Putting a magnet on your oil pan?

[Orion231]

The use of magnets on oil pans and oil filters is not a bad idea. It certainly will not hurt anything and has been in use for years and years. But it can make you paranoid easily. Here's why...

 

The oil sump has an oil pick up tube that is screened and sits well below the reccomended oil fill level for a cold engine. It is screened so if any metal fragments or shavings get down there from say *Cam, pistons, crank, bearings , etc...* then they certainly will not make it to the oil filter itself because of the screen on the oil pick up tube. The oil filter is really designed to catch deposits that build up in your engine oil and help to keep the oil system free of very very tiny debris and carbon. Carbon, heat and friction is what turns oil back. So the filter aides to extend the life of the oil. Like our livers filter our blood to keep it screened and clean.

 

Now, like I said, if you are easily paranoid then you probably don't want to do this. Your SS drain plug should have a magnetic tip, when you change the oil grab the plug and examine it. It should have some very very small greyish metal shavings. *THIS IS NORMAL... bearing wear and tear will produce this* So small that when you smear them between your fingers you wouldn't know or be able to tell they are metal at all. If we had a magnet freindly oil pan then you could attach one to the outside near the oil pickup tube or the drain plug. It never hurts to do this but I have had some friends who get very upset everytime they change their oil and think because they see tiny graphite looking shavings that their engine is in danger.

 

There is however; a problem when you see chunks of metal or pieces of shiny aluminum floating around. These chunks will be easily discernable from the normal *Etch-A-Sketch* like grey shavings. When you frag a piston, shave a lobe off a cam, or bust a crank, you will see various chunks of metal debris in the oil pan. The only time you will see them in the oil filter is if the problem is serious enough to have made it into a pre-oil filter oiling passage. Generally the oil pick up tube screen will stop most chunks from making it into the oil filter. But I have seen cracked blocks and all sorts of terrible carnage take place that has caused an oil filter to fill with chunks of metal. At this point the damage is obvious and most likey the vehicle is not moving anyways. I have also seen an oil pickup screen with small holes in it.

 

SO, to recap... It doesn't hurt to put magnets on your oil filter or oil pan. But if you get paranoid easily then I wouldn't reccomend you doing it. Use the basic guidelines I provided above and make your own choice.

 

Sorry for the long post, hope this helps shed some light on this. Also, oiling passages and lines vary between engines but the basics is what I wanted to cover. This is not an all inclusive guide. Just a basic reference.