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I was curious if anyone uses a magnetic oil filter band. I was thinking about getting one, because I am hoping that one would help me reach my goal of taking my car to over 300,000 miles. Right now it has 186,000 miles, and is running very strong...

What do you expect the magnetic band to do for you?

Our engines are aluminum, which is not ferromagnetic. So even if the product were legitimate (which is questionable to begin with), it'd be unlikely to help on our engines. Subaru didn't even put magnetic drain plugs on our oil pans.

Just change your oil and filter every 3000 miles, using quality oil and filters, and maybe use that kerosene-based engine flush stuff every 30,000 or so, and you'll be doing pretty much all you can with respect to oil, I think. Some people like various additives but I think if you start with a good quality oil you won't need any.

A note about the flush - some people think it's a bad idea on old engines that haven't been flushed before; they say it can cause leaks. Sounds a lot like the potential problems with switching to synthetic oil on old engines. I don't know what my opinion is on this issue.

Oh yeah, I keep forgeting that these blocks aren't cast iron . I guess I will scrap that idea, and I will just keep using the Mobil 1 oil and OE oil filters. I might run some Seam Foam engine flush at the next oil change...

My mother put synthetic in my car for one oil change last summer. It's leaked oil ever since. Not profusely, but about 1 quart every 5k miles. Enough.

LaureltheQueen wrote:My mother put synthetic in my car for one oil change last summer. It's leaked oil ever since. Not profusely, but about 1 quart every 5k miles. Enough.

Oh, well a quart for every 5k miles isn't bad at all, even a quart for every 3k miles isn't that bad. So far my car dosen't really seem to be leaking or burning any oil after 1,000 miles...

I corner hard at redline frequently and use about a quart of Mobil 1 every 1500. 5000 would be great!

Steve

My engine's a relative youngster (about 98,000 miles) but it doesn't seem to be burning/leaking any appreciable amount of Mobil 1 between my 3000-mile-apart changes.

I switched over to synthetic at about 130k. It may have made the cam/crank seals leak a bit more.. but i think they were due for replacement anyway.

I have no appreciable loss of oil within my 3000mi oil change interval


MK

Ooooold thread, this I know. No disrespect to vrg3, who is very knowledgeable, but there must be @ least some ferromagnetic components in a Subie engine. For those who wish to experiment w/the concept this might be an option:

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-st ... ET//1.html

Small magnets that can sit inside the mating surface of the filter, but still large enough not to be sucked into the filter itself. (Check for leaks to make sure the gasket is tight.) Change the filter, clean the magnets, then just move them to the new filter. Neodymium is the same thing that those external filter bands are made of. @ 2/$1.00 I plan to give it a shot.

Failing that, I would recommend using a better grade oil filter that filters down to less than the conventional 20 microns. If you can swing a synth oil (w/o risking gasket leakage problems) then go w/that too. A mechanic near 70 y.o. told me that he took apart an engine that ran nothing but synth and it was whistle clean inside.

As far as engine flushes that's a no, imo. Talk to an old timer and they'll tell you to put about a 1/2 quart of transmission fluid in the oil and run it for 25 to 100 miles before dropping the oil to let the detergents in the trans fluid do their job. I know someone who flushed a vintage engine and that was all she wrote. Granted it was a vintage engine, but why take the chance. Slow and steady wins the race.

yeah.What the block is made of doesn't even matter as there is no wear to the block.Almost all the moving parts are steel (except pistons), but even the cylinders are sleeved with iron.

castrol gtx let it run for 4,500 miles and then change it i use purilator filters my friend had a 92 wagon on the same regament that was put down in running condition at 350,000