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CVO Technical => General CVO discussion => Topic started by: CVO2FIXUP on January 12, 2014, 10:09:48 PM
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I was at the bike show the other weekend and saw a small booth selling drain plugs with heavy duty magnets on them. Called Dimple oil magnets. Are these any good, will they work on the Baker oil pan?
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Good question. I would think that the drain plug threads would be the same. Hopefully someone chimes in. Not familiar with the name brand.
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The original drain plugs are already magnetic.
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I've used the Dimple magnetic plugs. They are quite a bit stronger than the stock magnets, the difference is impressive. Unfortunately, I don't know if they actually make a difference in the longevity of the motor or tranny.
With the stock plugs, I would always see a dusting of metal on the tips of the magnets. With the Dimples, the crankcase plug and the trans plug had a little more metal dust on them, but the primary's plug looked like it grew a huge afro. There are always enough metal dust and filings to choke a horse, on the primary plug. Like I said earlier, I don't think they'll do much that would have any real effect on longevity, but they certainly don't hurt.
It's too bad they aren't strong enough to help prolong the lives of compensators, crank shafts, and lifters. THAT would be something I'd be interested in!
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I heard the stronger magnets assist in traffic signals actuators in the pavement.
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http://www.drainplugmagnets.com/
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The biggest advantage of the "stronger" magnets I can think of is how well they cling to the frame/toolbox/metal workbench so they don't fall on the floor and roll under stuff. I hate when that happens.
Since the primary doesn't have a filter, and the late model compensator sheds metal like a dog sheds hair, perhaps that one would be a good idea. As for the engine, I don't see a whole lot of advantage. First, the oil in the pan on a Twin Cam goes to the filter first before it goes to the engine, so anything of significant size will be filtered out, including the nonmagnetic aluminum and plastic particles those magnets don't catch. Second, none of these peddlers of magnets, be they on drain plugs or in/on an oil filter, provide certified independent test results proving the products actually reduce the amount of metal in the used oil. This is something you can determine easily with a simple used oil analysis btw, if you're really that worried about junk in the oil.
Bottom line with this as well as a ton of other products being hawked these days is that the benefits are usually overstated and the price inflated. If this sort of thing makes you feel better so you can sleep at night instead of worrying about your Harley self destructing every time you fire it up, and the price won't put you in the poor house, go for it.
Jerry
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I think it depends on what you are using it for. If it is to get the metal out of the oil....like its been said...don't think is will do much due to the filter.
I view this as an indicator if the motor is having issues....if the magnet shows more than dust like attachments....I will then cut the filter open and check for metal.....Any abnormal findings should be further analyzed to determine exactly what it is. This is common practice in the aviation industry.
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Worrying about things like new and larger magnets or even new lifters is just a chimera. The problem is y'all are over-using these machines. You're not supposed to run them past the 15K miles service life of the engine. After that it's your fault for not adhering to specs.
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I have read that the orginal Harley magnets have came out. Can't say that first hand just read it.
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Read once, a good strong magnet will active those traffic light sensors better than stock.
How many times have we just sat there waiting for the light to change and didn't because the motorcycle didn't have enough metal to active the device?
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Read once, a good strong magnet will active those traffic light sensors better than stock.
How many times have we just sat there waiting for the light to change and didn't because the motorcycle didn't have enough metal to active the device?
The magnets on the drain plugs aren't strong enough to influence road sensors, even the ones referenced in this thread. Hopefully no one is being mislead into buying these things to make traffic lights respond to their bike better.
Jerry