Hahahaha... lol. I guess I never really posted an official "Kaaz diff in the e46" thread, so this will serve that purpose. For those of you unfamiliar with the situation... here's what's up:
I purchased a Kaaz 1.5 way LSD for the e46 way back when. How way back when, you ask? The middle of July! This differential was supposed to be completed, and in my car for DriftShowoff Maryland: July 24th, 2004. Needless to say this hasn't been the case. A FULL four months after I dropped everything off at the shop, and I'm back to square one.
The shop that was "working" (I use that term loosely) on the diff was Driveline Service in Norcross. They came "highly" recommended as a shop capable of rebuilding BMW diffs. In my initial conversation with Dwayne, he advised me that it would take him two days tops, provided I had everything to do the install. I purchased a used differential carrier case off a 2000 328i - with a 3.46 final drive. At the time, it was thought that the Kaaz carrier could only be installed using that ratio. My open diff now is a 3.15 - so I snagged the 3.46 for $250 shipped. I got the Z4 finned diff cover (disapates heat better, and looks BADASS) for $110 (thanks Hooman!), as well as the output driveshaft seals for $20. The gasket for the diff cover was like $10. This was everything Dwayne would need to complete the job. We agreed on a $300 flat build fee for the job.
I met a guy online (e46fanatics.com) who did this entire install himself. His name is Bill. He advised me that unless I have prior experience with diffs, that I should take it somewhere to have it all assembled. He said it's not the most difficult job... but not something for a beginner. This is why I went to Driveline. To make an obscenely long story (4 months... remember?), Dwayne destroyed 6... count 'em 1-2-3-4-5-SIX carrier bearings (see below). Normally, not a big problem... only BMW doesn't want people rebuilding their diffs! So, they don't sell any of the internals seperately... just entire differential carrier cases for $1300. Originally, Dwayne had been outsourcing used carrier bearing from a local source that had some old diffs lying around. He exhausted that resource, leaving me stranded with an unfinished diff, and no easy way to get carrier bearings. At this point, he claims he needs two sets of bearings: one to hone the surface to allow for test fitment... and another set for final placement once the shimming is correct. WHY HE DIDN'T DO THIS WITH THE FOERST 6 BEARINGS IS BEYOND ME!
Dwayne began calling around trying to find bearings, only to come back with "Our only option is to try and order these directly from Germany". Germany. HA! I began calling around as well. Everyone I talked to had someone different to refer me to. Finally I get ahold of Brett at Koala Motorsports... they do performance BMW diffs. He said it's easy to get the bearing from any local bearing house. He made some calls, and said he could get them brand new... with the race, for $110/bearing. $220 for a pair of bearings that should not have been destroyed in the FOERST place! DAYOM! I had also called Ray at Kaaz to ask for help. He began making some phone calls. A week went by, and I broke down and decided to order the bearings from Brett. At this point, I knew Driveline was through working on the diff anymore (my choice... not theirs)... but I still needed bearings for the next guy to work with. 30 minutes after I order the bearings, Ray calls me and refers me to Dan at diffsonline.com. They built Dado (Ferrari Yellow Turbo M3 (Mischief 3000))'s diff... and specialize strictly in BMW diffs. I explained all of this to Dan. He said Driveline doesn't know what they're doing with the diff (obviously), and that I should send it all to him for evaluation. He assured me of two things: he had built hundreds of BMW diffs... several e46/Kaaz combos - and he had never once destroyed the carrier bearings. He insisted he would take care of me and help me get this taken care of. This is the guy I've been looking for.
Worst case scenario - Dwayne destroyed the internals in the carrier case itself... rendering it useless & Dan would have to use one of his carrier cases: $1500.
Best case (and most likely) - Dan can use the carrier case & internals I purchased, and have it assembled and shipped in two weeks max for $500 + parts.
My cost for the project so far spans $1600 - so I'm pulling for the $500 option. Otherwise I'll be running over three grand... in which case I would have been better off getting a fully customizable (and completed) 2-way diff from Turner Motorsport for $4800, lol.
I shipped everything out today at lunch. Shipping ran $98! I was actually surprised it wasn't more considering how heavy everything was.
What a road this has been. I knew it would be a hassle doing this from the get-go. I didn't realize it would be a four-month hassle at that... but ya live and ya learn.
If you made it through all of that... props to you. This could have been made into a freaking reality tv show.
Ahhhhh.... [/rant]
Pretty li'l Kaaz... please work soon!
You can see this carrier bearing is bent.
Another destroyed carrier bearing.
More destruction.
Mondo-Destructo!
you shoulda just punched the dude in the head. that's all i have to say, other than i hope the new dude knows ANYTHING AT ALL about differentials. which would put him about three steps up from the last guy.
