Magnetic oil drain plugs

[Gearhead]

Ahh... That "filter" is in the oil pump intake channel... When you rev the engine to 6K+ RPM's -- you've got a LOT of oil being quickly sucked through that channel... Blobs of fine magnetic gunk could be sucked free of the magnet and fed into the oil pump under the WORST possible circumstances...

Most magnetic drain plugs are sitting in a quiescent part of the oil pan well away from the oil pump intake. The Smarts drain plug is sitting right in the intake channel to the oil pump.

A magnetic collar around an oil filter is safer. Even if that magnet were to come off, since the oil circulates from the outside of the filter and returns through the center, any magnetic gunk would have to pass through the filter element before making it into the engine.

[Brabus007]

If you have any old computer Hard Drives laying around, take them apart and get the two magnets out of them... They are some of the strongest magnets you will ever find...YUP... Stick them on the filter can...

[jetfuel]

Originally Posted by Gearhead

Most magnetic drain plugs are sitting in a quiescent part of the oil pan well away from the oil pump intake.

...the magnetic plug or chip detector used on the engines I work on are placed at the lower point of the engine right in front of the oil pick up of two 5" diameter X 1" thick scavenge pumps producing anywhere from 5 to 7 inches of vacuum..the gear right in front of the inlet is spinning at 41K RPM...this chip detector will turn the light on even if the particle making the circuit can not be seen with the naked eye...after the magnet gets a hold of the particle it will not let go...no matter what kind of flow of oil goes across it... 120 PSI air from a blow gun MAY blow it off...
...this chip detector magnet is 3/16" in diameter...

jetfuel...need a BIGER magnet...

[ulflyer]

I have a batch of "rare earth" magnets I got to put on my cycle plugs and have also put them on the auto plugs. They are strong little buggers and if they help, so be it. If not, haven't lost anything.
Makes me feel better though.

Never tried the type that wrap around the oil filter. Seems like a good idea.

[heraldhamster]

a few words of caution:

just be careful if you ever go to one of those "10 minute Lube Joints" to have your oil changed (which I wouldn't normally), they might change out your drain plug w/o first asking.
we had it happen on a road trip while in Vegas. we'd put over 3K miles on our Honda during the road trip and I thought it wouldn't hurt anything. the "technician" at "Terrible's Lube" replaced our drain plug with what he claimed was an OEM plug (which of course didn't fit correctly) and threw out my custom knurled magnetic plug.

I was livid. it STILL makes me mad then I go to change the oil... that's why I don't like to let other people touch my stuff.

sorry for the semi-rant. but sometimes you gotta watch out for people trying to "help" you.

[jwight]

Maybe, maybe not...

Oil-Filter Magnets Don't Hurt, But Don't Help A Lot | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

[TMACK]

Yup, true.
On the other hand, magnetic plugs can serve a very usefull scrub of the other major passive, non-filtered lube system: the tranny.