1990 E30 325is Oil Cooler Leaking

my nephew's got a '90 325is with a leaking oil cooler. questions for the E30 crowd:
- replace with used OE, Aftermarket, or just bypass it?
- approximate prices for each option above?
- difficulty of replacement / bypass?

my gut reaction is that bypassing it should be OK since we're getting into winter and he's near the MD/PA line. budget for replacement in springtime.

he's just getting into cars, is intelligent and mechanically competent but does not have a lot of time / money / tools, and of course he's 500 miles from his angry uncle, Uncle Angry.

Is it the radiator that is leaking or the lines?

I cant remember exactly, but I believe there is an oring on the piece that the oil filter hooks up to, where the hoses to the radiator come out off.

I would clean it all up and trace the leak first, then go from there.

Also, everything is quite accessible. Not a big deal to change whats broken/leaking.

^E30s have standalone oil coolers for the engine, not a part of the radiator.

z31maniac wrote: ^E30s have standalone oil coolers for the engine, not a part of the radiator.

I meant the radiator in the front of the car or cooler, whatever you want to call it :)

I just finished removing the aux fan on my e30 and that radiator had to come off, it was quite simple to remove.

You will be fine bypassing it in cool weather and daily driving but it's and easy part to change and they are approx $275 new. You could probably acquire one cheaply at the pick -n- pull and flush it but that is risky - you never know what sort of dirt is waiting to stick in your oil pump.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

do they use hose clamps or some fancy BMW-specific connectors?

AngryCorvair wrote: In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker: do they use hose clamps or some fancy BMW-specific connectors?

They are threaded couples:

thanks GPS. i'm leaning toward removal of the cooler, lines, and block adapter, and going with one of these:

so he can just spin his filter directly to the block. according to some guy named jim levie

Replace the oil filter adapter with part 11112140435 and screw the filter onto that spud.

I'd just get a cooler from the junkyard and swap it out.

Jim knows his e30s. He will steer you right.

Jim is cool. Personally, I'd just get a used one and stick it in there. He could get one from these guys I'm sure: CR's BMW Or, he could stop by and I'll sell him my spare.