[jondagger]

Has anyone done the oil cooler bypass on our n55? Can someone chime in on the mechanics behind the opening of the oil cooler to allow fluid to get to the cooler?

I am looking for the DIY version in which we invert the location of the piston already in place. Lodging the piston inside the chambe in putting the spring on top, versus the spring going in first and the piston on top. Is it safe to do such a conversion. The oil will now always run through the cooler. Will the piston every get stuck in the chamber? What are some cons?

Some insight would be great as to what benefits have been noticed. I am hitting as high as 247F oil temps in this summer heat and need to solve this quick.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by jdag001

Has anyone done the oil cooler bypass on our n55? Can someone chime in on the mechanics behind the opening of the oil cooler to allow fluid to get to the cooler?

I am looking for the DIY version in which we invert the location of the piston already in place. Lodging the piston inside the chambe in putting the spring on top, versus the spring going in first and the piston on top. Is it safe to do such a conversion. The oil will now always run through the cooler. Will the piston every get stuck in the chamber? What are some cons?

Some insight would be great as to what benefits have been noticed. I am hitting as high as 247F oil temps in this summer heat and need to solve this quick.

What's the problem?

[jondagger]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

What's the problem?

Well i used 0w40 on an oil change last week. Burnt through half a qt with add oil warnings. Topped it off for work. Then drained and refilled with 5w40 from walmart last night. Band-aid until the Liqui Moly Molygen 5w40 comes in for the final cleanse lol.

Now i am noticing Oil temps reaching 245F+... too much for comfort.. I drive hard and Miami is now 100F in the day..... This video DIY looks legit for bypassing the oil cooler so it is always routed to the cooler, but i need some experience to back it up.

[GatorF30]

Sounds like you have more problems than just an oil cooler.

[jondagger]

Originally Posted by GatorF30

Sounds like you have more problems than just an oil cooler.

I peaked 247F. I dont think there is any catastrophic issue. I lost <0.5qt after 600 miles, insanely hot ambient temps, thinner oil (accident), and doing logs for a new tune. My fan & coolant brought it down to 220F quick. Just i would proactively like to avoid reaching 245F.

Productive comments from the community would be appreciated

[GatorF30]

Oh Miami...

[EDWYER]

The original poster of that video had it done for more than a year with no issues and reversed it in the winter. You will be fine.

[jondagger]

Originally Posted by ProjectBoost

The original poster of that video had it done for more than a year with no issues and reversed it in the winter. You will be fine.

Thanks for the affirmation. getting some quick feedback before i do it tonight.

[GPM]

I have almost the opposite issue. In Phoenix area with temps in the 105+ range my oil temps are running in the low 200's. When pushed I see maybe 210-220. I don't recall seeing such low temps in past summers.

[doodlebro]

Oil temps near 250 should not be alarming. 280-290 is warning/limp mode zone.

FWIW, when I switched to Rotella T6 on my N55, I noticed oil temps rise by about 10 degrees on average. Was on OEM 5W-30 before that.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by doodlebro

Oil temps near 250 should not be alarming. 280-290 is warning/limp mode zone.

FWIW, when I switched to Rotella T6 on my N55, I noticed oil temps rise by about 10 degrees on average. Was on OEM 5W-30 before that.

Yeah, that happened this past weekend at Summit Point - Jefferson when my car was shared in back to back sessions. The car was run hard at a HPDE for 4 hours straight. HPFP threw a code.

[harkes]

All that mod will do is make it take a little longer for you oil to heat up. It will not improve the efficiency of your oil cooling system.

Another thing you could try is the flash the Performance cooling with MHD if you have that. Lowering water temp to 95°C will also help on your oil temps.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by jdag001

Has anyone done the oil cooler bypass on our n55? Can someone chime in on the mechanics behind the opening of the oil cooler to allow fluid to get to the cooler?

I am looking for the DIY version in which we invert the location of the piston already in place. Lodging the piston inside the chambe in putting the spring on top, versus the spring going in first and the piston on top. Is it safe to do such a conversion. The oil will now always run through the cooler. Will the piston every get stuck in the chamber? What are some cons?

Some insight would be great as to what benefits have been noticed. I am hitting as high as 247F oil temps in this summer heat and need to solve this quick.

This is all panic for absolutely no reason. The oil temps being discussed are normal operating temperatures. The oil cooler thermostat is set to open at about 235 degrees F. This is to give the engine a chance to warm up to operating temperature. Then oil is sent to the oil cooler. It is normal and the engine is designed to run oil temps up to about 250-255 degrees F. If you start hitting 260+ only then do you have an oil temperature issue. Those oil thermostat diverte s are designed for racing only. The last thing that you want to do on a cold morning is to delay your engine from warming up. Think about it. Messing with the oil cooler thermostat does not add any top end cooling capability. The only way that you do that is by fitting a larger oil cooler which is only useful at race tracks. Hope this helps!

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by johnung

This is all panic for absolutely no reason. The oil temps being discussed are normal operating temperatures. The oil cooler thermostat is set to open at about 235 degrees F. This is to give the engine a chance to warm up to operating temperature. Then oil is sent to the oil cooler. It is normal and the engine is designed to run oil temps up to about 250-255 degrees F. If you start hitting 260+ only then do you have an oil temperature issue. Those oil thermostat diverte s are designed for racing only. The last thing that you want to do on a cold morning is to delay your engine from warming up. Think about it. Messing with the oil cooler thermostat does not add any top end cooling capability. The only way that you do that is by fitting a larger oil cooler which is only useful at race tracks. Hope this helps!

And to be more specific, a larger oil cooler that has more surface area for the heat exchanger while still maintaining the flow rate of the fluid.

[upsidedownfunnel]

The car is MEANT to run oil at 240-250. Any decent synthetic oil can EASILY last all day at 250F. If you're losing oil, just try a different oil or there might be some other issue (oil leak, perhaps). Notice how the oil temp gauge is centered at 250degF? That's not a coincidence.

If you run your oil too cold, you will advance engine wear. It'll take forever for your oil to get up to temperature (minimum you want to run is 210degF) and until your car is up to that temp, it is not running optimally.

BMW has thousands of automotive engineers working there. They've made oil thermostats precisely to work at specific temperatures. Why would they NOT use an oil cooler that is installed on your car? Makes no sense. If it was better to run the oil cooler at lower temperatures, they would have tuned it that way. Unless you are tracking the car or going over 260degF, there is zero reason to modify the oil cooler at all.

Some good points from this page:

For a dual-purpose car, engine oil needs to be at least 220 degrees F to burn off all the deposits and accumulated water vapor.

As for ultimate power potential, the general consensus among most racers is that hot oil and cool water make more power in most engines. Cold engine oil causes excessive frictional drag on the bearings and cylinder walls.

A full-synthetic oil will withstand sump temperatures in excess of 300 degrees, and for hard-core professional racing, some oval-track race teams are experimenting with ultra-thin, specially formulated, race-only synthetics operating at 350 degrees or even higher.

[GPM]

If your temps are running too high you might check with your tuner. As I said earlier, my temps are running lower in the high summer heat. I contacted AA to see if it was tune related. Nic replied that the Stage 2 tune has lower coolant temp targets and a lower ambient temp threshold to enable active cooling.

[Munchi435i]

Originally Posted by jdag001

Has anyone done the oil cooler bypass on our n55? Can someone chime in on the mechanics behind the opening of the oil cooler to allow fluid to get to the cooler?

I am looking for the DIY version in which we invert the location of the piston already in place. Lodging the piston inside the chambe in putting the spring on top, versus the spring going in first and the piston on top. Is it safe to do such a conversion. The oil will now always run through the cooler. Will the piston every get stuck in the chamber? What are some cons?

Some insight would be great as to what benefits have been noticed. I am hitting as high as 247F oil temps in this summer heat and need to solve this quick.

Not sure if you are tuned at all but MHD has just released a cooling feature that is similar to the M cars that have it.

Check out the thread for more info.

I live in Florida and definitely notice a reduction in oil temps

[Phyrexia]

Fresh Molygen 5W40 in my car is hitting about 255F-260F with ambient Alabama temperatures in the high 90s. That temperature is at the middle of the gauge for a reason...

[zinner]

240-250 is fine. You want it to warm up fast and stay at the design temps. Otherwise the motor will not run at peak performance. The car will run differently when the temps are low in order to warm it up. It might not run the emissions test, different fueling and spark maps, etc if it never warms up, just asking for problems messing with that thermostat.

[Fuel-It!]

Free mod does help but it's not as good as the bypass plate because the free version has small holes in it which allow some oil to bypass cooler all together.

[JaredG_F30]

Why not just put your car in sport mode and it will open the thermostat and target 225

[jondagger]

Originally Posted by JaredG_F30

Why not just put your car in sport mode and it will open the thermostat and target 225

Thing is im always in sport mode looks like below 250F is normal from the comments and experience all around.

Comes to find out, my oil level sensor could be a little wacko. I drained it and got nearly the full oil amount originally put in. Ive been through 4 oils this month, cleansing over and over. Old BMW 5w30 oil. Then 0w40 Mobil1 "burning issue", wasnt actually burning. Then cheap Castrol 5w40 from walmart for a few days. Now running 5w40 Liqui Molygen, good stuff IMO.

With my latest oil i got low oil notification AGAIN. I put in 6.8 qt (MAX level). I added 0.15qt, level checked and (MAX level). After work, cold start the car and AGAIN, low oil. I drove home. Checked the level once hot and MAX level. I am not going to freak out if I get a notification anymore lol.