Forgot the magnet!

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Nov 27, 2017
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Location
Massachusetts
So when I went to re-install the transmission pan on a 2012 lexus rx-350 almost 3 weeks ago, I forgot to reinstall the two little magnets. The two magnets are small, maybe 1" x 1/2" x 1/10". They look like they could hold no more than 2 business cards against a fridge.

While I'm not thrilled about it, I can tolerate re-installing the magnets in the spring. That's maybe going to be 8,000 miles or so.

My thinking on why it might not be the most urgent of matters:
1. When I cleaned off the magnets, they were only lightly coated with metal paste. This is after 140,000 miles.
2. The transmission is obviously broken in at this point.
3. I put in a new filter, so bigger pieces of metal would probably just be stopped by the filter.

I was thinking about putting a powerful magnet outside the transmission pan, but not sure what kind or size to get. I know it may be paranoid, but I don't want it to interfere with the electronics and solenoids inside the transmission. Another option is trying to get a magnetic drain plug. What are people's opinions on this? Should I panic and drop that transmission pan again?
 
My OCD would get the best of me and I'd either drop the pan again and install the magnets, or if the pan had a drain plug I'd replace it with a magnetic plug. Either way I would do something. Then justify draining the fluid as a fluid exchange, getting the fluid in the unit even cleaner than it already is.
 
"IF" I was in your position... I would probably bite the bullet drop the pan and reinstall the magnets.... Just for the piece of mind.... and my OCD... i don't believe not having those magnets installed is gonna blow up your transmission in 8000 miles though. BUT WOULD install them sooner than later.
 
I would wait till early summer when around 10k miles have accrued. Change the filter at that time.. Sticking an ordinary sized "refridgerator" magnet on the outside is not strong enough to do any good. The filter will do its job.

I expermented this with an old oil pan once. The only magnet I could find that would do any good on the pan's exterior was a magnet from a microwave's magnatron. Those are so powerful that it is very difficult to remove once attached to steel.
 
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I would wait till early summer when around 10k miles have accrued. Change the filter at that time.. Sticking an ordinary sized "refridgerator" magnet on the outside is not strong enough to do any good. The filter will do its job.

I expermented this with an old oil pan once. The only magnet I could find that would do any good on the pan's exterior was a magnet from a microwave's magnatron. Those are so powerful that it is very difficult to remove once attached to steel.
...and don't be wearing a mechanical watcho_O
 
IMO you are worrying about nothing. Just put the magnets back the next time you remove the pan.
Alternatively, you can install a 3/8" Magnefine Transmission Filter in the transmission cooler line. It has a strong magnet built into it. It also offers much better transmission fluid filtration (3 microns) than the filter inside the transmission.
 
@Frankws6 why not stick the magnets on the outside of the pan? This would prevent you from dropping the pan un-necessarily. If you are concerned about losing the OEM magnets stick a rare earth magnet to the outside of the pan. I would install the OEM magnets during your next regular OCI for your trans.

Just my $0.02
 
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You have an ATF cooler.... bottom part of radiator. You might not have the extra tow cooler that would flow after the radiator ATF cooler.
 
This is an AFTERMARKET magnetic drain plug on one of my 4t65e which has 178K on it with 34,732 on the fluid. The aftermarket pan is aluminum (no magnet) but (magnetic) drain plug. I normally change ATF ~30-40K miles. I didn't like the way this looked so I dropped the pan and added 4 magnets; 2 of them RTV'd to the pan and 2 of them stuck TO the filter near the inlet....No one will convince me there is any harm in adding magnets to either the transmission pan (Solenoids are in the SIDE cover, no connection to pan) OR the oil pan on any engine....
IMG_0043.JPG
 
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