Do magnetic drain plugs and filter sleeves/heatsinks really work? Just curious if anyone has run a UOA using these.
Magnetic drain plugs and filter sleeves
- Thread starter Reelizmpro
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I see that this topic has been discussed before and it seems that it does work but the products are expensive. I just use neodynium magnets which I place in certain areas of the oil filter. They're so strong, there's no way they're falling off. I gotta cut one of my filters open one day to see if they're doing their job.
Where did you get the neodynium magnets?
They can be bought from various online sources. (Just do a browser search for "neodymium magnets".) You can also harvest them from broken hard disc drives and some speakers.
In a few weeks I will send in a sample from my Ranger, the current OCI is with a magnetic SuperPlug, the previous UOA was not. Two different oils and filters though, so it might not mean much. (M1 0w-30 with a K&N vs. M1 5w-30 with an M1 filter.) I've had a SuperPlug in my decrepit old van for a year or so, it pulls a lot of junk out, not to say that the filter would not have caught it anyway.
I've thought of that too, OTOH it's still less iron that is running around in your engine. But like I said, a lot of it I think would be caught by the filter anyway.
I asked Blackstone labs whether such a drain plug would alter an UOA. I was told they didn't think it would.
Bob W.
IMHO the only reason for a magnetic drain plug on the engine is as an indicator to let you see what is going on. otherwise the particles would get caught in the filter.
You're all overlooking another possibilty - that the particles caught by the magnet may be too small to have been caught by the filter ( You'd need a scanning electron microscope to make that determination.
I agree with Ray. When I service my transmission, there's a gray paste built up on the magnet. The individual particle size is too small to be discernable. I don't imagine that most of that would be caught by the filter.
True, they use magnets in auto trannys so why not crankcases (drainplugs) and oil filters? They won't hurt anything so I figure why not. As for the filter picking up the particles anyway, the magnets will keep these particles from even reaching the filter media. Wouldn't this mean more flow? longer service?
As much as I'm a booster of magnetic drain plugs, or strong magnets on the oil filters, I honestly can't say I believe significantly longer service life is likely. Most oil filters are not clogged by the time they're changed out, either. (though I run an oversize for feel-good insurance - same price, so why not?) Good sense OCIs with just the conventional motor oils available currently should deliver 300,000 miles. But as you pointed out, magnets have been used for decades in ATs by the manufacturers. My better half's 2000 Cavalier has a magnetic drainplug on the engine from the factory, so, apparently GM agrees with their justification, too. So, I bit the bullet and put one of the overpriced "Superplugs" on my 2003 Sonata. Amortized over five years, that's about $6.00/yr. for whatever protection it affords. I spend three times that much each year for pay-per-view movies off the satellite in addition to my monthly subscription... By the way, I posted a UOA for my Sonata V6 last month with Havoline 10W-30 - the first since installing the Superplug at the previous OC seven months earlier.
Patman
Staff member
This is true. The human eye cannot see anything smaller than 40 microns. And pretty much every filter sold will filter out 100% of the particles of this size.
I saw the filter sleevs, interesting idea and a good supplement to the filter. BUT- I am hesitant to use the magnet because I really do not know how it will effect the vavle in the filter PLUS I don't know where it might trap extra metal and how that metal could effect the anti-drain back vavlve or the bypass valve.
Hope that made sense. I'd like to hear more about these though!
Hope that made sense. I'd like to hear more about these though!
True, but - not to be contrary - one particle smaller than 40 microns is different than a paste made up of a whole bunch of particles 40 microns in size. In other words, if the magnet is pulling out a bunch of 40-micron or smaller size particles, the resulting collection wouldn't be magically invisible!
Here's a question, would a magnet as strong as those used in hard drives placed on a filter interfere with bypass valve operation?
Here's a thought, and it's why I use magnets. If the bypass is open then the filter isn't going to catch those particles.
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