Magnets to Augment Oil Filtration, Inexpensive Analysis Methods

Ali,

My gut tells me the reason magnets have not become the Next Big Thing in the lubricant world is that their benefit is not seen as being significant. In other words, using a good quality oil filter and changing oil at the intervals specified in the owner's manual does the engine lubricating job sufficiently so that the additional expense and hassle of using magnets is not cost or time effective. Furthermore, my guess is that most Ferrari owners change their oil annually anyway, without regard to actual mileage, so that excessive particulate matter is not a problem.

But that's just my gut reaction and is hardly scientific. I am as intellectually curious as you to see if there is some measureable benefit to using magnets, and I applaud your initiative. I hope you will keep us informed of your observations.

Cheers, Mark

 

Interesting info.

I note that there are several manufacturers who make magnets that fit externally (i.e. around the filter). I believe that Griots garage sells one.

Dom

 

The air-cooled VW transaxles have a magnet in their drain plug...which just so happens to fit their modern tranny drain plugs They also have them for the engine oil drain plug. But since a stock air-cooled VW engine uses a mesh screen as an oil filter they kinda need that magnet.

Yes, you can get magnetic collars that strap on the outside of an oil filter (JC Whitney has 'em). I'm a believer in the magnets.

 

Magnets would have no effect on aluminum bits floating around in your aluminum engine with aluminum pistons. They would pick up bits of rings, valves, cams, etc. but if that's happening your engine is already toast. Seems like they would be effective on an iron block engine though to indicate a wear problem.

 

This might be a stupid question, magnets attract iron, right? so what good are they going to do in an all aluminum and other non iron alloys engine?

I can se how they are useful in diesel engines which are mostly casted on iron, but out of that enviroment it might have some effect, but quite probably of no significance, isn't it?

- Julio.

 

woops, you beat me?

 

Not ALL parts in a [VW] engine are aluminum guys. C'mon, I'm not a newb, at least not to VWs.

 

Hey Ali,
I have always been interested in oils and how they work,syn vs. conventioal etc. So I have followed your comments and findings. This might be a little off topic so I will appologize in advance. I have been using a screen mesh type of oil filter for years on my Ferraris. It filters down to 5 microns, it was made by a company called System 1. You can clean the screen filter and reuse it. What I find interesting about it is when I inspect it after I change the oil I never have found much for particles a few small bits aluminum and other stuff but very few, maybe 10 or 12 tiny particals in 3000 miles. I am surprised (and thankful) that there is not more in there. In my experiance over about 12 years of using the filter I could probably could have checked the filter every 10,000 miles and still not find much! My question for you is have you done any research on the amount of debree people find in a filter of a normal running engine? I am assuming this is normal I guess I have convinced myself there should be more.

 

That's all true, EXCEPT...your Ferrari bearings are made of ferrous metal, as are some valve-train components, and perhaps even the crank itself on your particular model.

...And those are precisely the parts that you don't want shedding iron or whatnot into the rest of your engine.

So use an external magnet in your oil filter. It's cheap and otherwise harmless, anyway. Mid America Corvette (or whatever they call themselves now) sells a strong external magnet for $10.

That's $10 bucks for engine peace of mind (OK, we'll still worry and fret about our fragile rubber timing belts).

Along that same line of thought, you need a zinc anode ($12 from www.JCWhitney.com) in your radiator fill tank in order to delay electrolysis...a condition that will introduce corrosion into your engine and waterpump as your radiator coolant is circulating.

...And you *don't* want your water pump to get hammered by the rusty metal bits of flaking corrosion in your radiator (so flush and fill regularly, too).