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Magnet on Oil Filter


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When I used to drain the lower unit of my Mercury Outboards, the lower drain plug had a magnetized stud as part of the plug. The tiny metal filings that got rubbed off the lower gears would collect on this magnetized part of the plug.

I assume that 4 cycle auto and marine engines may have a similar feature in the drain pan plug..... but I don't change my own oil in my truck.... and like most folks, I drain my Malibu's oil via the drain hose.

I would also hope the oil filter is supposed to catch any teeny tiny metal debris.

Regardless, I read an article several months ago suggesting to purchase one of these small "rare earth" magnets and attaching to the bottom-outside of your oil filter. The magnet will collect whatever oil filings are in the oil inside the filter. When you change the oil/filter.... just remove the magnet and apply to the new filter. (These are the kind you can attach to your front door to hange Christmas Wreaths etc etc.) These are VERY strong tiny little magnets.

So.... I bought a few the other day. (5 of them cost under $10) Strong little critters. About the diameter of a quarter, but 3X the thickness. REAL hard to separate them because the magnetic force is so strong.

Anybody else do this... hear of this??? Waste of time? Good idea?

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Motorcycle drain plugs have magnets built into them as well. Everytime I change my crank case oil there are always shavings on the magnet. I think it is a good idea.

joe

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To find that out, he'd have to try it, then cut open the filter at his next oil change. Shocking.gif

How 'bout it, Doug? ;)

Edited by VinRLX
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I wonder if it would interfere with the way the filter is supposed to work. Maybe sticking them on the oil pan next to the drain hole would work better.

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Interesting idea. I think the oil filter would be a good location for a magnet for the engine. Although if the filter is doing it's job, metal particles should be trapped in the filtration material anyway.

My truck's differentials have magnetic drain plugs and there is usually some metallic "fuzz" on them. This would lead me to believe that a magnet on a boat's transmission might be of more benefit than one on the engine. Problem is getting to the bottom of the transmission.

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I'm worse than anyone here, so I'm not pointing fingers at anyone but myself, but isn't it funny how we go to extremes to protect our babies that get a tenth of the abuse of our every day drivers.

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I'm worse than anyone here, so I'm not pointing fingers at anyone but myself, but isn't it funny how we go to extremes to protect our babies that get a tenth of the abuse of our every day drivers.

That's because if something goes wrong with these boats, it seriously screws with our "fun time". That's on short supply for most of us & we don't want anything messing it up. With that said, the vast majority of us won't have our boats long enough to see any benefit whatsoever to something like this. A few of us may, such as the OP of this thread. :)

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To find that out, he'd have to try it, then cut open the filter at his next oil change.  Shocking.gif

How 'bout it, Doug? ;)

I guess since I started this.... I should try to take it all the way.

When I remove the filter for it's 40-50 hour replacement.... I'll try and get inside to see if the magnet trapped any stuff. I can't really cut open the filter though.... that will generate metal filings that will ruin the test validity. Maybe I should just filter the oil left over in the filter by removing the magnet, and running the oil in the filter through a strainer with the same magnet inside the strainer. But then... maybe the filter would have caught the metal residue anyway. Oh no... my head hurts trying to come up with a perfect test. Maybe an MRI of the filter... or an X-Ray???

The problem with putting under the oil pan.... is that I would need to get access to INSIDE where the magnetism has been transferred....and to do a cleanup. At least with the oil filter... it gets tossed.

Stay tuned.... but don't hold your breath.

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Put the magnet next to the dran plug on the up side of the pan. Get the oil nice and hot. Shut the engine off and remove the magnet. Drain the oil out. It should get sucked out along with the rest of the oil.

When I change the oil in my trucks, I drain it into a drip pan. I then pour that oil into 1 gal. jugs. There is always metal filings or grit on the bottom of the drip pan.

Edited by 88Skier
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Use tin snips and not the hacksaw. Just use gloves.

kbtheboz I'm with you. I see and do all this extra stuff for the boat but won't even wax my truck once a yr. I also feel we get this fear from the dealers / factory with how much they charge and service interval's.

I personally don't see the need for a magnet. But if your so inclined to use one, put it next to the drain hose and remove it when draining the oil as suggested before.

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Doug,

I think finding metal bits in a lower unit transmission is fairly common. You don't usually see much on the magnet unless there is already a lot of wear on the unit or there is something going wrong in the transmission. They also have no oil filter at all since the oil is not pumped around thus a magnet is a good way to trap the bits. These V8 engines on the other hand do not have an intregal transmission where gears are clacking around. If your Monsoon is making metal, there are bigger problems to deal with soon even if you trap the pieces. The oil filter magnets couldn't hurt but I don't think they are really necessary because the filter should catch anything passing through it. :)

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Heck.... I bought 5 of these little suckers. I can put them everywhere. Mostly just doing this for a lark.... just to see if....

(Just won't put them near anything electronic.)

Lots of neat feedback.

Thanks.

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The magnet will help trap very tiny metal particles in the filter and should not interfere with it's operation. There are magnets made for this very purpose - they are shaped to fit the profile of the filter and cover about half of one side.

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The magnet will help trap very tiny metal particles in the filter and should not interfere with it's operation. There are magnets made for this very purpose - they are shaped to fit the profile of the filter and cover about half of one side.

So... I had the right idea.... just maybe not the best magnet. Where can you purchase this pre-shaped filter magnets?

(Thanks for making me look like less of an idiot!)

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You're really talkin two differnt areas, arent you? The magentized plug on outboard lower units are for the forward /reverse gearing where wear is almost part of the design. Like some onelse said if youve got shavings in your motor oil youve got other problems that need to be addressed, I think.

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