N52 oil cooler: yes, it's possible - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

e90pilot · 07-22-2011, 01:58 PM

I just talked with someone at AR design and he confirmed that their N54 oil cooler works perfectly with the N52 with no further modification required beyond what is included with the kit. You would have to purchase the package for cars with no oil cooler. It comes with the new thermostat housing that has the distribution hub for the oil cooler. Theoretically, the factory oil cooler kit for the 335 works as well. AR design's can also be used in tandem with the stock cooler for extra cooling.

OK, so why on earth would you need an oil cooler? If you don't do any tracking, it's completely unnecessary. The car does quite well without one even on the track. So if you so track maybe once a year, don't bother. However if you're tracking once or more a month for extended sessions, this is a good idea. I've talked to a few racing teams and they said on hot days it is possible to see 300+ degrees F. I go with Golden Gate Lotus Club and they allow everyone to run intermediate group. So, I can run both advanced and intermediate for lots of track time. This is where the oil cooler comes in handy.

issabmw · 07-22-2011, 02:01 PM

Great info. Thank you for sharing.

This is a great option when enduring boost, especially on a track day. I'll have to look into this.

Any info on trans coolers? That would be fairly helpful as well.

e90pilot · 07-22-2011, 02:03 PM

MT or AT? If you're an MT, try a different fluid weight. The metal in the gearbox can tolerate some pretty high temps, but the gear oil cannot. Redline makes some good racing gear oil. Same goes with the diff.

If you're an AT, your tranny is already water-cooled by engine coolant. You can try upgrading to beefier radiator. There's a racing team that posts here and is sponsored by getbmwparts.com that uses a twin core radiator. They do endurance racing so they need something that ridiculous. They also use a high flow water pump I think with the stock thermostat.

roundle · 07-23-2011, 01:40 AM

E90Pilot,

Have you installed aftermarket oil or water temp gauges?

e90pilot · 07-23-2011, 01:59 AM

Nope. I just access the hidden menus and look at coolant temp. I'm planning on getting the Baverian technik tool which can log actual values.

roundle · 07-23-2011, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by e90pilot

Nope. I just access the hidden menus and look at coolant temp. I'm planning on getting the Baverian technik tool which can log actual values.

Interesting.

Dare I ask, what are the exact steps to access the coolant temp info in a non iDrive E90?

AllydNYC · 07-23-2011, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by e90pilot

Nope. I just access the hidden menus and look at coolant temp. I'm planning on getting the Baverian technik tool which can log actual values.

I've tried to access those menus from a guide off Google. Do you know the link to the guide you used?

e90pilot · 07-23-2011, 12:21 PM

That's the one I used.

DimSum · 07-23-2011, 01:24 PM

Would go great with the ARMA supercharger

Dr. Nate · 07-23-2011, 02:47 PM

The oil cooler would be a benefit to anyone who sees adverse conditions such as heavy traffic, high atmospheric temperatures, and extended driving at highway speeds. It will prolong the oil life. It never hurts to have cooler oil.

As far as the hidden menus, I wish there was a way to have them display on the radio (non iDrive).

-Nate

e90pilot · 07-26-2011, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Nate

The oil cooler would be a benefit to anyone who sees adverse conditions such as heavy traffic, high atmospheric temperatures, and extended driving at highway speeds. It will prolong the oil life. It never hurts to have cooler oil.

As far as the hidden menus, I wish there was a way to have them display on the radio (non iDrive).

-Nate

While it wouldn't hurt, I don't think there is a benefit to an oil cooler off the track for the N52. This engine has no cooling issues at all. Even on the track it's fine in weather below 70F. My friend had a coupe and he's sat in traffic on really hot days and the oil temp hardly goes above 200. The highest he's seen is 230 I think and that was climbing a hill on a very hot day. It's kind of a tank considering it's made out of magnesium.

Ok, so BMW does not have an official kit for the N54 oil cooler kit. I'm trying to get the part numbers for everything needed. If anyone has any insight to this, that would be really helpful.

07-22-2011, 01:58 PM	#1
e90pilot Freight Dawg Drives: E90 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 1,949 iTrader: (3)	N52 oil cooler: yes, it's possible I just talked with someone at AR design and he confirmed that their N54 oil cooler works perfectly with the N52 with no further modification required beyond what is included with the kit. You would have to purchase the package for cars with no oil cooler. It comes with the new thermostat housing that has the distribution hub for the oil cooler. Theoretically, the factory oil cooler kit for the 335 works as well. AR design's can also be used in tandem with the stock cooler for extra cooling. OK, so why on earth would you need an oil cooler? If you don't do any tracking, it's completely unnecessary. The car does quite well without one even on the track. So if you so track maybe once a year, don't bother. However if you're tracking once or more a month for extended sessions, this is a good idea. I've talked to a few racing teams and they said on hot days it is possible to see 300+ degrees F. I go with Golden Gate Lotus Club and they allow everyone to run intermediate group. So, I can run both advanced and intermediate for lots of track time. This is where the oil cooler comes in handy. __________________ --Marcelo '06 Arctic Metallic 325i \| Sport Package \| 6MT \| Dinan Stage III suspension \| Dinan exhaust \| 330i manifold swap! Click here! \| Active Autowerke tune \| 135i Brake Calipers \| Racing Brake 2-piece rotors Click here for review!
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07-22-2011, 02:01 PM	#2
issabmw cool beans Drives: R34/E90/E82/E46/E30 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Florida Posts: 1,364 iTrader: (2)	Great info. Thank you for sharing. This is a great option when enduring boost, especially on a track day. I'll have to look into this. Any info on trans coolers? That would be fairly helpful as well. __________________ R34/E90/E82/E30 TEAMLIBAN

07-22-2011, 02:03 PM	#3
e90pilot Freight Dawg Drives: E90 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 1,949 iTrader: (3)	MT or AT? If you're an MT, try a different fluid weight. The metal in the gearbox can tolerate some pretty high temps, but the gear oil cannot. Redline makes some good racing gear oil. Same goes with the diff. If you're an AT, your tranny is already water-cooled by engine coolant. You can try upgrading to beefier radiator. There's a racing team that posts here and is sponsored by getbmwparts.com that uses a twin core radiator. They do endurance racing so they need something that ridiculous. They also use a high flow water pump I think with the stock thermostat. __________________ --Marcelo '06 Arctic Metallic 325i \| Sport Package \| 6MT \| Dinan Stage III suspension \| Dinan exhaust \| 330i manifold swap! Click here! \| Active Autowerke tune \| 135i Brake Calipers \| Racing Brake 2-piece rotors Click here for review! Last edited by e90pilot; 07-22-2011 at 02:24 PM.

07-23-2011, 01:59 AM	#5
e90pilot Freight Dawg Drives: E90 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 1,949 iTrader: (3)	Nope. I just access the hidden menus and look at coolant temp. I'm planning on getting the Baverian technik tool which can log actual values. __________________ --Marcelo '06 Arctic Metallic 325i \| Sport Package \| 6MT \| Dinan Stage III suspension \| Dinan exhaust \| 330i manifold swap! Click here! \| Active Autowerke tune \| 135i Brake Calipers \| Racing Brake 2-piece rotors Click here for review!

07-23-2011, 12:21 PM	#8
e90pilot Freight Dawg Drives: E90 325i Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 1,949 iTrader: (3)	That's the one I used. __________________ --Marcelo '06 Arctic Metallic 325i \| Sport Package \| 6MT \| Dinan Stage III suspension \| Dinan exhaust \| 330i manifold swap! Click here! \| Active Autowerke tune \| 135i Brake Calipers \| Racing Brake 2-piece rotors Click here for review!

07-23-2011, 01:40 AM	#4
roundle EXPAT Drives: 2011 328iT (US-Spec, 6MT, ZSP) Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Netherlands Posts: 577 iTrader: (0)	E90Pilot, Have you installed aftermarket oil or water temp gauges?

07-23-2011, 01:24 PM	#9
DimSum Banned Drives: SLOW Join Date: May 2008 Location: LITTLEBIMMER.COM Posts: 2,743 iTrader: (10)	Would go great with the ARMA supercharger

07-23-2011, 02:47 PM	#10
Dr. Nate Nate Dogg Drives: 2011 328i Saloon Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 438 iTrader: (0)	The oil cooler would be a benefit to anyone who sees adverse conditions such as heavy traffic, high atmospheric temperatures, and extended driving at highway speeds. It will prolong the oil life. It never hurts to have cooler oil. As far as the hidden menus, I wish there was a way to have them display on the radio (non iDrive). -Nate __________________ 2011 BMW 328i by weekend, various airplanes by week.

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