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MG MGB Technical - Magnetic sump plugs

Is it possible to buy magnetic plugs for engine and gearbox or has anyone made there own by buying small magnets and attaching them somehow. I saw a clip on YouTube the other day where this chap drained the gearbox and was surprised how much metal particles were attached to the magnetic sump plug.
Trevor Harvey

Yes, but given as many as there are that have been running for as long as they have they don't seem to need them.

If you have an OD any gearbox particles will be trapped by the sump filter.
paulh4

I make my own. You can buy very strong magnets as a rod, chop off required length, drill a hole in the drain plug, ideally in a lathe, put a countersink on the end and then araldite the magnet into the plug filling up the countersink.

Job is a gudun!
Colin Parkinson

I make my own, too.

I go for an interference fit, rather than araldite.

Dave O'Neill 2

Where do you get the magnetic rod from and do you just request a strong type. Making your own seems the best option as I have had little success finding ready made.
Trevor Harvey

Holden Classic have magnetic sump plugs for A and B series engines listed and available to back order for £11.46. See here:

https://www.holden.co.uk/p/magnetic_sump_plug_for_bmc_a_b_series
Andy Robinson

328-282 88G257X ---- MAGNETIC OIL DRAIN PLUG
William Revit

Trevor-

Dating back to the olden days when oil filters consisted of little more than steel alloy wool in a can, it was a common Old-Timey-Mechanic’s trick for protecting the engine to put a large bar magnet into the bottom of the oil sump, and to employ a large elastic band in order to secure a magnet to the exterior of the oil filter canister so that it would capture any floating ferrous metal particles that are circulating within the oiling system, thereby better-protecting the finely-machined surfaces of the engine. It should be noted that the oiling system of the Laycock de Normanville LH-type Overdrive unit employs magnets (BMC Part # 37H 1943) for the same purpose in its wire mesh oil filtration screen gasket. Today, a simple bar magnet that is taped onto the oil filter canister will suffice for some. If you want to go all-out on the matter, a wrap-around extra-powerful magnetic accessory that is referred to as the 'FilterMag®' is available in diameters from 60mm to 140mm in both standard and heavy-duty design variants. FilterMag® has a website at http://www.filtermag.com. Another good precaution is to install a simple 1/2"-14 BSPP (British Standard Pipe Parallel) threaded magnetic oil sump plug (Moss Motors Part # 328-282) along with a 1/2" (0.500" / 12.7mm) Inside Diameter annealed copper crush washer.
Stephen Strange

Magnets really are a good idea
Auto transmissions use them in the pan, and cleaning the magnet is part of doing a service on an auto--I've never seen one yet that didn't need cleaning off--You can have a trans that the fluid looks squeaky clean in but when you pull the pan there's always the grey slime made up metal 'dust' on the magnet - just normal wear but better stuck to a magnet than circulating around in there-
William Revit

OD sump plate has magnets, LH at least. I've heard of magnets being attached to the outside of oil filters, I'd wondered if the magnetic field would pass through the steel skin and not be blocked like a Faraday cage but it does. Something else I've never bothered with.
paulh4

This thread was discussed between 03/03/2023 and 07/03/2023

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