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Oil Cooler Necessary

29K views 79 replies 18 participants last post by  2000_328CI 
#1 ·
I'm going to continue tracking my 330 a lot more this summer and I'm wondering at what point an oil cooler is usually necessary.

I'm considering adding gauges so I can monitor oil temp, but I'm curious if its even possible to overheat the M54 in stock form doing advanced group HPDEs?

For those that have ran data acquisition or even gauges, what does it take to get the oil temps too hot on the M54?

If I do go with an oil cooler setup then what do you guys think of this Euro Style Racing Oil Cooler Kit from VAC Motorsports.

Thanks!
 
#48 · (Edited)
From what I understand if you fit an S54 filter housing to an M54 you need to:

Fit spacers to the power steering pump mounting points (see VAC) so it lines up and modify the rear stabilising bracket.
Use a banjo bolt adaptor (see VAC) or tap the housing for the VANOS line because the S54 uses a different diameter.
Relocate the oil pressure or temperature sensor (I forget which) because the S54 housing has fewer connections.
Buy cooler inlet and return hose adaptor fittings (See VAC or Turner) because the S54 hard lines don't fit to our cars.
Mount the power steering fluid reservoir to something as you don't have a bracket on the S54 housing.

Hence why I haven't done this yet! I did just replace my filter housing gasket on the weekend but forgot to take some good pics.
 
#51 ·
A suggestion, instead of using SS braided lines, you might want to try something like Earls Pro Lite 350. It's super easy to work with and route. After using this stuff, I won't go back to the SS braided hose. If you want a bit of extra protection, then cover it with some Russell Wrap it hose protector.
 
#52 ·
Bump.

I having my shop tap the OEM M54 housing...like MasterC17 did. The main concern there is some possibility that there is a high RPM bypass built into the housing so unfiltered oil might pass through the cooler into the engine. I posted something about bypassing the OEM oil pressure sensor in a different thread but I misunderstood what my engine guy was talking about. So basically, he'll tap the M54 housing, install an inline thermostat and an inline filter. My engine guy and myself are NOT entirely sure about this so we're playing it safe. Plus, more oil filtering couldn't hurt.

Depending on how things go, the engine guy I use MIGHT...emphasize...MIGHT do this as a service. Put your name down if you are interested. Please specify if you just want the housing or if you want lines, cooler, stat, filter, etc...same setup as mine.

Be warned that if he does this, it won't happen anytime soon. I will HOPEFULLY test my setup 21/22 Apr if my car gets done. We'll log some oil temps, make adjustments if needed. Once things are good to go, I'll provide some details.

I will talk to him about a core exchange program. You pay for the tapping + core charge. You return a servicable housing...you get the core charge back.
 
#54 ·
Ended up going with the VAC billet housing. The shop was looking at the passages in the housing and they didn't think it would work. The area that would be tapped for one fitting will just flow in the the same area as the other fitting. So basically the in and out will flow into the same area, thus, may not get any return pressure. Then clearance issues with the twinscrew snout, extra sensors, etc...it just made sense. In the end, not that much more expensive.
 
#56 ·
Its an inline filter from VAC. I haven't seen it yet since my car just started running again yesterday...at a shop in Houston which is 200 miles away.

I don't see why that wouldn't work for a street driven car. The filter element is reusable so you just need to clean it. The bad part is it does seem messier than the OEM setup.

The other bad part is I need to start selling my stash of OEM M54 oil filters...
 
#60 ·
The gasket part #s were the same for the M54 and S54. VAC sells the p/s pump spacer to align the pully up with everything. Then there's the adaptor if you want to use -10AN lines.

I think the only unsolved problem with the S54 housing is the bracket for the p/s pump.
 
#61 ·
Haha, I feel like this post has gone full circle from where it was 2-years ago. I think what I've just realized (and correct me if I'm wrong) is that there is now a bracket that solves my big problem from 2-years ago of mounting the power steering pump to the S54 oil filter housing: http://store.vacmotorsports.com/vac...or-s54euro-type-oil-filter-housing-p2654.aspx

Does that VAC part actually make it now so you can do this whole thing bolt-on?

I'll call them on Tuesday to verify, but is that what everyone else understands too?
 
#62 ·
Here's an email I just sent off to VAC... (feel free to jump in if you have any answers to my questions)
VAC Motorsports:

I contacted you guys a couple years ago about fitting an oil cooler on my E46 330Ci and at the time it didn't seem like there was an "easily achievable setup" for a street/track E46 non-M. I remember running into the following problems:
1) The VAC billet oil filter housing seemed a little too race oriented for a street set up because of the way it moved away from using a stock oil filter.
2) The Motorsport M54B30 oil filter housing didn't have a built-in thermostat even when matched with your oil coolers.
3) The S50 Euro oil filter housing could've worked, but you would've also had to buy the E36 power steering pump and jump through a bunch of hoops… but with enough money this could have been a working OEM-like solution.
4) The S54 oil filter housing had no way at the time of working without a custom bracket for being able to mount a power steering pump back on.

After reviewing things though, it seems like there has been a bit of change in the last couple years? Yes? No? It seems like now you have a very affordable bracket that allows for using an S54 oil filter housing with the OEM E46 power steering pump. Is this correct?

So if I'm to understand correctly, can I now just purchase the bracket and your S54 oil filter kit and "bolt it all on"? Is anything else needed?

Thank you,
Aaron
 
#66 ·
Bottom line? This is a massive PIA any way you look at it.

Even with the vac billet housing, I had to have a banjo bolt tapped for the anal probe looking sensor. So now my oil temp gauge i hooked up...track weekend coming up. Hopefully I get my software issues fixed before then. Otherwise, I can keep everyone in suspense for awhile longer.
 
#70 ·
For an oil cooler, the VAC is the easiest way to go if you also plan to add sensors. Plus, the inline filter seems to do a fine job of filtering the oil and the element is reusable. Its also easy to check to see what you're filtering out.
 
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