Oil cooler to E30 M50?

[alexbaby88]

Has anyone added an oil cooler to an M50? What parts can you use? Is there any point in doing it to begin with? Any downside to such a mod?

[Drew325is]

Funny you should ask...I've just finished doing it with the VAC billet housing (expensive, but solved a few other problems for me):

Alrighty...the oil system.

I'm running all -10 (5/8" ID) aeroquip oil hose (rated to 150oC) with push-on fittings. We decided on a single circuit, incorporating a remote mounted Z9 spin-on oil filter and the OEM E30 oil cooler.


Don't ask about the blue theme...it's completely accidental. I'd much prefer black...but everything has turned out to be blue!

The oil cooler took some tinkering...the OEM fittings on the oil cooler are o-ring (like aircon) fittings. So we had to keep these, then cut the hard pipes and fit 15mm olives with -10 adapters on the end. Then, because the OEM cooler is designed for the M20 (plumbed into RHS of engine) we had to swap the pipes around so we could run the hoses to the LHS of the M52:



So we cut number 2 & 3 around about where the red lines are marked, and then swapped the two pipes around so the 180o bend headed towards the LHS of the M52. I also inverted pipe number 2 so that hose ran under the cooler...this should mean a little less obstruction of the a/c condenser.

What I've done is one of several options...but using the euro S50 oil filter housing is common (it's a lot like the M50 housing but has provision for oil lines). I beleive there's also a billet filter cap for plumbing oil coolers...but I don't know much about it.

[alexbaby88]

was there a specific reason why you thought you need an oil cooler?
Any significant change in oil temps?

[etxxz]

^^ should help ALOT, but I found it unnecessary. concentrate on coolant cooling and it'll be enough. I looked into making AN lines for my e30 oil cooler but deemed it too expensive to attempt. what did you pay for the VAC kit?

[PiercedE30]

I used -10 AN Goodrigde (sp?) stainless braided line. I actually reused the stock oil cooler itself be using aluminum crimp fittings onto the OEM hardline that comes out of the cooler. A picture can explain it better:



I used -10 to 1/4 NPT on the oil cooler ports.

[Mike B.]

Use the euro S50, or S54 oil filter housing, a set of AN-10 adapters from VAC or Turner for the housing, 3 - 45 degree and 1 - 180 degree AN-10 fittings, 10 feet of AN-10 hose, and female M22 to AN-10 adapters for the oil cooler.

[hoveringuy]

Pierced,

I noticed in the top picture that you connected the coolant output (or input?) on the head to the spider hose. That circuit normally feeds the throttle body and intake, as I recall, and a temperature controlled valve turns the flow on/off. Since a valve regulates the flow to de-ice the intake I just plugged the head and that branch of the spider hose assuming that flow wasn't required.

Does coolant NEED to circulate through that fitting??

[PiercedE30]

Pierced,

I noticed in the top picture that you connected the coolant output (or input?) on the head to the spider hose. That circuit normally feeds the throttle body and intake, as I recall, and a temperature controlled valve turns the flow on/off. Since a valve regulates the flow to de-ice the intake I just plugged the head and that branch of the spider hose assuming that flow wasn't required.

Does coolant NEED to circulate through that fitting??

I didn't want any loose plugged hoses flailing around, so I just ran the hose to the head. My normal operating temp (driving around) has been in the 170-175 area so far. Never gone above 180 either. This is all with a 75* thermostat, no mechanical fan, and an upgraded electric in front of the radiator.

[etxxz]

is that the stock s50/s52 oil cooler? or euro one?? that doesnt seem very expensive or hard to make

[Mike B.]

I used a stock E30M3 oil cooler.

[Drew325is]

was there a specific reason why you thought you need an oil cooler?
Any significant change in oil temps?

There were a few reasons I went for an oil cooler...mostly it was because I'd heard that after a few laps at the track the hydaulic lifters in an M52 get quite noisy when the oil thins. So I figured since I have an oil cooler already in the car, I may as well utilise it.

^^ should help ALOT, but I found it unnecessary. concentrate on coolant cooling and it'll be enough. I looked into making AN lines for my e30 oil cooler but deemed it too expensive to attempt. what did you pay for the VAC kit??

Yeah the AN lines aren't cheap to make up. I got the VAC housing from Bimmerworld for $550 USD. But after hoses etc etc the whole oil system set up has probably cost me about $1000 (fark...never thought about it in those terms before :o).

[matt]

Use the euro S50, or S54 oil filter housing, a set of AN-10 adapters from VAC or Turner for the housing, 3 - 45 degree and 1 - 180 degree AN-10 fittings, 10 feet of AN-10 hose, and female M22 to AN-10 adapters for the oil cooler.

That's the only way to do it. :up:

[Drew325is]

So unless I've missed something, there's 2 different types of OEM E30 oil coolers:
OIL COOLER 1 09/1987 17201719262
OIL COOLER 1 09/1987 17211712657
...and the type in the M3s and some M20 E30s have M22 fittings on the cooler, rather than o-ring (a/c style) type fittings?...unless of course I missed something, but I'm sure we checked for options to get rid of the A/C-style fittings and avoid using olives on my oil cooler set up....but the a/c fitting were welded onto the cooler from memory.

Other than all that, the M3 type (17211712657) looks a great option...too bad in Australia I've probably got more hope of finding hens teeth.

[etxxz]

I used a stock E30M3 oil cooler.

is that the stock s50/s52 oil cooler? or euro one?? that doesnt seem very expensive or hard to make

what i meant is that the stock (USA) S5x oil filter housing or the euro one?

I used -10 AN Goodrigde (sp?) stainless braided line. I actually reused the stock oil cooler itself be using aluminum crimp fittings onto the OEM hardline that comes out of the cooler. A picture can explain it better:



I used -10 to 1/4 NPT on the oil cooler ports.

[Mike B.]

IIRC, PiercedE30, drilled and tapped the stock M/S50 oil filter housing in order to run the lines.