magnetic oil dran plug

These plugs are unnecessary. The only way to find out if they picked up anything is to remove them. The vast majority of vehicles don’t have them.


The point about transmissions and differentials is a good one. These will shed off far more ferrous material yet the vast majority of them never get the fluid changed.
Where do you get stating unnecessary? LOL And as far as I know most remove the drain plug to change there oil?
I might add that you do realize on differentials the drain plug are not always at the bottom of the third member casing right?

You also miss the BIG point that seeing what is on any of the magnets could help to diagnosis a pre problematic condition before it becomes worse.
 
I figure it cant hurt to catch ferrous metals before they hit the oil pump which is pre oil filter or before they accumulate on the pickup screen.
The amount caught depends on the strength of the magnet and even with a strong magnet how much is it really catching? That being said I wouldn't count on it to "save" the engine. If the engine is shedding a lot of metal a lot of damage has already been done. Six of one half a dozen of the other.
Like the oil pressure light, they should refer to it as your engine is blown light, it is there and it works but by the time you see it its all but over.
That's my thought, does not hurt to have one. I treat is as more of an early warning system if something internal starts to go south.

Here is a pic of the one i made for Blueovalfitter. I lost my pic so i used his.

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That's my thought, does not hurt to have one. I treat is as more of an early warning system if something internal starts to go south.

Here is a pic of the one i made for Blueovalfitter. I lost my pic so i used his.

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^^^^(y)^^^^
I think that those that get a drain plug magnet will find that almost every time they change the oil they will need to clean off the magnet. I would really like a few that have them to post up about that! ;)

Below is a MAZDA Transmission pan I had my friend powder coat bright white. It is easier to see things when I drop the pan. The ring magnet actually goes on the small dimple in the pan but and later I will place it there. I will also be using a new Dimple Drian plug. Most transmissions I have dropped the pan that had a ring or drain plug magnet I always needed to clean them from metals they captured and held.
 

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And you are being argumentative. Seems like a habit with you.
No... but I realize your choice of words gets attention with a moderator. LOL
You should go read some threads and see what real argumentative is. What we do is not bad at all by what I have seen and only in the last week.
 
A old mechanic once told me that magnetic plugs where standard on German Fords up to the 80s. I dont know if this is true.

But if this is true, could it be possible that the car manufactureres dont use magnetic plugs anymore because oil filters where becoming better and better over time?
 
Then please count me in as ridiculous as well.
What is ridiculous is anyone thinking they are the be-all end-all authority.

A magnetized oil drain plug is hardly necessary as evidenced by the hundreds of millions of engines that do just fine without them.
Regular oil changes are far more beneficial than any magnetized drain plug.
wow ...hundreds of millions..... lol
Actually looks like most on this thread agree that they are at least useful. But you can do what you want it your vehicles.
LOL

And I would think that both having a drain plug magnet and regular oil and you forgot oil filters changes are both beneficial.
I challenge you to use a drain plug magnet go 5-7k miles and change the oil and filter and NOT have things collected on the magnetic drain plug! Otherwise you are not really posting anything you have personally experienced to support or claim they don't help and work?
 
A old mechanic once told me that magnetic plugs where standard on German Fords up to the 80s. I dont know if this is true.

But if this is true, could it be possible that the car manufactureres dont use magnetic plugs anymore because oil filters where becoming better and better over time?
When some things become no longer available as a production installed part Is it more possible that it is one more reduction part to cut costs. It has been my experience watching things go away that it is the bean counters that say we need to cut cost and some parts like lets just say as a hypothetical example a drain plug magnet.
I think there has been several threads talking about things that are no longer on cars or where vehicle manufactures cut costs in production. I am sure there would be hundreds of examples that members on this forum could come up with.
 
I have to wonder... If these magnetic drain plugs were so beneficial, why don't car manufacturers install them at the factory?
Does anyone know if any manufacturer use them? I would imagine the uber expensive Porsche/Ferrari/Lambo/you-name-it engines might, if they helped.
Asking for a friend...
I wonder what is the job of the oil filter that the magnetic drain plug soo special? Especially at short OCI intervals. How much life are you gonna get with a magnetic drain plug?
 
Cost to benefit. The engines last through warranty, so no reason to spend an extra penny. Now interestingly, a lot of oems use a magnet in the trans pan and some differentials.
Transmission and Differential would make sense to have the magnetic drain plug since the OCI is longer, you dont change the filter often.
 
Well...from my professor way back in 1980 at the beginning of getting my mechanical...a product that lasts too long is a product failure.

Stuff we buy leans toward making investors money first and save money for consumers last.

Mag drain plugs give another data point on the health of the equipment.

It just seems like lazy thinking to not see the benefit of another data point or putting a lot of faith in others that the right thing was done in our behalf.
 
Well...from my professor way back in 1980 at the beginning of getting my mechanical...a product that lasts too long is a product failure.

Stuff we buy leans toward making investors money first and save money for consumers last.

Mag drain plugs give another data point on the health of the equipment.

It just seems like lazy thinking to not see the benefit of another data point or putting a lot of faith in others that the right thing was done in our behalf.
I religiously change my oil between 3-5k miles. I have yet to actually go over 4kmiles. The Mazda starting to change the oil at the 500 mile mark when I purchased it new. Every oil and filter change has shown what is on the drain plug pictured with less and less each time. The pictures was at my 24k mile on the engine. So this mean and I would have to verify but I have changed my oil and filter on this engine at least 7 times. I use quality filters and most of the time MAZDA OE filters. During the time I have also had the oil anglicized 4 times.
You can see that there is fine metal particles on the magnet even at 24k miles. So all the different quality oil Filters is not catching all of it.

The Automatic transmission was a big eye opener. I collected so much metal I called MAZDA. Supposedly these are a no service transmission. I am glad that I did and I am also glad I will be adding the new pan with a dimple drain plug as well a ring magnet. The amount of metal covered the factory ring magnet completely and took some effort to get it all off. I saved almost all of it and cleaned it to have to post on a forum someday like this one? LOL

I have done 2 pan filter service on my transmission and the second time I had to clean both the Dimple Drain plug and the ring magnet.
There is less amount then the first time and I also had both filter services oil analyzed. So I am confident that nothing is harming my engine or transmission but I am also glad that I have the extra inexpensive insurance of having magnets in both the engine pan and the trans mission pan.

In the picture with the small container you can see the dried metal, and how it reacts to a magnet placed under the container. That is what was in my transmission.
 

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When some things become no longer available as a production installed part Is it more possible that it is one more reduction part to cut costs. It has been my experience watching things go away that it is the bean counters that say we need to cut cost and some parts like lets just say as a hypothetical example a drain plug magnet.
I think there has been several threads talking about things that are no longer on cars or where vehicle manufactures cut costs in production. I am sure there would be hundreds of examples that members on this forum could come up with.

This is also a very good explanation. You are probably right.

My Suzuki GSXR had a magnetic drain plug from the factory, but on a Motorcycle with shared sump these magentic plugs makes really sense. All the small metall particles from the gear box and the wet clutch have to go through the oil pump first before they get catched in the oil filter. Makes sense to use a magnet to try to protect the oil pump from "Chewing" theses particles wich could casue unnecessary wear on the oil pump rotors.

This is also the reason why it is a nice add-on on a car, for me at last. I have produced my own ones. Cheap and fast DIY work.
Also for my Kawasaki, wich surprisingly dont come with a magentic plug from the Factory.
These tiny magnets are super strong....just buy the heat resistent ones.
 

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This is also a very good explanation. You are probably right.

My Suzuki GSXR had a magnetic drain plug from the factory, but on a Motorcycle with shared sump these magentic plugs makes really sense. All the small metall particles from the gear box and the wet clutch have to go through the oil pump first before they get catched in the oil filter. Makes sense to use a magnet to try to protect the oil pump from "Chewing" theses particles wich could casue unnecessary wear on the oil pump rotors.

This is also the reason why it is a nice add-on on a car, for me at last. I have produced my own ones. Cheap and fast DIY work.
Also for my Kawasaki, wich surprisingly dont come with a magentic plug from the Factory.
These tiny magnets are super strong....just buy the heat resistent ones.
Nice pictures Christian.. (y)

I sent this thread to a friend and he reminded me how many things that have not been mentioned come with magnetic drain plugs from many different manufactures besides automotive and motor cycle. In fact some of the other industries are often talked about in various other threads almost weekly. FACT... There really is NO downside to using them?

I did see a thread about a member purchasing an aluminum magnet drain plug in which I would caution against using any Aluminum drain plugs in general.

Speaking of the use of magnets on vehicles how about magnets attached to fuel lines.... lol anyone remember them?
 
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