Re: Oil leak from head gasket / oil filtration

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek-eng.com>]

On Tue, 07 Oct 1997 11:17:21 GMT, David Boyd wrote:

>> BTW, I noticed a firm here in the UK is marketing a device which
>> seeks to keep metallic particles suspended in the oil in the filter,
>> by means of a fabric belt rather like a bandolier containing powerful
>> magnets, which straps around the filter cartridge. The publicity
>> 'blurb' states that filters can only trap metallic particles down to
>> so many microns, but the magnets can hold the smaller ones which get
>> through. A test of this, they say, is to fill a jamjar with used oil
>> and then attach one of the magnets to the lid, shake it about and see
>> all the metallic gunk attach itself to the lid............seems very
>> plausible and a good invention, but one wonders why it's not been
>> done before, if it's so effective - any views from those immersed in
>> (or should it be lubricated by) oil technology ?
>
To which Phil added:
>
>Get a refridgerator door seal from your local council tip, strip out the 
>magnet and wrap it round the filter.  Secure it with a large Jubilee hose 
>clip.  Audi fits a magnet as standard inside some rear differentials.

Clever, clever, provided the oil filter shell is _not_ a ferromagnetic
material such as _steel_. Otherwise all those little lines of magnetic
flux will be extremely satisfied to remain entirely within the shell itself
and have no interest whatsoever - and I do mean zero - in flirting with
metal particles in the oil contained within.  Try this in your kitchen
with a steel soup can, a nice strong magnet and a steel paper clip.

OTOH, magnets are certainly used as Phil states. These work
because the magnet protrudes into the oil reservoir without (magnetic)
obstruction. When the transmission or differential housing is aluminum,
so much the better. The jam jar "demo" would, of course, work
perfectly. Ya just gotta have nothing but admiration for good snake oil
marketeers.

DeWitt Harrison     de@aztek-eng.com
Boulder, Co
88 5kcstq