Has anyone used filtermag on there oil filters or transmission pans? I know it's just a strong magnet, looks like good added protection for $50.

 

Seen them at SEMA years ago, demonstration looked good. Never used them. Never seen them sold at auto zone, pep boys, or anywhere else.

 

See my thread at: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...200-miles.html

Post #22 on page 2 has photo's of what the SS300 FilterMAG collected after 700 miles. Post #25 has an oil analysis and particle count of the initial oil change.

I'm adding a second FilterMAG this week to see how much they can reduce the steel particle counts <20 micron.

 

You will have 2 filtermag's on your oil filter? Is there enough room on the filter to hold both filtermag's?

 

Yes, the SS300 goes less than half way around the filter. My goal is to see how much the iron level and <20 micron particle counts can be reduced in the next oil analysis, without switching to a finer filter, with possible flow rate issues at high rpm's.

With two magnets there's a better chance of catching the wear debris on the first pass through the filter.

 

Where do you get those from? Did you know they increased the magnet strenth on those to match the RA line that they discontined.

 

I bought them at jegs.com. I haven't seen any change in magnet pull strength spec's for the SS series. I haven't done a pull test on the SS300, but I would guess it is closer to 90# than 300.

I didn't know the RA/HP series was discontinued. They are too tall for the PF64 style filter, so they weren't really an option for a C7.

 

That's what they told me, the magnets on the SS are 300 now. Call FilterMag and see what they tell you.

 

My second SS300 FilterMAG was delivered yesterday, so I did some pull force measurements before installing it.

It does appear that they have upgraded the magnets to a thicker material, which has increased the pull force. They use 8 1.25L x 0.3W x 0.125D magnets, arranged in 2 groups of 4, with the N-S pole faces alternating.

Using a 1.5 x 0.375 x 0.375" steel bar, I measured about 28# pull force directly on the magnets. Placing a 0.017" thick piece of the PF64 filter housing between the magnets and the steel bar decreased the pull to about 24#.

This would equate to about a 200# pull force for the SS300, compared to its previous spec of 90#. The RA300 was rated for 300#, but the magnets were longer.

Previous tests with steel filings and used motor oil didn't show any problem with even high viscosity, cold motor oil flow dislodging metal particles from the inside of the filter housing, so I wasn't concerned about the magnets' strength. Adding a second FilterMAG is just to increase the first pass efficiency, hopefully.

I did run several quarts of my first oil change over a cut up filter housing with the magnet attached and saw a film of very fine black particles that were retained by the magnets. Comparing them to a human hair (about 70 microns) with a 60X microscope, showed the particles were typically less than 10 microns. This is consistent with the Blackstone Lab particle count report. There was no way to determine what % of the particles that had passed through the PF64 filter would be caught by the magnets. But the next oil analysis should give some indication.

There are studies that show reducing oil particle contamination in the 2-22 micron range can result in a reduction of engine wear by up to 70%. Using filter media to accomplish that isn't practical, since the flow rate becomes a problem as the media plugs up.

 

That is some awesome work you have done! I need to purchase one of these. I'm sure it really does work very well.

 

That is some great work you have done. I ordered 2 from jegs yesterday. You are the man!

 

I just called and talked to service / order advisor...they tell me that they know nothing about the strength being increased on the SS300. I purchased one about a month ago...wondering if I should order a 2nd for my Z51??

 

I have called them 3 different times, each time they told me they have increased the magnets since last year.

 

Sahlbom, says the magnets have increased. He has the old and the new series. I called FilterMag and they told me RA series is discontinued, SS series are same strength as the RA series. I ordered a few days ago from Jegs, I do not have them yet.

 

Just to clarify, my first SS300 was purchased early January, so it is not very old. None of the packaging or brochures with it reference pull strength. One vendor's web site said it had a pull strength of 90#, where the RA300 was listed as 300#.

I didn't test the pull strength of the first one. The way the FilterMAG is built, if you try to pull it off of a filter, the rubber frame flexes too much. The instructions warn that pulling it off (instead of sliding it) will damage the unit.

IF there was a change, the thickness of the magnets would indicate weaker versus stronger. The two units I have use 0.125" thick magnets. This can be measured by inserting a thin wire along the side of a magnet where this is a gap between the rubber case. The metal shield behind the magnets will provide a good reference for the back side of the magnet.

If the magnet is only 0.062 thick, then it is probably an older one that supposedly had only 90# pull force.

Whether one or two FilterMAG's are worthwhile will only be known (by me anyway) after seeing several oil analysis reports. Since the initial particle count showed 833 particles >2 micron per milliliter (or over 7,000,000 in 9.5 quarts), this seemed like the most worthwhile "mod" to do. I considered trying a different oil filter, but the vendor's data and other informal tests raised more issues than answers.

Based upon some posts in the C6 Z06 forums, the FilterMag did reduce the Iron PPM levels, although it was still important to monitor iron "trends" to see if increased wear was happening (I think valve guides were the concern in the C6).

There is such a broad range of opinions on what filter, oil, magnets, etc. to use or not to use, that I feel more owners should do regular oil analysis and post the reports on the forum, along with what type of oil, filter, etc. are used. The BITOG forum attempted to do this, but it is almost worthless now for various reasons. Having that data for just the C7 could help identify engine concerns before they become disasters, perhaps.

My report indicated Silicon levels 850% higher than normal. That was probably due to the silicone sealant issue that resulted in the 500 mile initial oil change requirement to reduce oil foaming. That should have been caught earlier by an owner posting his oil analysis, then others having the same trend, showing a possible widespread problem that need solving sooner than it was.

Blackstone Labs charges $25 for the basic test. Adding TBN and particle count raised the cost to $49.50 (plus $2.68 postage). I probably won't get TBN tested in the future, since I'm not going for extended OCI.