Powerful magnet for tranny sump?

[dino33]

Do you guys think a powerful magnet like this FilterMag placed on the belly of a tranny pan could be effective at reducing wear and increasing fluid life???....

As advertised:


TM Series
Suitable for all vehicles with a steel oil pan

The FilterMAG™ Transmission Magnet (TM360 & TM180) are designed to magnetically attract and hold the millions of steel particles that are circulating in your transmission oil. Unless stopped these particles will damage the delicate parts in your transmission.

Snap either the large TM360 or the smaller TM180 on to the bottom of your steel transmission pan. Either one will immediately begin cleaning your transmission oil without restricting oil flow. So Simple!, So Effective!!!

http://shopfiltermag.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4

 

[Brybo86]

most tranny drain plugs already have a magnet, have you checked to see if it already had one?

 

[HardbodyLoyalist]

There's a certain logic to it: metal particles stuck the magnet aren't floating around causing wear. And indeed, most automatic trannies come from the factory with a magnet in the pan. Whether a larger, more powerful magnet is necessarily better is another matter.

My first thought is that those magnets are ridiculously overpriced. You can buy a samarium-cobalt magnet from any online science shop for less than $10.

 

[JethroBodine]

Toyotas already have them in the pan. Check your service manual to see if yours has them.

 

[Donald]

I think oil flowing right past a magnet (Magnefine filter) is a much better way to catch the ferrous metal. But there are also other metal particles (aluminum from the TC) that need to be trapped by a media filter.

 

[901Memphis]

Yes they are a good idea but yes they are also expensive. If you can afford it they reduce particle count of contaminating ferrous metal as shown on their website.

Some cheaper options are ceramics or ebay neodymium magnets that you can place directly inside the pan.

 

[Pajero]

They are great. But $$$$$$$$$$ Google neodymium magnets. They are extremely powerful

My pan already has a magnet inside the pan and on the plug. Good hunting..

Paj

 

[Kestas]

Just make sure they aren't near any solenoids in the transmission.

 

[901Memphis]

Remember not all Neodymium magnets are created equal, you will need the ones capable of withstanding up to 248 degrees if you want to leave a margin of safety. Ebay probably has lots of the cheaper 175 degree magnets and unless they are specified you will be wasting your money. They lose significant pulling power at high temperatures.


Nxx 12000 Oe / 955kA/m (minimum)80 deg C / 175 deg F suggested maximum
NxxM 14000 Oe / 1115kA/m (minimum) 100 deg C / 212 deg F suggested maximum
NxxH 17000 Oe / 1355kA/m (minimum) 120 deg C / 248 deg F suggested maximum
NxxSH 20000 Oe / 1590kA/m (minimum) 150 deg C / 302 deg F suggested maximum
NxxUH 25000 Oe / 1990kA/m (minimum) 180 deg C / 356 deg F suggested maximum
NxxEH 30000 Oe / 2385kA/m (minimum) 200 deg C / 392 deg F suggested maximum
NxxVH / NxxAH 35000 Oe / 2785kA/m (minimum) 230 deg C / 446 deg F suggested maximum


http://www.ndfeb-info.com/neodymium_grades.aspx



Also if you want something to wrap your mind around.

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=temperature-and-neodymium-magnets


This looks like a reasonable price for a US seller with multiple magnets of decent size and highly rated N48.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Neodymium-Magn...=item53eab25e29


If you want to buy from foreign sellers you can get better prices, but will be waiting weeks for delivery.

 

[hsd]

If you run a Magnefine filter, pull the magnet out of it next time its changed and stick it in the trans pan

 

[Jim Allen]

Ferrous particles make up about 51 percent of the contaminants in the average automatic, so a magnet could be useful. My 4R75W had a magnet in the pan from the factory and when I dropped the pan at ~9K miles, it was very much covered with iron. The disadvantage is that you have to drop the pan to clean it.

Donald made great point that the inline filter with a magnet is more efficient because not only does it attract the ferrous, it filters the other stuff too. I was told by the designer that the Magnefine will catch 99% of the iron that passes by it. I doubt the pan magnet would do that well but it would be better than not having a magnet.

Faced with either/or, I would go with the inline filter. It can be changed without pan removal and filters other contaminants besides. It's probably cheaper than the special-purpose magnet for the trans anyway. That wouldn't stop me from also dropping an inexpensive magnet into the pan if and when I had the opportunity... and the suggestion to use one from a Magnefine is a good one. It doesn't have the range of the more whiz-bang one (It doesn't need to because the Magnefine has a flow director that puts all the oil in close proximity) but it would be an additional spot to catch iron.

 

[901Memphis]

Yes the magnefine is a great idea and better overall for the reasons you mentioned such as catching more than iron, being easier to replace, and will likely catch more material since it has to pass over it.

I think they are a great idea and i am still trying to find a way to mount one up on my vehicle even though i have very limited rubber hoses.

 

[Jim Allen]

You can buy a Magnafine with JIC fittings on the ends and there are many other ways to make a clean installation.

 

[MolaKule]

No magnet will kick up non-ferrous particls such as aluminum, copper, or clutch material such as cellulose or carbon.

As Jim said, if you are concerned about trapping particulate matter, a external filter is a good filtering system improvement.

 

[901Memphis]

I would like to have both the filter mag and magnefine installed if possible.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
I would like to have both the filter mag and magnefine installed if possible.


Yes, but with the Magnefine and high quality ATF I do not plan on dropping the pan for 100K, and assume the Magnefine will catch all the crud.

When I open up a used Magnefine there is little caught in the media section and some metallic paste on the magnet.

Granted there are well cared for vehicles.

 

[901Memphis]

I just kind of think that the fluid may pass too quickly through the magnefine to be 100% efficient, but i could be wrong.

I would think the filter mag sitting on the bottom of the pan could catch particles that the magnefine missed or maybe if it gets too loaded.

Maybe its just overkill to have more than a magnefine though, they really should be standard equipment.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
I just kind of think that the fluid may pass too quickly through the magnefine to be 100% efficient, but i could be wrong.

I would think the filter mag sitting on the bottom of the pan could catch particles that the magnefine missed or maybe if it gets too loaded.

Maybe its just overkill to have more than a magnefine though, they really should be standard equipment.


The metal particles would need to float by the magnet at the bottom of the pan to be caught.

For the Magnefine, if it did not catch them in pass #1, it might in pass #2.

But as other have said 75% of the wear particles come out during break in.

 

[Jim Allen]

According to the man that designed the Magnefine, the magnet catches 99% of the ferrous particle. Shown below are the billet housing Magnefine, which you can unscrew to replace the filter and clean the magnet. It has JIC fittings on the ends. The flow director is the black cross. Below that is a regular nylon housing Magnefine I cut open to see the internal layout. The inlet is the side of the magnet and you can see that the oil is always in close proximity to the magnet. Only a small portion of the oil is in contact with a magnet in the pan.

Overall, your plan to have one in the pan and a Magnefine is a good one Once you have the Magnefine in place, the need to drop the pan is much less and, like Donald said, you could conceivably go 100K miles without doing it again.

 

[Donald]

In the case of my Jeep, the pan gets dropped every time the pressure sensor and/or governor break. I am on my 3rd set. All Chrysler parts used.

But assuming a change of the Magnefine filter every 30K miles, and regular exchanges of the ATF using Amsoil, what would be the reason to every drop the pan again unless the transmission needed repair?