Anyone install the Euro oil cooler on S52?

See there are a few people selling kits with the oil cooler from a euro m3. Its a new filter housing, OEM lines and OEM cooler.

I wanted to know how the install went and the temperature the reduced oil temperature.

S-52 & S-54 use the same oil filter housing gasket.

Leads me to believe that the filter housing could be swapped between them too.

I think you would need to gang two of the sensors (to one port) to provide a port for your VANOS oil feed supply.

I looked at all this very closely while I was working on a project for Maddux, but I've slept since then!

Paul McLaughlin quoted me all the prices for the S-54 oil cooler setup and it was a lot less than I expected.

Or...

Start calling salvage yards for a wrecked S-54.

Check out EPC pages 11_3008 & 17_0103 for details on the S-54.

its available as a kit for 700$

I'm using a racing oil cooler kit from VAC. (Sorry, I'm not affiliated with them in any way except that I'm using a lot of their stuff in my track coupe project.) They also sell the Euro kit.

E36 Euro oil cooler kit
Racing Oil Cooler Kit

They both use the euro oil filter housing. The euro kit uses other bmw parts. The racing kit uses aeroquip fittings, stainless lines, and a mocal oil cooler. The price is the same either way.

With the racing setup you move the vanos line to the rear of the housing, and the in/outs for the cooler are on the side. That leaves only one tap for the sensors, which have to be ganged as Randy says. He's got a part to do that, others are available.

The benefit of the racing cooler is that it holds more oil and uses standard (read as: widely available and cheaper than bmw) parts.

Here are some details of the install on Scott Galaba's track coupe. Scott figured this out himself, but the end result is much like the setup offered by VAC.

Scott's Oil Cooler in Track Coupe

And a link to some stuff on my own site, which is in dire need of an update:
Danspot

I have the oil cooler kit that Bob Hanvey pulled together using the BMW Euro oil filter housing and stock oil lines. It's very similar to the kit that VAC is now selling. Before installation I was running 230-240 on the street and 270 -280 at the track. Both temperatures have dropped approx. 40 degrees.

This may be my next mod,I have been thinking of temp versus failure and I like what I am hearing.Randy let me know if you do some thing like this.

Originally posted by Neil
I have the oil cooler kit that Bob Hanvey pulled together using the BMW Euro oil filter housing and stock oil lines. It's very similar to the kit that VAC is now selling. Before installation I was running 230-240 on the street and 270 -280 at the track. Both temperatures have dropped approx. 40 degrees.

I want to reduce the summer temp which is around 240. The lower temp should reduce wear.

I don't want the aftermarket look on my car. Thats why I'm liking the euro kit that has factory parts.

Neil, Are these the parts used?

For a factory look, that's the way to go. They can be had for $700.

Did you go to homecoming last year? I think we met.

Bob -

Yes, that looks identical to kit that is on my car. Go for it!

Neil

Originally posted by DannO
For a factory look, that's the way to go. They can be had for $700.

Did you go to homecoming last year? I think we met.

Cant wait.

Where did you mount the cooler?
How do the lines run?

any photos?

Originally posted by Neil
Bob -

Yes, that looks identical to kit that is on my car. Go for it!

Neil

Same questions.

Where did cooler mount and how did lines run?

any photos?

Can we use any of the listed oil coolers with a Dinan Super Charger is there presure drop or temperature concerns.Or (flow rate) concerns.for a A-s52 Style engine Roadster..

Bob -

Detailed description of Bob Hanvey's oil cooler kit w/photos is at <http://www.geocities.com/row4navy/oil_cooler_primer.htm>

Neil

Originally posted by bob lindquist
I want to reduce the summer temp which is around 240. The lower temp should reduce wear.

I don't want the aftermarket look on my car. Thats why I'm liking the euro kit that has factory parts.

Neil, Are these the parts used?

Bob,

That looks pretty much like the oil cooler on my gray car, the duct on mine isn't notched though.
I can get pretty much every angle of picture you want, but this is a busy week getting ready to head to Atlanta for Z3 Fest.

Originally posted by Neil
Bob -

Detailed description of Bob Hanvey's oil cooler kit w/photos is at <http://www.geocities.com/row4navy/oil_cooler_primer.htm>

Neil

Thanks.

Those pictures helped a lot

Originally posted by Randy Forbes
Bob,

That looks pretty much like the oil cooler on my gray car, the duct on mine isn't notched though.
I can get pretty much every angle of picture you want, but this is a busy week getting ready to head to Atlanta for Z3 Fest.

safe trip. whats your route?

Originally posted by bob lindquist
safe trip. whats your route?

Thanks
I-75 down, almost to Atlanta, cut over to I-85 to The Chateau...

Bob - I'll snap some pics once it's installed. I've got the filter housing in, but the front of the car is still in pieces - bumper, radiator, headlights, etc. are all in the garage. I may be pulling the motor and sending it out for work. If I do that it will be several weeks before I get the cooler installed.

Another option came up this morning. While investigating radiator options I've learned of a company that makes replacements that include a water/oil cooler. Several of the World Challenge cars run them. Sounds like they are about $1k, though.

Hey guys,
I still occasionally frequent the BMW boards. A few very important issues for any oil cooler on your S52 motor'd M Coupe/Roadster.
The Euro oil cooler WILL NOT fit beneath the stock radiator WITHOUT mods! Basically you need to either fabricate drop brackets or modify the existing ones. I do a combination of both.
I move the bracket on the oil cooler itself and fabricate a drop bracket for the other.
In addition, as you can see on my webpage, you must account for having two fittings into one hole, i.e. the temp and pressure sender. The M3 does NOT have a temp sender, and doesn't require that.
Recap for those too lazy to read through my old webpage.
You need to re-drill one of the side holes from 12 mm to 14mm to fit the VANOS line, and must combine the temp and pressure senders into the remaining 12mm hole. I have the brass cross for $60, or you can go through JD design and get their distribution block,(also available through others now, ~$70-90+).
An important issue to note is with how thick the stock S52 radiator is, you must drop the oil cooler itself lower than the S54 arrangement. That means more of the cooler is exposed to direct airflow, and effectively it is more efficent. The S54 setup has about 1/3 of the cooler behind the A/C condenser,(which at the bottom cannot flow air through). The effect is my setup will cool more, which can lead to very low temps when the outside temp is less than 50 degrees and you aren't driving the car hard,(i.e. 150-170). As long as it is above ~140, you are fine, and as soon as you start to push it, it will go up to between 200 and 220-230.
My setup is really best suited for those that go to the track often. And really, that is true for any oil cooler setup. You do gain some longevity on your engine with lower temps, but $1000+ can be hard to justify and I would not suggest it if you are doing anything less than 2-3 events a year or none at all.
If you have any specific questions, fell free to PM or e-mail me. I can't promise a quick response because I am in the Navy and we are all aware of how hectic things are right now.
I have had several people ask me, so here is the timeline. I do not keep kits in stock. You can expect a 4-6 lead time to get you an oil cooler. The two time issues for me are ordering the parts and anything the Navy might throw at me. I would obviously prefer to do several at a time as it is eaiser to do them all correctly. You would be really hard pressed to tell that my setup was not OEM. Karl's, now Adam's,(I think), was the "production" run. Neil has the original that was on my car, and is still different from the pics on my webpage. I.E. the brackets are much better, and look stock.
Fire away with questions and I'll try to answer them.
-Bob Hanvey

Hi Bob,

Good to see you're still around, I can't even imagine how busy you must be these days.

Regarding the oil cooler....
I have Bob's kit on my car (formerly Karl's) and I must say that it certainly works as advertised. Under normal driving, I don't see temps higher than 140. When pushed the temps rise to ~200 and if pushed real hard (i.e. on a track) the temps may rise to 220. I can't verify that yet though, haven't had the car on the track...yet.

For anyone concerned about a pressure drop, I can assure you there are no detrimental effects on oil pressure as my car still sees a steady 60Psi on the freeway and 20Psi at idle.

Another slight benefit of this kit is that your car will also carry a bit more oil without putting your crank in a bath of oil.

As for fit and finish, aside from the small adapter for the oil temp sensor and non-factory brackets the rest of the kit is like factory. To the layperson, they would never be able to tell it wasn't a factory option. In fact, when I had my car serviced at a stealership, the techs almost thought my car came with it.

Bottom line_____if you're seeing oil temps above 220, you could use the kit. Hot oil is a bad thing, and remember the temp gauge is only reading the temp of the oil as it passes to the cooler, not the temp of the oil actually touching the hot parts of your engine like the pistons and cylinder head. Those areas are certainly running even hotter.

Is it true that if the thermostat for the oil fails, you need to get an entire new housing because the separate part is not available? If true, what's the expected longevity of that part? Also, anyone know a good mechanic in Northeast MA that would install Bob's oil-cooler kit?

Rgds,
Norm

Yes, the thermostat is only available with the filter housing. however, the likelyhood of this part failing is nearly nil. You would have to see how it is built to understand. If it failed, you are talking about something more serious likely going on. I think the thermostat will last longer than your engine will.
If you aren't tracking on a regular basis, don't even worry about it. Esp. since you are up north.
But if you did decided to get it Norm, I'm sure any competent BMW mechanic that can work on the S-52 motors could install the kit. It is very simple.
-Bob

Hi Bob. Thanks. I doubt seriously I could find a BMW mechanic (at least not at a dealer) to install it. I would think they would balk at it, unless maybe it was out of warranty and maybe not even then since they'd have to stand behind their work which, by definition, would basically be an unapproved-BMW-mod. However, maybe I could find some independent to do it (e.g. maybe Turner Motorsports could do it -- I am only a few miles away from them).

By the way, does the kit come with some instructions?

Rgds,
Norm

Originally posted by noka
Hi Bob. Thanks. I doubt seriously I could find a BMW mechanic (at least not at a dealer) to install it. I would think they would balk at it, unless maybe it was out of warranty and maybe not even then since they'd have to stand behind their work which, by definition, would basically be an unapproved-BMW-mod. However, maybe I could find some independent to do it (e.g. maybe Turner Motorsports could do it -- I am only a few miles away from them).

By the way, does the kit come with some instructions?

Rgds,
Norm

they have done this I'm sure.

they have done this I'm sure.

Hi Bob (L). Who exactly is "they"; BMW dealer or independent? I will ask my dealer service if they would perform non-BMW-spec mods, even with BMW (euro) parts. I will be quite surprised if they say, 'sure, bring it in, no problem'.

Rgds,
Norm