I was thinking of getting a couple of these oil filterdot's from EBAY. You guys think there any good or just overpriced snake oil?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Transmission-Oil-Filter-Magnet-FILTERDOTs-Run-Cleaner_W0QQitemZ180245195973QQihZ008QQcategoryZ33662QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

you can get some SmCo magnets from Mcmaster for very little money.

Matt Bartmann (matt b) sells them from his ForceField (WonderMagnet) website.
He used some with some Volvo parts and wire to build a wind generator that
worked surprisingly well. If my electric loads weren't so heavy I would be
tempted to do the same.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

I have heard these are snake oil and the amount of magnetic force inside the filter is nil. Check out the inside attraction with a magnet on a Campbell’s soup can. I wonder...I have some rare earth magnetics and will give it a try.

I like the FCP Groton’s magnetic drain plugs. Their magnetic drain plugs are very strong and pick up what looks like oil smudge, minute magnetic steel or iron particles, which is normal. These drain plugs are a minor PITA to remove and install. In new cars, you would pick up gobs of ring fuzz.

Tom

WAy too much for what it is. And since the filter can is mild steel, magnetically soft, it is a pretty good magnetic shield. You really need the magnet without ANY steel between the magnet and what you want to attract,
i.e. IN the oil, not on the outside of the can. A magnetic drain plug is MUCH
better! If it was an aluminum can on the oil filter it would work fine (but you
would have to find some way to stick it to the can.)
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

Amen to that. A magnet on the filter probably doesn't work, as George says. Plus, it's metal bits that are already on its way through the filter. And if the filter doesn't catch them, then it's a pretty worthless filter and you have larger issues. And lots of the crud that are in the oil and the filter is suppsed to catch aren't magnetic in the first place. Carbon bits, metallic bits from bearings, etc. There's not a whole lot of sources for iron or steel debris in an engine, at least a moderately healthy engine. And if the engine is falling apart, a magnet won't help to any noticeable degree.

The drain plug magnet, on the other hand, is directly exposed to the oil, and has a fighting chance of pulling some of the magnetic bits out of suspension. Plus it pulls them out before they've gone through the oil pump. So if you were going to spend any money on a magnet to help keep the oil clean, get a magnetic drain plug.

Magnetic drain plugs make more sense in a manual tans. Because more of the debris there is steel gear chips, and there is no filtration to catch any of it.
--
'63 PV544 rat rod, '93 Classic #1141 245 +t

For a while now I have used strips of some sort of magnetic stuff, left behind by the previous owner of my house, on the oil filters in my cars. I don't know what it is exactly but it's about 1/4" x 1/8" by whatever length, flexible, up to a point and can be cut or broken into shorter lengths.

Does it help? I don't know. Does it hurt? How could it?

I got the idea after seeing IPD's oil filter magnet.

My point is, if you want to do this, why buy off of eBay? Any magnet strong enough to hang on for the ride will accomplish the same thing.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon

I suggest you cut the can open after you change filters and see if anything really sticks through the steel can.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

George, that sounds real messy. Are you suggesting I will find that this is a wasted effort? Or are you wondering if it really works?

Well, it wouldn't hurt to check. The 242 is due for an oil change.

Addendum: I read your other post after putting this one up. I guess there's only one way to find out.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon

Well, you can drain the filter before you cut it open and that should help some.
My bet is that little, if anything, will be stuck to the inside of the can
where the magnet is. DON'T take the magnet off while opening the can!
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

That will be difficult.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon

It couldn't hurt anything. I have no idea how strong they are. The way I drive, they'd fall off after the first mile or so.

Magnets inside old hard drives are really strong. They'd hold just as good as these I bet, and you can pick up old and/or broken hard drives in the trash these days.

Those are the type of magnets that are dangerous enough to pinch your fingers between em, so they'd be good at sucking up metal shavings I'm sure. I had some on my fridge and people use to ask me if it was a joke and they were superglued to it.