Magnetic oil pan drain plug (Page 1/1)
P 88 GT APR 08, 11:40 AM
Does anyone know a source for magnetic oil pan drain plugs? RD had a few years ago but the only one I can find now is from Votex and is expensive. I know the 88's were different. Thanks

[This message has been edited by P 88 GT (edited 04-08-2023).]

sleek fiero APR 08, 12:08 PM
Hi I just made mine. I went to the dollar store and got a pencil magnet and used a zip blade and cut off a suitable piece of magnet. Then I drilled a suitable hole in the oil end of the drainplug. I mixed up some JB weld and epoxied the magnet in to the plug. It's been a few years and still works great. Even if the epoxy let go the magnet will still hold itself in the plug. sleek
theogre APR 08, 07:14 PM
88 Duke can't use any standard drain plugs because drain hole & plug contains the oil filter.

All others I believe uses same metric plug w/ M12 x 1.75 Thread.
Example:


Mag plugs don't do much if anything and most stopped making them years ago.
Any oil filter will stop metal getting thru but Most see metal on the mag plug instant = trouble but really means nothing to the engine.

If a lot of trash sticks... you likely have way more problems causing other symptoms like burning oil, dead cam, etc.

Buying or Making a Mag Plug has some issues and made wrong can break the threaded section when installing it. More so w/ M12 or 1/2" threads because not much metal there to drill out to use a big magnet.

Many think Most or All Auto Trans has a Magnet but isn't same setup w/ filtering oil. Their filters doesn't trap same size of junk. Plus magnet is Huge and will trap metal for years as metal parts wear down normally vs Mag Plug on engine.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 04-09-2023).]

theogre APR 09, 07:17 PM
If you really want a magnet for the engine...
They make magnets that go on outside of standard spinoff oil filters.

That is way bigger and stronger then any Mag Plug.

But PF47 and related are very small filters and maybe to small for many magnet products.
V6 should use the small filter because big filter like PF52 gets very close to the Cat then cook oil after shut down before the cat is cool.
84 Dukes Require PF52 but 85-87 Dukes can use same size too. Give a bit more oil capacity but also easier to change them.

Don't use any magnet that go inside of any filter.
Is a pain to remove for many filters. Worse, if the magnet moves in the car, could plug the threaded output tube cause oil starving or make oil bypass in the engine open and dirty oil go thru.

E2A--> I don't think they do much if anything better than decent oil filters. Most cars I have lasted well > 100,000 miles.
When some engines break, isn't metal in oil that cause failures.
Example: My Original Duke only "died" 220,000+ miles from bad fiber cam gear. I still have it and extra timing sets so to replace that when I get time. Only reason to replace whole motor was simple as "new" one had < 100,000 miles and was cheap from someone doing V8 swap.

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 04-10-2023).]

sleek fiero APR 10, 03:00 PM
A good reason to have a magnetic plug is to notify you that something is wrong in your engine that is to big to go through the pickup screen. In my case it was 1/4 " of valve spring that had broken off cyl 5 exhaust spring. it was nice to have early warning before something major let loose.
Trinten APR 13, 01:21 AM
I have bought mine from here:
https://goldplug.com/

I have their plug for the oil pan in my Fiero as well as my daily driver, and their plug that fits in the rear differential of my daily, too (and I *think* my transmission?).

If you don't see what you're looking for, you can email them and let them know the dimensions and head style of what you are looking for and they'll give you options. When changing fluids, cleaning off the normal metallic 'film' that they pick up can be a little time consuming - paper towel, wipe as much of it together into a 'blob', and try to pinch it with said towel to remove.

I'm sure there are better ways.