Question on Oil Filter Magnets

[Marchboom]

Got a 1 yr old Subaru Forester and was wondering if placing a magnet on the oil filter would be of any value. I haven't been able to find any definitive info on whether they are worth the money. Has anyone here tried them?

Thanks

 

[StevieC]

This will open a can of worms on opinions.

I have tested this myself and found that it does retain ferrous metal bits on the wall of the spin-on oil filters. Whether it made a difference in the longevity of the engine it's hard to decide because all my engines with/without have lasted numerous hundreds of thousands of kilometers. The metal particulate it did catch was extremely fine almost not even visible.

Certainly nowhere near this amount.

Do it if it makes you happy but it's probably not going to have results worth the cost of the magnets.

 

[skyactiv]

It's a complete waste of time and mental energy.

 

[Old Mustang Guy]

I like a magnetic oil pan plug. I think just as good.

 

[HemiHawk]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
It's a complete waste of time and mental energy.


Question related to this, because I've often thought the same thing. Why do most transmissions have a magnet in the pan, along with the filter? I could see why Diffs have magnets because there is no filter, but why the transmission?

 

[SnowDrifter]

Transmission shed a lot more ferrous material on account of the gear teeth, friction material

 

[knerml]

Consensus seems to be that magnets are a waste of time.

However, adding a magnet to the outside of the filter can not hurt anything, and there is always the chance that it might help.

I would not use an internal filter magnet. Can affect oil flow.

I use cheap 35mm rare earth magnets purchased from eBay. Picked 35mm because it fits the bottom of the filters nicely.

 

[Onetor]

I believe there was a study that stated Filter Mags could decrease Fe by 1ppm? Again, magnets won't catch Al & Cu.

There are numerous threads on this subject. Some by Bob Winters himself (Our blog creator).

I've purchased numerous oil pan magnets and found the Gold Plug the strongest. You can get really creative with magnets.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Put a couple in your shoes too.Make you fell twenty years younger.

 

[UncleDave]

If lowering your iso counts by 1-3 codes means anything to you then, by all means, put a magnet on the filter.

Don't trust me, trust Jim Fitch at Noria.

He says they are a good idea to use whenever possible.






UD

 

[CT8]

The magnets may or may not make a difference in the time you own your vehicle but then it certainly won't hurt anything except the pocket book at the worst.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Any kind and size of particles you can take out of the oil is a good thing.

 

[Whipcitywrencher]

I like to put a couple hard drive magnets on my filters, plus use a magnetic drain plug.
They don't catch much and I don't know if it helps,
but it makes cutting open the filter a little more interesting.

 

[SirTanon]

I like to put magnets all over my engine. Insures that no fan of ICP will ever work on it.

 

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted By: rollinpete
I like to put a couple hard drive magnets on my filters, plus use a magnetic drain plug.
They don't catch much and I don't know if it helps,
but it makes cutting open the filter a little more interesting.






That orientation certainly wont hurt.

You'll get better results on the side about halfway down- the side mount offers closer proximity to flow.



UD

 

[Leo99]

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted By: UncleDave
Originally Posted By: rollinpete
I like to put a couple hard drive magnets on my filters, plus use a magnetic drain plug.
They don't catch much and I don't know if it helps,
but it makes cutting open the filter a little more interesting.






That orientation certainly wont hurt.

You'll get better results on the side about halfway down- the side mount offers closer proximity to flow.


That makes much sense. Nice post!

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: rollinpete
I like to put a couple hard drive magnets on my filters, plus use a magnetic drain plug.
They don't catch much and I don't know if it helps,
but it makes cutting open the filter a little more interesting.






Exact same set up I have, they are free magnets, so why not?

 

[69Torino]

I don’t think I would put a magnet on an oil filter right by a dome end bypass valve. Maybe on the side. I believe that any ferrous debris on the magnet simply got stopped short on its path to the filter media. Would have been caught by the filter anyway.

I did actually stick a small neodymium magnet to the end of the drain plug of the Tecumseh engine in my smaller riding mower. It’s pretty much a pipe plug. It doesn’t have an oil filter. I just wipe the magnet off when the oil gets changed.

 

[BHopkins]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
This will open a can of worms on opinions.

I have tested this myself and found that it does retain ferrous metal bits on the wall of the spin-on oil filters. Whether it made a difference in the longevity of the engine it's hard to decide because all my engines with/without have lasted numerous hundreds of thousands of kilometers. The metal particulate it did catch was extremely fine almost not even visible.

Certainly nowhere near this amount.

Do it if it makes you happy but it's probably not going to have results worth the cost of the magnets.

StevieC is dead on. Oil filter magnets catch ferrous metal particles. Magnets don't catch any non-ferrous metal particles that are also passing right by the magnets. Does it make an engine last any longer? I've read many a discussion on this subject, and I've also read all the sources that people reference. Never have I seen any conclusive evidence that using filter magnets makes an engine less prone to failure, or that they make engines last longer, or any other measurable benefit.

The only reasoning ever provided is that magnets catch ferrous metal particles. Metal can cause wear in an engine. therefore, I must be protecting my engine because I'm using magnets. But car engines go hundreds of thousands of miles all the time . . . without any magnets on the oil filter. Or the drain plug.

But if it makes you feel like you are taking better care of you car, by all means, slap a few on the outside of the oil filter. I bought some bar magnets for an experiment at work, and since they were just laying around after I was done, I now use them on my Outback oil filter. Do I believe it will save my engine from failure? Absolutely . . . not! But it's fun to think about what they are catching. Maybe it will make a difference on my next UOA. Maybe not.