Oil filter Magnet?
 

Hey fellows im about to change my oil and wanted to add an oil filter magnet for safe measures. Can anyone tell me who makes a good magnet and what size I will need? I have noticed that some attach to the sides and some to the bottum of the filter. Which one's do you prefer? Thanks for the help :tiphat:

all the info is contained here!

http://www.the370z.com/diy-section-d...es-inside.html

Yea I read up on that but just wanted to see others idea's on placement of the magnet. Not sure if it makes a big difference or not. Hopefully some people with some track time will chime in.

Track time? I think you're giving the magnets too much credit.

What I mean by track time is people that use their Z's mostly for racing. I have a 2010 model with only 7K miles. I do not drive my car often but when I do I usually drive it very hard. After the break in period I added an oil cooler and went with redline oil and a bosch filter. Since then when I check my oil I have noticed some metal deposits on the rag when I check my oil. After doing some research I thought that an oil filter magnet might help out.

I believe it falls under the category of "can't hurt" ... but oil filters are already designed to catch anything bigger than 25 micron (half a human hair). It's a little like wearing two condoms imho.

During break-in metal particles are perfectly normal and the use of a magnet won't hurt.



I don't know what variations of the Filter Magnet there is since FilterMag has been pretty much the main brand most use.

Yeah I'd say the same. I use a FilterMag on mine. It's just an extra "can't hurt" insurance, who knows. Maybe it will catch some of the fine ferrous wear on the magnet and free up the filter to flow better for longer, or whatever, but it's probably not a big deal.

I have a magnetic drain plug, I examine the **** out of every time I change the oil. Never seen anything that I thought "whew, glad I got this."

But for $20 (or whatever), I've never been upset I bought it.

Yea the reason I asked is because this is the first out of many cars that I have owned that everytime I check the oil I have oil and metal deposits on the rag. I believe I will go ahead and change the oil and add the Filtermag to see if it helps out. Hopefully so. Maybe going back to the factory oil and filter may not be a bad idea either.

In case you didn't know, the oil pressure at full throttle is enough to open the bypass valve on the oil filter. So when you are on track your oil is going unfiltered a lot.

You have a source on that? I'm not an oil filtration expert, but I don't believe you can generally correlate your oil pressure (as in, gauge reading with an aftermarket PSI gauge) with the relief valve pressure in the oil filter. The relief valve's rated pressure (usually quite low, e.g. the popular KN/Mobil1 for our cars is rated 11-17 PSI) is the pressure *differential* between the input and output sides of the filter, not the absolute pressure you see on your gauge.

A lot of the race oil filters have no bypass or just flow really well (filter less) so they don't bypass. A good street filter doesn't make a good race filter and vice versa.

Moroso : Race Filter

FRAM Racing® Oil Filter | FRAM®

Wix Racing Oil Filters

I guess if you're gonna expect regular engine rebuilds, then sure fine filtration doesn't matter too much :)

I use filtermag as well. The black version (can't remember the name, standard?) Amazing how strong those magnets are.

Only install tip is, make sure you place it on the bottom of the filter.

I use 2 hard drive magnets, one big one on the bottom, one smaller one on the side. They're really cheap too (free -$2), not the $40-60 for a filtermag

Car Talk opinion on Filter Magnets
 

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

By Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR's hit show Car Talk...

Dear Tom and Ray:

I recently saw a car catalog that had an oil-filter magnet for sale. The magnet was placed on the bottom of an oil filter and was strong enough to remove any metal shavings from the oil stream. Is this product worthwhile, or am I just wasting my money? --* Ron

TOM: These things have been around for years, Ron. They certainly don't do any harm.

RAY: They sell magnets that go inside the oil pan, magnets that are built into the oil plug, and magnets, like this one, that attach to the filter.

TOM: Now, keep in mind that the oil filter itself already removes any metal shavings, or anything else that's bigger than about 25 microns *or about half the width of a human hair. So they do a pretty good job.

RAY: Does stuff that's smaller than that * stuff that gets through the filter * harm your engine? Probably, at least a little. But with the magnet, you'll only get the metallic stuff that sneaks by the filter. You won't catch any soot or pieces of aluminum, which are also harmful.

TOM: If a magnet really made engines last longer, don't you think that GM and Ford would already have spent the three cents per car it would take to build one into the oil plug?

RAY: So I'd have to say that oil-filter magnets fall into the general category of "overkill."

TOM: But if you're the kind of guy who believes in overkill, Ron, then go for it. Do you wear a surgical mask on an airplane? Do you go back and double-check to make sure you've turned off the stove before you leave the house? Do you have your brother taste your food before you eat it? If so, you should get one of these magnets, Ron.

RAY: In fact, you should get two, in case one falls off.

TOM: Seriously, it certainly can't hurt anything. And it's possible that there's some small benefit. But in the big scheme of things, it's not high on the priorities list. Changing your oil regularly will probably extend the life of your engine more than any magnet.

I use filter mags and a magnetic drain plug. And in the oil analysis's I have done there has been no faster than normal drop off of metals in the oil. (More frequent oil changes would do better in reducing metal buildup) I agree that these magnets are just a placebo, if you want them get them but I would say you're better off having your used oil tested then hoping a magnet will help extend your engines life. With a test you can see a problem and take steps to fix it, with a magnet you're just hoping it will prevent one.

lol at the 2.5 year old bump :tup:

I'm surprised no one recommended Blackstone oil analysis to the OP. Definitely the way to go if you have any concerns about the metal (or other) content in your engine oil.

I usually put a magnetic plug in the oil pan but consider it more of a diagnostic device than for filtering. If I notice a lot of particles on the plug, something is wearing abnormally.