Hey guys! Who make the best magnetic oil drain plugs? I see a company called Golden Plug and another called Vortex(both made in the USA) that seem to be pretty good. Any recommendations on the best one to get for a few vehicles? Thanks!
Best brand/quality magnetic oil drain plug?
- Thread starter Chris B.
- Start date
Dimple
+1 Dimple or Gold. Do not use that cheap aluminum crap they flog on Amazon and fleabay.
BlueOvalFitter
Site Donor 2023
A nice member here at BITOG made one for my trucks oil pan. He used an Earth magnet.
I ran a Gold Plug in my Jeep until I changed over to the Valvomax system. From a quality / cost standpoint Gold Plug was extremely high quality. I just like the total ease and convenience of utilizing a drain valve. Especially when changing oil on 3 vehicles. So now my Gold Plug sits in my toolbox.
This is a good point. I never got much in the way of metallic residue on my Gold Plug magnet when I used it. But if I ever felt the need to utilize a magnet again for that purpose, I would go to a set of magnets that attach to the oil filter.
They're much larger than the tiny magnet the drain plugs employ. And you simply pull them off, and reattach them to your new oil filter when you change it out.
Gold Plug. You’ll get a tiny amount of debris* with each oil change. It’s interesting, perhaps even gratifying, to be able to see the debris.
I’ve got half a dozen Gold Plugs in use. Just put a Vortex in a manual transmission. It’s well made.
You’ll be fine with either.
*incredibly fine paste of metal particles.
I’ve got half a dozen Gold Plugs in use. Just put a Vortex in a manual transmission. It’s well made.
You’ll be fine with either.
*incredibly fine paste of metal particles.
So my question is.... is it worth installing a magnetic drain plug?
Been thinking about it for two German cars and a Triumph motorcycle. The German car (BMW 328i) has a plastic drain plug that is changed along with the oil filter (comes in a filter "kit") every time the engine oil is changed.
Been thinking about it for two German cars and a Triumph motorcycle. The German car (BMW 328i) has a plastic drain plug that is changed along with the oil filter (comes in a filter "kit") every time the engine oil is changed.
That question really can't be answered absolutely. What we know is a vast majority of vehicles did not come with magnetic drain plugs, and live long healthy lives. Telling us they aren't (in general) necessary.
Along with that any benefit from them is nearly impossible to prove. So they end up being a "feel good" type of modification. This doesn't mean they do nothing, just that we can't prove they do something. One of those gray areas which causes endless pages of internet forum debates.
Well said! Anecdotal evidence isn't evidence, but you just never know! 🤷♂️
You’re absolutely right about the “feel good“ part of installing them.
That said, my Toyota differentials come factory equipped with magnetic drain plugs. My Mercedes and Toyotas are factory equipped with transmission magnets. My Volvos are factory equipped with magnetic drain plugs on the automatic transmissions.
So, the manufacturers do, in fact, use them. They cost more than standard, so the manufacturers wouldn’t add them without perceiving a benefit.
I should have clarified my comment is strictly relating to magnetic drain plugs for engine oil.
I agree there are many cases where they are used like you said. In a differential it makes sense to me since there is no filtration and they have longer service intervals than engine oil. Transmissions have even longer service intervals with some internal filtering.
As with any manufacturing decision it comes down to cost vs need.
I’m not certain how much difference they make in engine oil, but they catch a tiny amount of that very fine debris.
So, they’re doing something.
Question is: does that make a difference?
So like just attach the magnet to the bottom of the metal spin on oil filter? One of my cars has a plastic filter housing so that wont work on it but I do have a couple others that use steel NAPA Gold spin on filters....
Notice any magnet strength deference between Gold Plug and Vortex? Does one feel stronger then the other? Thanks!
How strong does the magnet feel? Thanks!
Agreed. Magnetic oil pan plugs seem to be a feel good thing. Assuming a generous diameter of 3/8" and a shoulder of about .2", that provides an area of less than 0.5". Putting 3 or 4 0.5"x3" magnets on the outside of the filter can give you an area of 10-12 times that. Of course that is assuming you have a spin on style oil filter.
Be careful. I've made that argument before, here on BITOG, and got beaten down pretty heavy handed. You don't want to approach this subject with logic.
I've always wondered the same thing. When using an oil plug magnet, are you simply capturing debris that would have otherwise been captured by the oil filter? If the answer is yes, then as you say, does it make a difference?
To date, I have never seen any evidence that magnets reduce engine wear. But I guess I'm a little bit of a hypocrite. I have 4 neodymium magnets on the oil filter on my wife's Outback. None on the E350, though.
