Hey guys I found this easy DIY for oil filter magnets on http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html. If you have a old junk computer harddrive lying around this is a free mod!!
This guy has some really good information on motor oils as well. Take a look.
If you try this you do so at your own risk, I'm not responsible for your screw ups
Magnetised oil traps - doing it yourself.
There's nothing really special about magnetised oil traps other than the type of magnet they use. Bear Trap and FilterMag basically offer a consumer-oriented product. But if you're a tinkerer, there's nothing to stop you doing it yourself. The magnets normally used are Neodymium, nearly the most powerful nonelectric magnet type. They are the kind of magnet used in computer hard drives, often coming in pairs held just a few millimeters apart with the back end of the hard drive head assembly (the part being made of coiled wire) in between. If you can find a couple of old hard drives - try the local computer junk store - you ought to be able to disassemble them and take the magnets out to stick to your own oil filter. John Nicholas Sarris, a reader of my site, suggested this and provided the following photos as an example.
An open hard drive. The magnets (one visible) are in the upper left corner and are crescent shaped.
The top magnet plate has been removed. As you can see on the lower magnet it is attached to a metal plate. I presume this it to keep the magnetic field from the magnets between the two magnets and not extend outside the hard drive case.
The hard drive's head assembly has been removed. The lower magnet attached to its plate is clearly visible.
A pair of hard drive magnets side-by-side. They are still attached to their metal plates because the adhesive used to attach them is immensely strong. I once removed a hard drive magnet from its plate, but broke it in half in the process.
The same magnets holding themselves to my hand. I could have them stick to each other through my palm, but it was hard to take a good picture. This actually hurt my fingers a bit. As you can see they are strong despite being only 2mm thick. The plate they are attached to itself is 3mm thick.
The importance of neodynium magnets
I thought it worth pointing out here what a potential disaster awaits the home tinkerer if you just grab any old magnet and stick it on the outside of your oil filter. Your common or garden ferrous magnet, like those horrible souvenir magnets stuck to your fridge (you know you've got some) are usually made from iron, and thus have a limited life span which in some cases can be as short as 6 or 12 months. During this time they progressively lose thier power. Not enough for that hideous magnetic photo frame to drop off the fridge, but enough to be a problem if it was stuck to your oil filter. Why's that then? Well, come the end of the filters life, just as the magnet is weakening and the collection of metal particles is at it's highest, one good jolt and it could dislodge, and a large collection of metal shavings and filings could detach from the inside of the filter and find its way back into your engine all in one go. That would be bad. So as much as you might like the magnetic photo of granny and the giraffe from Whipsnade zoo to be stuck in a filthy oily place on your car, don't do it.
This guy has some really good information on motor oils as well. Take a look.
If you try this you do so at your own risk, I'm not responsible for your screw ups
Magnetised oil traps - doing it yourself.
There's nothing really special about magnetised oil traps other than the type of magnet they use. Bear Trap and FilterMag basically offer a consumer-oriented product. But if you're a tinkerer, there's nothing to stop you doing it yourself. The magnets normally used are Neodymium, nearly the most powerful nonelectric magnet type. They are the kind of magnet used in computer hard drives, often coming in pairs held just a few millimeters apart with the back end of the hard drive head assembly (the part being made of coiled wire) in between. If you can find a couple of old hard drives - try the local computer junk store - you ought to be able to disassemble them and take the magnets out to stick to your own oil filter. John Nicholas Sarris, a reader of my site, suggested this and provided the following photos as an example.
An open hard drive. The magnets (one visible) are in the upper left corner and are crescent shaped.
The top magnet plate has been removed. As you can see on the lower magnet it is attached to a metal plate. I presume this it to keep the magnetic field from the magnets between the two magnets and not extend outside the hard drive case.
The hard drive's head assembly has been removed. The lower magnet attached to its plate is clearly visible.
A pair of hard drive magnets side-by-side. They are still attached to their metal plates because the adhesive used to attach them is immensely strong. I once removed a hard drive magnet from its plate, but broke it in half in the process.
The same magnets holding themselves to my hand. I could have them stick to each other through my palm, but it was hard to take a good picture. This actually hurt my fingers a bit. As you can see they are strong despite being only 2mm thick. The plate they are attached to itself is 3mm thick.
The importance of neodynium magnets
I thought it worth pointing out here what a potential disaster awaits the home tinkerer if you just grab any old magnet and stick it on the outside of your oil filter. Your common or garden ferrous magnet, like those horrible souvenir magnets stuck to your fridge (you know you've got some) are usually made from iron, and thus have a limited life span which in some cases can be as short as 6 or 12 months. During this time they progressively lose thier power. Not enough for that hideous magnetic photo frame to drop off the fridge, but enough to be a problem if it was stuck to your oil filter. Why's that then? Well, come the end of the filters life, just as the magnet is weakening and the collection of metal particles is at it's highest, one good jolt and it could dislodge, and a large collection of metal shavings and filings could detach from the inside of the filter and find its way back into your engine all in one go. That would be bad. So as much as you might like the magnetic photo of granny and the giraffe from Whipsnade zoo to be stuck in a filthy oily place on your car, don't do it.
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