Magnet on oil pan& gear box?

[rhunt]

Good morning all, has anyone here attached an magnet on their gear box or engine oil pan? I have several magnets I removed from some microwave machines and they are very strong. I don't see anything negative about this so I'm asking here. Best regards, Bob

 

[davesl708]

Good Idea. Some plugs come with magnets built into them. Not common but can help spot problems without having to open the old filter or screen the old oil.

I would remove them before you drain the fluid to wash out any thing collected and you can see it.

 

[fidowanttobe]

I agree, can't hurt. I drilled all my drain plugs and JB Welded a Rare Earth magnet into them. Fuzzy things during break in but nothing now. Knocking on wood. My very used John Deere sickle mower gearbox plug spooked me though!

 

[LD1]

My only concern would be it getting knocked off or moved around when in the brush.

I put a pair of magnets on my engine oil filter though. They came out of an electric motor. They are like an arc shape, fit nicely around the diameter of the filter.

My hydraulics filter already has a magnet in it.

 

[DEWFPO]

Putting a magnet on a oil filter is good, especially if the drain plug doesn't have one already. Just putting one on a pan or crankcase, where you can't get to the fuzz has limited use. It will help contain the iron particles for sure, but you'll never get the fuzz out of the case.

DEWFPO

 

[Copperhead]

Saw a good one the other day. You can get small rare earth magnets in the 1/8" to 1" range. A guy put a 1/4" on his drain plug to capture stuff. Works good and is not going anywhere and it will not get lost from the plug on a oil drain. At least any ferrous metals would be on the plug and not the bottom of the pan. One could do the same for a filter and use a larger magnet. Those little rare earth magnets are dirt cheap. One can buy a 50 count package of 1/4" rare earth magnets for about $12. It would be nothing to place a row of these around an oil filter and reuse them again.

 

[flyerdan]

American Science & Surplus is a good source for magnets, and lots of other interesting things. I have some really strong kidney shaped ones that I put on the bottom of the oil filters and slap a piece of duct tape over it to secure it from the unlikely event of it getting knocked off. If you can, an end mill cuts a nice pocket in drain plugs for disc or round magnets which can be pressed or expoxied in place, not so much to keep it out of the engine but to keep from losing it during cleaning. Any abrasive particle kept out of the galleries can't help but extend TBO.
I've seen magnetic chip detectors for hydraulic systems, an insulated magnet has a ground wire for a warning light and if enough metal gathers it completes the circuit.

 

[airrj]

Ever motor, transmission and axle that have built, I install a magnet in the oil pan. I put a swipe of RTV between the magnet and the pan. That keeps the magnet from moving around. I have never tried it on the outside of the pan. I would try it. Just put the magnet out of the way so that I won't get knocked off of the pan.

Good Luck.
R.J.

 

[DEWFPO]

Those rare earth magnets are cheap and strong for sure. I use them on my oil filters where there is no magnet in the drain plug.

Happy Thanks!

DEWFPO

 

[ArtMech]

I'm using the magnet on the all attachment's gearboxes. They really help to remove the metal particles from inside a gear case, especially after repair.

Not sure about engine filter or pan to use it on them or not. Because if you see the steel metal particles caught by a magnet inside a filter or a pan, it could lead to the serious problems, which you can hear or feel otherwise.