Magnets to soothe your engine

[Built_Well]

Does anyone know if UOA expert Terry ever recommended magnets to trap larger hunks of metal? If so, did he recommend the magnets be attached to the oil pan or the oil filter?

Can there be any drawbacks or harmful effects from using magnets?

 

[XS650]

If you use them, put them on the filter.

The filter walls are thinner than the oil pan, so the particles get caught in a stronger magnetic field.

The particles get tossed each time you change your filter.

It's easy to cut a filer open and see what's in it, not so easy to drop an oil pan. The real value to magnets is that they show you how fast your engine is shedding ferrous material. With good filters their magnets "filtration" capabilities aren't very important.

 

[JAG]

I use FilterMag, and MagnaGuard, and a magnetic drain plug. All 3 pick up ferrous debris that I whipe onto a piece of paper or whatever. Sometimes I look at the particles under a microscope and measure the size relative to a known diameter hair (measured with a dial caliper) that I cut from my head. I do have a thread in the used oil analysis forum showing a picture of a magnet whiping but I think it's just from the magnetic drain plug which catches the least particles of the 3 magnets I use.

Oil pan magnets have drawbacks.

 

[Crusader]

Oil filter magnets are where it's at. If you own a sonicare tooth brush take the old worn out brush magnet and twit them off with pliers. apply 1 or 2 to the outside of the oil filter. Apply small dab of rtv, optional, to anchor magnet.

All done - no special magnets to buy. And all the ferrous fuzzies are contained in the filter.

I would not use an oil pan magnet. If it gets knock off you just released a ferrous metal fuzz glob loose in your pan.

Now what I really wonder is if using a magnet will throw off or conceal UOA Iron numbers?

Also the same applies to by-pass filter but I guess that's another thread.

 

[Camu Mahubah]

I have often thought a magnet on one's oil filter would be good. Alas, I worry the magnet might catch all the zinc and/or other additives in the oil.

 

[artificialist]

Zinc is not magnetic.

Anyway, filtermag seems like a cool product if your car uses a spin on filter. The magnet sticks to the filter, and then makes ferrous metal stick to the inside of the filter. When you do your oil and filter change, spin the filter off, transfer the magnet to the new filter, and spin it on.

I have one because somebody brought their private party used car to me for an oil change. The DIY-er used a filtermag on the car, so I saved it for myself, because the next oil change guy would either throw it away or keep it.

I can't use it on my car or my dad's car because they don't have spin on filters, I can't use it on my mom's car, because it uses the thin Mopar oil filter, and this magnet fits a fat filter like the one found in the other 90% of Chrysler products. If I did all oil changes for someone that used the more common Mopar filter, a Motorcraft FL1A, or a Motorcraft 820, that is where I'd put the filtermag.