I've heard some people say you shouldn't put magnets in a motor, their logic is it could magnetize the steel parts.

I've always call BS on this.
Porsche /6 has a magnet on the drain plug, the trans has a magnet on the drain plug, on all the big type 1 with oil sumps I've built I've put a big frick'in cow magnet in them.

No matter how spotless I got the engine, after break in I always see a fine amount of metal filing fuzz on the magnet.

The type 4 was a challenge, where to put the magnet?


My solution is to epoxy two magnets to the bottom of the sump screen. I take two 1/4" X 1/8" rare earth magnets and epoxy them to the bottom of the sump screen.if you place them where the spring backs up they stay put till the epoxy cures. The 3rd magnet in the pic (the clean one) is just to show you the placement and magnet. I don't know if you can see the slight fuzz of metal filings.
To me it's better they are on the magnet, than through the pump.
And what happens if the filter bypass opens?

They make magnetized drain plugs...I think I have one on my car

They sell semi circle magnets that are reusable. They attach to your oil filter, no glue. Just swap out at each oil change. They come in a couple of different sizes. Only magnetizes the oil filter housing.

Friend gave me the rare earth magnet from a discarded computer hard drive (serious magnetism). I leave it on the oil filter canister where iron filings are trapped and dumped at regular change intervals.

Sherwood

Make sure you use a slow setting epoxy. 5 min epoxy softens with heat. You need a thermal setting epoxy

I use a K&P reuseable oil filter, and it has a magnet built in.
You can see them embedded in the base of the filter element here:

The thing I personally don't like about filter magnets is the metal still goes through the oil pump.
The sump bolt on a T4 is under the screen, I've never seen a mag drain bolt for a T4. This is stuck to the bottom of the screen and there was filings on the other side as well, right by the pick up.

I think I used JB weld.

Thanks Stu - I am now shopping for these! Apparently the Harley dealer here in Durango is a dealer for K and P.

Looks like art.

I like your idea as well and am thinking about retrofitting mine, but I have the Welmeister oil can extension, so I might not have the filter screen...

When you put the JB weld on the magnet it was quite the entertainment wasnt it?
JB weld acts alive on a magnet because of the nickel content

Simple, use a small cow magnet and hose clamp it to the pick up extension.

Yep JB weld and a magnet is cool, but now that I think about it I likely used Loctite Hysol on this one.

I couldnt find a magnetic drain plug for my type 4 2.0.
Would "gluing" a magnet to the head of the drain plug be of any benefit? Or would the tip of the bolt not be magnetised enough to do anything?

MIke.

I have a Scat deep sump that uses a type 1 sump plate with a magnetic plug.