Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

On the subject of filter magnets, see the photo showing the inside of a filter case fitted with a FilterMag magnet. The lines of metal particle residue correspond to the individual magnet elements. The residue is more like a grey paste, and no individual particles are detectible, so very fine stuff that would otherwise be circulating through the oil. This particular photo from a car that gets it's oil changed every 2k miles max, and has about 15k on a rebuild.

Filter btw is a modern replaceable cartridge type (Canton Racing) that allows for inspection of the filter element at each oil change. Overkill perhaps on a street car, but easily being able to check on the filter interior gives me something else to worry about.

bitsobrits wrote: (part quote)
Filter btw is a modern replaceable cartridge type (Canton Racing) that allows for inspection of the filter element at each oil change. Overkill perhaps on a street car, but easily being able to check on the filter interior gives me something else to worry about.

Your last comment stirred a memory and made me smile. Whenever I used to change the oil on a very old Healey Sprite I'd take out the sump plug and worry about all the metal filings sticking to the magnet. After a couple of years with no disasters I did calm down but often wondered just what parts of the engine were ending up in the sump.

Which I suppose begs the question, "why don't we have magnetic sump plugs in our engines ?"

Brian

I do,in the engine ,gearbox and diff.

John

john.p.clegg wrote:I do,in the engine ,gearbox and diff.

John

That's interesting John, are the gearbox & diff ones standard Ford parts ? I could be tempted there as those items don't have filters.

Brian

I can't remember off-hand if the plugs have recesses or not or wether I popped them in the lathe before epoxying a magnet in them....you can get magnets from your local ?1 shop on the end of extending sticks or more powerful ones off Fleabay.

John

The best o?l filter I have ever come across was on a Fiat 126, and in the depths of my memory I think my Fiat 850 sports coup? had the same system, it was a large diameter crankshaft pulley that split in two revealing hollows or voids at its periphery, it was a centrifugal filter and all the muck, d?bris, dirt etc became compressed in the voids to a rubbery like substance, in fact the first time I saw the stuff I thought that it was rubber, part of a harmonic damper.

Those vehicles even though they burnt o?l would never discolour the o?l, it looked (almost) like new when it was changed.

It would not make any difference to the particles in the sump that a magnet might pick up.

The sump is the place for a magnet and also a mesh filter for the o?l pump suction, get the stuff out before it goes through the o?l pump, filtering afterwards may protect the engine but the pump will already be damaged, thats why i like dry sump pumps with seperate pressure and scavenge stages.

With regards to magnetic sump and gearbox plugs. Burton power sells the goldplug brand sump plugs. I have just got one and waiting to fit it. I've just noticed that they also sell a gold plug for the gearbox as well.

Regards,

Pete

Hi guys, back on the subject matter. You don't always get what you pay for and brands aren't always reliable either. A few years back I fitted a F**m filter to a Mk2 Golf and could not get the oil light to go out after changing the oil. After phaffing for 3 restarts and checking for leaks and levels the shells started rattling and I gave up. Went to the motor factors and bought a cheapo no name make and hey presto oil pressure. Never had a repeat problem after that. Moral is don't trust anything!

So what non-bypass filter available in USA is anybody using?