driveshaft. Cools and lubricates the differential.
How do I change the differential oil on a BMW E90?
One of the easiest tasks to perform on your BMW E90 is to change the differential oil. Working at front differential: Using a 14mm Allen bit, remove oil fill plug. (green arrow) Fluid should be just at bottom edge of fill plug hole. Top fluid up if needed. Photo shows fill plug as viewed from driver side of vehicle.
What kind of differential fluid does a BMW use?
If your BMW is equipped with an open differential, you can use the same 75W-90 fluid that is used in the front differential. However, if you drive an M3 or have a limited slip differential (LSD), this requires 75W-140 oil. If you drive an xDrive BMW model, it will have a center transfer case located behind the transmission.
What kind of transmission fluid does a vintage BMW E30 take?
Note: for the purposes of this page, “Vintage” refers to all BMW cars built up to and including the E30 3-series. Most manual transmissions on vintage models do not have a fluid label on the transmission because nearly all gearboxes took the same fluid – a universal GL-4. If no label is present, the official recommendation is any GL-4 gear oil.
How do you change the rear differential fluid?
Working at rear differential: Using a 14mm or 17mm Allen bit, remove oil fill plug. (green arrow) Fluid should be just at bottom edge of fill plug hole. Top fluid up if needed. Working at rear differential: Using a 14mm Allen bit, remove oil fill plug. (green arrow) Next, using a suction pump, pump fluid out of differential.
