Oil Filter Tip.

[Alan Wheeler]

Here's a little tip that does work. Place a magnet on the side of your oil filter. It helps to attract metal particles out of the oil and to the wall of your filter, where it can be disposed of when you throw away the filter.
It is common to have a drain plug with a magnet on it. Anyone that does have the luxury of draining oil from the plug as the manufacturer intended, will often notice a greyish paste stuck to it. This is fine metal dust from wear in the engine. Metal paste running around in the oil aids wear. The chances of all the metal coming past that drain bung is rather remote for a start. But what is een more remote, is the ability to ever get the bung out for most of us boaties.
Placing a magnet on the side of the oil filter works very well at pulling out those metalic particles. More oil gets to flow through the filter than ever gets near the drain bung.
It doesn't really matter what sort of magnet you use. But there are a couple of easy solutions.
A "fridge seal" magent is a great idea. It comes in a long strip and is either within a plastic sleave or it is a magnetic/plastic composite. It is flexible and can simply be wraped around the filter and being magnetic, self adheres.
But any magnet will do. The important point is rust. Magnets will rust easily. So you need to protect it with a good paint of thick paint or sealant or what have you. Just stick it to the filter and Bob's ya Uncle.

[GordMay]

Good idea wheels.


”... It doesn't really matter what sort of magnet you use ...”

The strength of any magnet will decrease as the temperature approaches the Curie temperature (Tcurie). The maximum temperature (Tmax) at which a magnet may be effectively used, depends greatly on the 'permeance coefficient'. Different magnetic materials have vastly differing Tmax.

Magnets with alternating opposing poles of the magnet (N=North and S=South) are most effective in particle removal. Commercial Oil Filtre Magnets are constructed in this manner.

In order for Filtre Magnets to remove minute steel particles (1 - 20 micron particles) from the oil system, its magnets must have enough energy to hold incredibly fine particles against the velocity of the oil flow (typically traveling at over 7 gpm as it goes through the oil filter).

The single biggest mistake people make when installing an oil filter is failing to use a dab of good silicon grease on the oil filter O-Ring before screwing on the filter base. Never use engine oil on the gasket as 50 or 100 hrs later when you try to remove the filter, the oil will have been long gone and the filter will not want to come off.

[Alan Wheeler]

Thanks for the refinement Gord. So there are commercial Versions You mean I wasn't the first to come up with this Idea. Darn, back to the drawing board.

Oh, I do hope that the oil never gets hot enough for the magnet to loose its power

[Alan Wheeler]

Credit cards are the ones to watch. I can't tell you the number of times I picked up a speaker with a powerful magnet and suddenly remembered I had my card in my pocket. Funny, but as soon as you remember, you move the speaker away quickly in the blind belief maybe, just maybe, I was quick enough. The result is a totaly wiped card.