UOAs Obsolete?

[Iketh]

My 2013 Civic comes with a magnet in the oil pan from the factory. I also replaced oil drain plug with a magnetic one and this is common practice for people who care about their cars. Shouldn't magnets screw up UOAs?

 

[LoneRanger]

No.

 

[MrQuackers]

Using quality oil acquired at clearance prices and changed on the severe schedule eliminates most any need for UOA. And who doesn't love to change the oil?

 

[simple_gifts]

UOAs don't just show iron.

Cu, Al, dirt ingestion, fuel in oil can be valuable metrics, probably not as much for a newer car, but for mine, well...

 

[Iketh]

So iron the only material magnetic in an engine?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Iketh
So iron the only material magnetic in an engine?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferromagnetism

Quote:
Only a few substances are ferromagnetic. The common ones are iron, nickel, cobalt and most of their alloys, some compounds of rare earth metals, and a few naturally-occurring minerals such as lodestone.


So to answer your question, "kind of". Some blocks have some nickel content in them, but not an appreciable amount. Some bearings have a nickel layer in them.

Pistons are aluminum, rods are usually iron, rings are iron/steel/chrome (or something based on that), camshaft is iron or steel, lifters are steel (often chromed), valves are steel, heads are iron or aluminum, blocks are iron or aluminum, bearings are either tri-metal (lead-tin-copper/copper/nickel on a steel backing) or bi-metal (aluminum/silicon on a steel backing)....etc.

 

[NateDN10]

Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
Using quality oil acquired at clearance prices and changed on the severe schedule eliminates most any need for UOA. And who doesn't love to change the oil?

Me! I don't mind it, but most of the time I've got things I'd rather be doing.