M52 oil cooler

[maf260]

Has anyone fitted an oil cooler to their M52 conversion?

If so, what parts did you use and how did you go about it?

Thanks

[navi]

were abouts are you? as iam currantly fitting one to my m52 powered e36 after being told cant be done!ive just got to get a couple of bits machined up then i can fit it,there is several differant ways of going about.

[ross_jsy]

It can be done. You use an s50 filter housing IIRC.

[e30-EVN]

Yeah like a bolt on s50 housing, a cooler and some piework lol

[BATTS91]

Yup s50 Filter housing , Danthe has this setup i believe

[Dave_M3]

Yep. S50 filter housing and cooler is the best solution in my opinion.
This was the route I was going to take with my M52 as well.

Seen quite a lot of made up kits that use a machined oil filter cap too but it doesn't look as neat to be honest.

[maf260]

Thanks for the replies.

Any idea what I should expect to pay for a S50 housing?

[ross_jsy]

I would say about £70:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=225475

[rich318i]

why didnt M52's ever had an oil cooler ??? was there any reason for this???

[ross_jsy]

BMW would have figured out they were not needed to keep oil temperatures at good levels.

Unless you are using your car for track use or oil temperatures become a problem I would question the need for one.

[Dave_M3]

The quality and properties of oil has improved significantly since the days of the M20b25s needing oil coolers when used just as a road car.

With good oil, there really was no need for a cooler on an E36 328 etc. Actually, having a cooler may have done more harm than good in some cases as it may keep the oil from reaching optimum operating temperatures quickly (similar problems to dry sump system on a road car etc)
The M3 was always going to be a car that was driven harder and the S50 would have produced more heat so the cooler was fitted on that first day alright obviously.


Still, if not just pottering around to and fro from the shops, a cooler would be useful on M52 engined E30 especially if it has a few nice bits like the M50 inlet, cams, map etc to allow it to be driven even harder

[DanThe]

The oil coolers are thermostatically controlled Dave, no chance of overcooling

[kevo]

you can fit an oil cooler to the standard housing if you make the parts up like i have just done so it's not the only way by using an s50 part but if you can't machine your own parts the price will probably be cheaper to do so.
kev

[maf260]

Thanks for all the replies.

S50 filter housing arrived last week and M3 oil cooler & pipes bought this weekend and on their way - whole lot sorted for just over £100. Fitting later this week!

[DMS]

So stock cooler and lines will fit the E30?

[Dave_M3]

The oil coolers are thermostatically controlled Dave, no chance of overcooling

Learn something new every day

Still... Those kits that you get that have a hole in the filter housing cap are hardly thermostatically controlled.

Whole set for 100 quid was great value by the way. The coolers and lines can be expensive as they can be damaged reasonably easily.