c7jim

Curious, I just took my Z in for 500 oil change.. I purchased a set of magnetic oil drain plugs to have dealer install after replacing oil. However, the service writer told me it came from the factory with magnetic drain plugs already.
anyone know if this is true?

jaden61

I'm thinking those magnetic plugs are useless against an aluminum engine. If you are getting pieces of rod, rings, bearings, etc, it is over anyway.

jsiddall

Except the wear surfaces are not aluminum!

I also tend to think that the filter should be picking up anything fine, and if it's not fine no amount of magnet will likely help save you.

Still, it's not going to hurt. No idea what is in the car. Next time you change the oil try to stick it to your wrench.

BigNastyZO7

as usual they are lying... I just did mine the other day and they are not Magnetic... The local auto parts store stocks magnetics drain plugs if you like. Its really not going to help anything, but for some reason I did put them in my car lol...

ps. Dont forget if you get them you will need 2

Kevin1106

The stock plugs are not magnetic. I replaced mine with dimple...may not be needed... But I'm still going to use them... When I had my ZL1, I was surprised how much this little plug picked up.

Kevin1106

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...il-change.html

HolyRoller

So any random magnetic drain plug from any random car parts store is automatically "better" than the factory drain plugs? What evidence do we have that aftermarket drain plugs improve engine life or reliability? If so, why then does GM not make them OEM?

15Z06

Help? Maybe, maybe not, but it sure doesn't hurt. What they will certainly do however is provide an indication that something's amiss should there suddenly be an abnormal increase in metal on the plug.

erick_e

Check out "FilterMag" instead. For about the same price as two magnetic drain plugs these magnets have about 150Lbs of pull force.

c7jim

I'm using both , filter mag and drain plugs

CaryBob

Jim, you really need to go to a different dealer. That makes two pieces of bad information in one visit.

HolyRoller

This is all very nice, but where is the evidence that any of this extends engine life? If it does, then why does GM, which has a strong incentive to keep the engine healthy for 100,000 miles of warranty, not install magnetic plugs as OEM? Let's make it an Ask Tadge.

15Z06

Doesn't. Hurt. (At the very least)

They've even been used as OEM in some aircraft since before I can remember. That's not "warranty" driven, it's life or death driven.

I doubt that a mag plug does much - if anything- that a filter won't, but (again) what it will do is give a neon heads-up that something's going wrong when you suddenly see at an oil change that the engine is "making metal". A good diagnostic lab can even narrow down where the metal is coming from.

I will DEFINITELY be adding mag plugs to my new 100k investment. Knowledge is power, and I want to know ASAP if something's wearing at an abnormal rate.

Ymmv.

oldfoggy

If you got um, smoke um...:i agree: everybody is right GM didn't put them in because they cost money 'unnecessarily'.

BTW the differential does have a magnetic plug from the factory.

383vett

In 06 and 07, people who installed magnetic drain plugs on occasion would find needled bearings attached to the magnets. There was an issue for about a year where defective roller rockers were used on the C6Z LS7 motors. If they were caught in time, the rollers could be replaced with no damage. If not, valve drop and ... It happened a number of times. For a couple of bucks, I will have magnetic drain plugs when I do my first oil change (TPW 6-29.)