Unofficialbmw.com

[dale]

I've been needing to get a 14mm stubby hex bit (aka diff tool) for a while now. Since I couldn't find one locally, I decided to make some.

As long as I was doing one, I figured I may as well do all 3.

BMW transmission and differentials have either a 10mm, 14mm, or 17mm plug holding the fluid in.
I made all 3 by buying an allen wrench in each size, and 2 3/8" drive sockets in each size.
I used my bench grinder to chop off the last inch on each end of the allen, and I'll put each of the 1" ends into a socket.
This gives me a total of 3 diff tools in each size. See the pic for a graphic example of what I did.

Cost? Well, if you buy 3 bits from Ultimate Garage made by Facom, it will set you back at least $65.
I spent an hour making these and it cost about $8 each($4 allen, $2 for each socket), total $24. And I have 9 tools for that $24 instead of the $65 for 3 tools. I like it.

Dale

for more pics, see this link http://www.unofficialbmw.com/images/diff-tool/





[ 03-26-2004: Message edited by: dale ]

[ 03-26-2004: Message edited by: dale ]

[Greenhornet84]

Cool deal. My son still curses the day that we had to pull the trans and He said "Dad, I owe you". He just didn't know how much he was paying back.
Mark

[edjack]

You're a Clever Guy, Dale!

I've found also that so-called "coupling nuts", available from hardware stores, can be selected to fit.

They are several times longer than a conventional nut, and are used to j0in threaded rods.