[Jag Daddy]

I was browsing the net and came across a web site that was selling an external magnet that sat on the outside of the oil filter to collect minute metal particals floating in the engine. Is it just snake oil or does it have any real benifits?

Regards
Mark

[willys36@aol.com]

Snake oil. Magnet will only see part of the oil flow, any particle that can get through a modern premium oil filter medium will be so small that the dynamics of the oil flow would induce a much larger force to keep the particle entrained than the force any stick-on magnet could muster, and a majority of the particles in the engine are non-magnetic (bearing material, carbon particles, silica dirt). A simple magnet in the bottom of the oil pan like some automatic transmissions have would be more effective if you want a magnet.

[crazy larry]

78 monte runs magnets on his engine.

[Terje]

I saw that someone mentioned oil filter magnets in one of their posts, and was wondering about them.

Has anyone with an oil filter magnet cut open their filter while leaving the magnets attached to see if they're collecting any shavings?

Are the magnetic particles the hardest particles that might be floating around in your engine, or are the non-magnetic particles the hardest?

Any other opinions around?

[4 Jaw Chuck]

Originally posted by Terje
I saw that someone mentioned oil filter magnets in one of their posts, and was wondering about them.

Has anyone with an oil filter magnet cut open their filter while leaving the magnets attached to see if they're collecting any shavings?

Are the magnetic particles the hardest particles that might be floating around in your engine, or are the non-magnetic particles the hardest?

Any other opinions around?

Silica found in common dust is the hardest thing inside an engine, always run a filter of some sort to vent the crankcase or tie it into the aircleaner system to prevent drawing these particles inside the engine.

[DTL504]

I have 2 magnets in the bottom of my oil sump and 2 in my lifter valley. I use the wonder magnets and these little magnets are very strong. I was surprise when I put it on my toolbox and the amount of force that was required to remove it. Sometimes I had to slide the magnet to the end of the shelf to get a good grip to in order to pull it away.
Wonder Magnet

[Terje]

Originally posted by 4 Jaw Chuck
Silica found in common dust is the hardest thing inside an engine, always run a filter of some sort to vent the crankcase or tie it into the air cleaner system to prevent drawing these particles inside the engine.

On my engine there is a hose that goes from my valve cover through my PCV, and into a vacuum hose that leads to my carb.

On my other valve cover there is another hose that leads to my air filter. But, where it leads to is outside of the filter.

I assume that the air is sucked from the valve cover, through the PVC valve into the carb. I believe that this causes the air to go into my air filter compartment, and into the hose that leads to my other valve cover. There is a cheap sponge thing that is all grimy that appears to filter the air that goes into the second hose.

I guess what you're saying is that I should move that hose from outside of my air filter to inside my air filter.

[85citation]

That or put a breather cap in place and block the hose off.

[Jag Daddy]

On most air cleaners like yours there was a small square piece of filter material inserted inside the air cleaner. Most of them have been lost or removed by unsuspecting drivers.

Regards
Mark

[ButtWeldor]

There is all this science on magnets and the rare earth super magnets...

They are brilliant....

I ran all these tests in filtering abilites of the various oil filters available on the market and most of them are just ****.

And they allow alot of really fine ferritic (and other) material through....

I recall the standard of partical filtration is down to 20 or 25 microns...

There are special oil filters or filtering systems (multi staged) that filter down to 5 microns.

I can't remember the brand/s right now....

A magnet stuck into a steel sump greatly magnifies it "filtering range" in terms of pick up area, because the magnitic field flows through the iron into about a 10-15 cm diameter (4-6" for the backward Emerikens)

If you have a steel sump plug whack one on that and the magnetic field will flow on to a considerable area around the plug and across the sump.

I really recomend putting a little super magnet on your STEEL sump plug (so it goes on the inside of your engine) and on on the ende (in the centre) of your oil filter.......

If you just put one on the ende of your sump plug, you will be surprised at just how much ferritic crap it picks up...

Actually you may be able to buy little super magnets from the elcheapo telescopic magnetic pick up tools (e.g. ball bearing rolls down into crack in floor), or from electronic supplies stores.

[arch]

If you have an OLD OLD OLD computer laying around somewhere... or can pick up some kind of old one for free...
Take the hard drive apart... The magnets inside the Hard Drive are the strongest magnets i've ever played around with, If two of these get stuck together, they're damn close to IMPOSSIBLE to pull apart. (After a couple hours of trying you'll get em apart) I have half of one on the drain plug of my oil pan, always a little something on the end of it whenever I change the oil.
Only reason i say OLD computer is because they're basicly free, although your brand new computer will work just as well

Although two bad things about these magnets... if you get two or more to close, they will snap together so fast that ethier 1) they'll shatter (which is how i have half of one), or 2) you'll be missing some skin, and WOW does that pinch hurt. Careful!!

[ButtWeldor]

Computers are Evil.

Electrickery is Evil.

Computers use electricity use an abbacus instead.

Use paper planes and carrier pigeons or horse and carts.

Use diesel - direct injection, compressed air starters and carbide lamps for illumination.

As for CD's players.. - Use an Edison cylinder converter kit with the genuine bamboo needles... Works a treat.

Now you can have computing, locomotion, lighting and a full sound system, and you need never had this instrument of the devil (electrickery) in your horseless carriage again.

[arch]

what about welding?

[willys36@aol.com]

Originally posted by ButtWeldor
Computers are Evil.

Electrickery is Evil.

Computers use electricity use an abbacus instead.

Use paper planes and carrier pigeons or horse and carts.

Use diesel - direct injection, compressed air starters and carbide lamps for illumination.

As for CD's players.. - Use an Edison cylinder converter kit with the genuine bamboo needles... Works a treat.

Now you can have computing, locomotion, lighting and a full sound system, and you need never had this instrument of the devil (electrickery) in your horseless carriage again.

Hey, you are my kind of guy!! I thought I was the only one in the world who hated electronics. I heard a funny news report the other day (Paul Harvey maybe! Can't remember who). They were interviewing an old guy about remote controllers on every dang piece of equipment you buy nowadays. He said he would NEVER own any of the new-fangled stuff with those unfathomable controllers with so many buttons and features no one knows what they do. And he is the guy who invented the remote control!!!!!

[chrisflock]

Quote
---If you have an OLD OLD OLD computer laying around somewhere... or can pick up some kind of old one for free...
Take the hard drive apart... The magnets inside the Hard Drive are the strongest magnets i've ever played around with, If two of these get stuck together, they're damn close to IMPOSSIBLE to pull apart. (After a couple hours of trying you'll get em apart) I have half of one on the drain plug of my oil pan, always a little something on the end of it whenever I change the oil.
Only reason i say OLD computer is because they're basicly free, although your brand new computer will work just as well

Although two bad things about these magnets... if you get two or more to close, they will snap together so fast that ethier 1) they'll shatter (which is how i have half of one), or 2) you'll be missing some skin, and WOW does that pinch hurt. Careful!!---

Another great place to get magnets of a slightly lower power is speakers, particularly subs. And with all of the kids who put stupidly miswired and mismatched systems in their cars, a blown sub is easy to come by.

As for the magnets in hard drives, they are great. I really like the ones from the old Quantum Bigfoot 5 inch drives, which were common in old Pentiums from Compaq. The magnet has a special plate on one side, so that side isn't very magnetic, but the other side is incredibly strong. We used to stand out in the hallway of our dorm and chuck these magnets down the hall, and they'd curve up and stick to the old iron pipes on the ceiling, or sometimes they'd stick to the metal doorframes. That all ended when one of them was 'attracted' to the end of a florescent light. It busted out the bulb and then sat on the electrodes, and all of the lights in the hallway were on the same breaker....


Chris