N54 water to air intercooler street build

[bantam]

Project scope creep...syndrome maybe?

Is that heat exchanger something that can be reproduced? If so at what cost? If you have any details on that I'm curious.

Yes, in fact, I had to order 3 cores to meet minimum requirements and provided them with a toleranced engineering drawing, so they could make more if desired. I think the cores themselves are about $250/each, so add on the end tank fabrication and pieces would maybe put the cost at $400 for a complete one.

The cores are coming from China. Stateside suppliers for bar and plate heat exchangers are pretty tough to find, and they would likely laugh in my face for requesting such a small quantity.

 

[doublespaces]

Yes, in fact, I had to order 3 cores to meet minimum requirements and provided them with a toleranced engineering drawing, so they could make more if desired. I think the cores themselves are about $250/each, so add on the end tank fabrication and pieces would maybe put the cost at $400 for a complete one.

The cores are coming from China. Stateside suppliers for bar and plate heat exchangers are pretty tough to find, and they would likely laugh in my face for requesting such a small quantity.

So do you have any drawings on where this would be mounted? Dimensions?

 

[JBacon335]

Not quite, I have been having a problem with excessive work/social events/travel as well as project scope creep!

Entire cooling system replaced (hoses, Tstat, water pump), 335D tank installed, CSF radiator, High and low side (rb external) catch can installed, accessory belt and idlers/tensioner replaced, vacuum lines replaced, downpipes installed.

I also took a break from physical work to design/source a new custom heat exchanger core, which should hopefully be arriving in a month or so.

I really struggled to make an intake setup that I was happy with (still not happy), my current plan is a hacked up MMP stock location silicone set.

I am currently working on my intercooler pump, can anyone recommend a 12v ignition switched circuit that would have ~5A to spare?

You could just find any ignition switched circuit and just use that to trigger a relay and not have to worry about how many amps that circuit would take.

 

[bantam]

You could just find any ignition switched circuit and just use that to trigger a relay and not have to worry about how many amps that circuit would take.

\

Thanks for the tip, I am not big on electrical stuff, but this was actually a straight-forward solution. Hopefully in the future I can add some really complicated controls for the pump!

 

[bantam]

So do you have any drawings on where this would be mounted? Dimensions?

No drawings, but I can share some photos! Unfortunately this will be my last progress update for at least a month, as I am traveling overseas until late september

The car is now assembled enough to where I was able to start it (on the lift). Though I think I will have to relocate the catch cans to the passenger side because they are very difficult to get access to right now.

Here's my latest accomplishments:

Extend charge pipe (temp?) sensor by opening junction box underneath IM, and cutting open the bundle which comes from the ECU:


Make custom bracket for pump:


Mount pump on Driver's side:


Mounting the Heat exchanger (note, this requires cutting away of the mounts for the factory A2A cooler, you're committed now!)


Alternate view from passenger side:


As you can see, this is mounted into the lower portion of the rad support, access is blocked by this additional support, so drill an access port adjacent to the brake duct screw holes:


Crummy view looking up at the heat exchanger:



View looking down from above radiator to show HX alignment with rad:


Trimming of rubber gasket to accommodate HX:



View underneath HX at driver's side connection points:



This shows what I had to do to make an intake work: MMP stock location inlet with extension pipe, relocated PS reservoir, etc:



Finally, as it sits before I head out of country!

Car started right up, both coolant systems bled. My IC system is currently just about 1.2 gal

 

[berns]

The CSF S55 core is badass and already exists.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Intake-...pws31dxcDRwEz-or_RSjBeuLSAKzxizhoCZf4QAvD_BwE

 

[bantam]

The CSF S55 core is badass and already exists.

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Intake-...pws31dxcDRwEz-or_RSjBeuLSAKzxizhoCZf4QAvD_BwE

Not sure what this was in response to, but yeah, both CSF and the EOS were already mentioned. I am going to try the stock M3 intercooler for now.

The heat exchanger is what has to be custom for proper fitment into the n5x cars, as they cant just drop in the m3 one like the intercooler. Thus why I am having custom bar and plate cores made for a new heat exchanger.

 

[doublespaces]

Not sure what this was in response to, but yeah, both CSF and the EOS were already mentioned. I am going to try the stock M3 intercooler for now.

Yes, it was mentioned here:

Eos offers a higher output A2W ic, but it's like $2500. Still need one? Lol

However EOS now has a cast end tank cooler:

https://bmw.spoolstreet.com/threads/evolution-of-speed-cast-intercoolers.3843/

 

[Team503]

I like your thinking OP, doing it for fun and not worrying about costs too much.

I found that on the rare occasional warm English day when I got to a drag strip that the IATs just rocketed from sitting in a queue to race. No airflow over the intercooler and heat soak under the hood often meant being most of the way down the track before the FMIC could do it's job. I considered a water system. I wanted to just spray icy water over the outside of the FMIC to keep things simple. I already use methanol injection for chemical IAT cooling under throttle. Which works great tbh. Spraying water on the outside of a FMIC seems to work quite well but it's obviously a big no no on a drag strip. The drops will pool on the rubber track and you'll be kicked off. It's fine spraying water during road use and you don't have the need to recool heated water. The cost being to replace the water or ice after each tank. With a pump system of course that then means monitoring the tank level and not letting the pump run when dry, burning itself out.

So like you I went for a DIY project without worrying about actual expense. Just for fun more than anything. I got a CO2 tank, Nitrous solenoid, nitrous lines, switch and some wires and hooked it up to spray liquid CO2 on my intercooler.

I haven't yet had the chance to dry it at the drag strip. I do actually need to make a slightly better outlet to hit more of the FMIC and distribute the cooling more effectively. It was fun. Should be potentially quite effective from the massive temp gradients but I doubt it is cost effective. I have the button in the cabin and pressing it simply opens the solenoid, spraying the gas.

Test outside of the car:

multiple nozzles:

Single nozzle:

No I didn't use meth nozzles. I basically want the liquid co2 to go onto the intercooler so it evaporates there. Pulling heat from the intercooler itself.
Ideally I probably want a copper loop with some holes drilled into it. For now I was using some T shaped 1/8 push fit connectors. Feeds in from the right, plugged on the left. The holes point at the intercooler.

Honestly, guys, these stuff was sorted in 1995. Nitrous X-Press sells a system: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...qQfWHBHrB5dBa6n8C4Im9n2sfpnqSKmBoCC74QAvD_BwE

 

[Torgus]

Honestly, guys, these stuff was sorted in 1995. Nitrous X-Press sells a system: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...qQfWHBHrB5dBa6n8C4Im9n2sfpnqSKmBoCC74QAvD_BwE

YUP! Not a new solution!

 

[NoGuru]

This thread is awesome! Nice work.

 

[Team503]

YUP! Not a new solution!

Yeah. NO2 doesn't condense at room temperature so no muss no fuss at the track. Also very commonly available and cheap to refill the bottle (which lasts forever if you're just spraying for drag runs).

 

[Rob09msport]

What about a boiler acrostat and have multiple zones so you could put resistor on 1st zone at lower temp and then let second zone run full tilt. Only downside would be that you would have to adjust temp dial based on season I am trying to think of way to base temp off ambient

 

[bantam]

What about a boiler acrostat and have multiple zones so you could put resistor on 1st zone at lower temp and then let second zone run full tilt. Only downside would be that you would have to adjust temp dial based on season I am trying to think of way to base temp off ambient

I like where you're headed, I wonder if there is a small control board like a raspberry pi or something that you could wire up some sensors to and make a more sophisticated control scheme. It could be looking at engine load, multiple location water temp, ambient, fan speed, etc to make its decisions

 

[Rob09msport]

That's why I feel some HVAC type setup could work as they can increase speed with delta just need to find a way to use a sensor as the input for set value instead if user set value that where a pi could work esp If could use thermostat logic then just change mem reference to a address written by a sensor poll

 

[Rob09msport]

Here ya go https://www.deltat.com/pid_control.html

 

[Rcboosted2007]

Any numbers yet

 

[bantam]

Any numbers yet

No numbers yet, since I will be out of town, probably expect some datalogs in late September, hopefully a dyno by end of October.

You should not expect anything mind blowing on the dyno, I only anticipate 10-15hp above an FBO car on 93 octane, which could easily be lost in the variations of the dynos, and how aggressive the tuner is with timing, boost, etc.

I would be ecstatic to hit 400whp

 

[doublespaces]

The only thing I think of when I see this thread, is Killer Chiller in the desert.

 

[MoreBoost]

Honestly, guys, these stuff was sorted in 1995. Nitrous X-Press sells a system: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...qQfWHBHrB5dBa6n8C4Im9n2sfpnqSKmBoCC74QAvD_BwE

Well aware of that but decided to make my own for a fraction of the price.


I'd probably do my own water coolied FMIC as well but I already spray water and meth so the internal cooling is already very good.