ardika

iTrader: (3)

Well, I took the bait and order one of these. You could see them in comparison with the stock drainage (engine oil) bolt in these two pictures:





....and this time with the bronze/copper washer on the stock drain bolt:






As you could see that the Superplug (the longer one) has the same thread (12X1.25)....and it has that rubber washer with the metal around it. If you see the picture one, the superplug with the washer sits complete level with the stock drain bolt WITHOUT the copper washer. However, I am planning to use the copper washer with the superplug since I know for sure that the copper washer has excellent "seating" to ensure leak-free application.

I understand that this might not be a good idea (copper vs rubber, the rubber will wear off quicker), but the rubber washer has to be there since if you take out the rubber washer, you will see that that section of the bolt is unthreaded.

I will see this drain bolt within 10000 miles from now.....and I bought this for extra protection since my Amsoil and oil filter needs every help they need for extended drain intervals.

All right, that's about it. Any inputs from you guys? Bring them on...

ardika

iTrader: (3)

Hmm...after thinking about it, perhaps I should not use both washers together. It will not make the rubber washer completely seal the drain hole, so I'll deal with this with the second change then.

I know I am ghey to reply my own thread.....

hokiemax

iTrader: (2)

What are these super plugs supposed to do?

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Looking at the OEM drain bolt, it seems that the copper washer has a similar purpose. The part that it covers is not threaded as well. In which case, I would get rid of the rubber and keep using the copper washers.

Where'd you get them, by the way, Ardika?

Hokiemax, the magnetic plug catches and holds onto any metal particles that the oil filter may not have been able to filter out. A great thing to help extend the life of your motor.

DW

deathwish

Lighten your wallet...

ardika

iTrader: (3)

Dwapenyi,

That's corect, except the unthreaded part of the stock drain bolt is thinner than the unthreaded part of the magnetic bolt.

This one does really lighten your wallet, but I don't mind spending the $30 (www.superplugs.com). It costs only 20 bucks of so, but the shipping is killing you ($8).

Eric L.

It is interesting that to use that fancy Amsoil oil, you need to buy doodads like a magnetic drain plug because the Amsoil "needs all the help it can get."

Good luck with the magnetic drain plug. I love that argument they use that car manufacturers "know the secret of a magnetic plug" but do not use it because they want their cars to break down so you buy a new one.

Now where that Tornado air intake vortex ad go? I heard it makes up to 20 horsepower!!!

Kevin Wong

I wouldn't be too sarcastic with that statement. Actually, a number of manufacturer's have declined on the quality of their products to decrease the longevity of the item. Many audio equipment and other electronics were superior in the 80's. Manufacturer's found that people wouldn't buy the newer products, so they offered new gimmicks in the new products. Unfortunately, they just don't make them like they use to...I've had a lot of new equipment crap out on me through the years.

I doubt auto manufacturer's are letting their products break down, but I DO know they aren't their for the consumer. A lot of times, it just comes down to cost-benefit ratios.

Jime

iTrader: (10)

Cheaper and easier to put a couple of auto trans magnets on the outside of your oil filter when you change oil.

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

lol, if you have the money. Go ahead and purchase the magnet for the oil filter called Magnaforce http://store.yahoo.com/magnaforce/index.html

kramerica72

If you've got that much metal shavings in your oil that you need a magnet to catch them, you've got more problems than this $30.00 piece is gonna help!

ardika

iTrader: (3)

Thanks Jime, I was thinking about that too. The reason why I did not go that route is because.....hmm, come to think of it, I really want to know how this plug works.

Eric L., your sarcasm is noted. I think it's my own business what to do with my car. Thanks for flaming though, hope that you will see better days in this holiday season.

Kevin Wong, ....you are certainly correct. BTW, your hyperground is doing fine, thank you. I might not need this, but hey, I could feel that the car is smoother and more responsive. Perhaps this magnetic plug would give me another 1 or 2 mpg (LOL!).

Kramerica72,....yes, if I have those sharp edges things in the plug when I take it out, darn......... I probably need Eric L.'s engine to replace mine. Let's see when I change my oil this coming summer.

I am hoping that the rubber seat will fit fine with the drain pan. I know the copper thing is the best for this application, but I am curious whether this thing will last long.

Armand

kramerica72

If you are waiting until summer to change your oil, then maybe this is the right drain plug for you

ardika

iTrader: (3)

Kramerica72,



Yep, that's right. The last batch was with Amsoil 0w30 changed at 10000 miles, filter change every 5k. I usually drive about 5000 miles within 2.5-3 months, so I think I will change the oil completely in July of 2003. The oil that I recently changed was put in July 2002, and I drove to NY to go to Jeff's shop to get the VB last October.

Crap, come to think of it....probably I will change my oil completely in May.....(going to NY on the 26th).

2kSeattleMax

These things do actually work. The advantage of using this plug versus an oil filter based solution is gravity. Alot of the metal contaminants due to cylinder wear, etc flow down into your oil pan. You don't have to pull your oil pan to get at the shavings. The metal ends up looking like fine shavings.

I recall seeing engine builders use these.

00MaxSE

iTrader: (25)

I want one. What siz do i need?

VMaximus02

iTrader: (1)

FYI, I have both products, the magnetic oil drainplug and the magnaforce right after my first 1000 miles oil change. They DO help w/the collection of the shredded metal particles from the "normal" wear of the engine so that they won't recirculate back into the engine. I ordered the size A, 3" in diameter for most 4 and 6 cylinders which wasn't a perfect fit on my smaller oil filter but still worked fine. I believe size A would be fine for your car since your VQ3.0 uses a larger oil filter.

ardika

iTrader: (3)

2kSeattleMax,

Thanks for your response. I will see to it myself when I change my oil the next time. Hopefully I won't be seeing a lot of metal shavings.....

I was a bit paranoid last night. I found some oil droplets underneath the pan area the night after I change my oil. Upon further inspection, the droplets were there since I did not clean the back side of the pan after changing the oil.

I was afraid that the rubber washer will not seal the hole completely, but after checking it numerously, the area is completely dry.

Off to NY tomorrow!

deathwish

They do know the secret, and they also know when to use it A lot of manufacturers use magnets in things like differentials and transmissions, because there is direct gear contact with infrequent oil changes. This does work, but auto makers don't put it in the oil pan because there is no harsh gear wear anywhere that oil goes, and because with proper oil changes and a quality filter, you don't need to worry about collecting the tiny tiny metal pieces in engine oil.

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

I am currently using a magnetic drain plug that I made on my own. I bought a neodymium magnet and then epoxied it to the end of the drain plug. It does work!! But the particles that it catches are incredibly fine, and very little in quantity (which is a good thing of course :smile: ). The magnet I use has far less surface area than the one you pictured, but the one I'm using is many times stronger than that magnet (b/c its a neodymium). I then also temporarily glued (with rtv silicone) two very strong (larger) neodymium magnets to the oil filter. Its a little excessive, but I think it helps.

www.gaussboys.com

ardika

iTrader: (3)

Precisely. I would like to see the "finer" particles, please. I really don't want to see the "sharpy, edgier" version.

Let's see what we find when I change the oil next time.

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

Those particles can be many times smaller than what the filter can pick up, and those are the particles that continuously circulate and eat away at your engine. Most filters grab particles in the range of 30-40 microns. The best filters: Mobile 1 (10-12 microns), AC/delco Ultraguard gold (8-10 microns, what I use), and of course the best filters that trap particles down to 1 micron (like aamsol by-pass filtration system). So these magnets are 'catching' particles that are so small that they can pass right through a filter, and are main contributors to engine wear. Although only some partices in the oil are ferromagnetic, a weak magnet cannot trap particles that are diamagnetic or paramagnetic. Only if its a really strong magnet can it weakly trap a diamagnetic or paramagnetic particle.

Naija

iTrader: (1)

That's something to think about. I always thought that I had enough protection with the filer that I was using. It doesn't hurt to take 5 minutes out to add a magnet to the plug in order to catch those fine filings. If anything I would do it for the same reason why I spend a little more to buy the quality filters, because I believe that does a better job in protecting my baby VQ.

2kSeattleMax

There is also the requirement for the oil filtration system to pick up the particles in order to catch them within the filter. The oil pickup line is typically pretty low in the oil pan sump. However, think its possible for particles to remain below the pickup line (gravity?). I don't think this can hurt one bit. Am interested in picking one up.

Thanks for the linkage. Hope you guys are having a happy holiday season!

00MaxSE

iTrader: (25)

I bought some of those magnets from gaussboys.com, but they're not small enough to epoxy them to my drain plug. They are very strong magnets though. Do you have a pic of your homemade magnetic plug?

Thanks

deathwish

I really doubt these particles are the main contributor to engine wear. You are correct, most of the particles that are circulating around are not magnetic and the weak magnet on a drain plug won't stop them. And yes, there are some metal parts that will fit through the filter, but for the most part these should be suspended in the oil, that's it's job.

I would say the wear from these particles, with a quality filter and regular oil changes, is almost nil. Most of your engine wear comes at startup, the wear done from metal particles circulating in the oil is going to be a tiny fraction of the wear at startup.

Personally, I just don't see the need. A modern engine will last far longer than I care to drive a car, so what's the point

eric93SE

iTrader: (1)

They do have small ones that would work. What I'm using, I picked up off of ebay, they are 3/16" cubes. As small as it is, it still picks up a good amount of stuff (its also gold plated).

If you cannot find anything thats the exact size, then you could epoxy a few of them stuck together. at the gaussboys web site
dsk01 (3mm x 1.5mm)$0.10
dsk02 (4mm x 1mm)$0.10

The 4mm one should work, and then getting like three or four of them and using a dot of expoxy to permanantly bond them together, and then epoxying it to the drain plug (just make sure the drain plug is free of oil, use some isopropyl alcohol before glueing). Just dont let the magnets slap together, they can be brittle.