Mishimoto BMW E46 M3 Direct-Fit Oil Cooler Kit, Part 3: Cooler Comparison and Adapter Installation

Mishimoto BMW E46 M3 Direct-Fit Oil Cooler Kit, Part 3: Cooler Comparison and Adapter Installation

Interested in purchasing this E46 oil cooler? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW E46 M3 Oil Cooler Kit

Welcome to our third installment of the build! We are nearing the completion of this project, with only some final test fitting necessary and data collection to ensure that this product performs to our standards. First, take a look at the Mishimoto oil cooler compared to the stock unit.

Mishimoto prototype oil cooler (right) and stock oil cooler (left)
Mishimoto prototype oil cooler (right) and stock oil cooler (left)

Mishimoto prototype oil cooler (top) and stock oil cooler (bottom)
Mishimoto prototype oil cooler (top) and stock oil cooler (bottom)

Mishimoto prototype oil cooler (top) and stock oil cooler (bottom)
Mishimoto prototype oil cooler (top) and stock oil cooler (bottom)

Mishimoto prototype oil cooler under stock oil cooler
Mishimoto prototype oil cooler under stock oil cooler

The Mishimoto oil cooler is massive compared to the stock unit. Greater size will provide improved capacity that will aid in reducing temperatures. Additionally, the Mishimoto cooler is constructed using a bar-and-plate core that our engineering team designed. This core will provide improvements in heat transfer compared to the stock tube-and-fin cooler. For reference, the images below show the core size difference.

Stock oil cooler thickness
Stock oil cooler thickness

Mishimoto oil cooler thickness
Mishimoto oil cooler thickness

The Mishimoto oil cooler boasts an increase in thickness of over 1 inch! We will have a more in depth evaluation of the core size later on. First, let's install our oil line adapter setup in preparation for cooler testing!

Mishimoto oil line adapter installed
Mishimoto oil line adapter installed

Mishimoto oil line adapter installed
Mishimoto oil line adapter installed

That concludes the third part of our build log. Next time we will be installing our prototype cooler, setting up our sensors and lines, and collecting testing data for our cooler design.

Thanks for reading!

Interested in purchasing this E46 oil cooler? Check out our product page for more information!

Mishimoto BMW E46 M3 Oil Cooler Kit