Can a car engine dipstick be magnetized

[sgvaibhav]

Hi,


Is it possible to permanently magnetize a car engine dipstick?
If yes, what would be the easiest way to get it magnetized, such that it will be able to lift an (rusted steel) object which is about 10 grams or lighter.

 

[Crazymechanic]

Two ways , either you want the dipstick to attract the small metal pieces that sometimes get into the oil due to wear , although this is usually done by the oil filter , or you have dropped something into the lower part of the engine.
In the second case or all other cases that could be the case for you i would recommend getting a tool which is long and you can bend the stick and it has a pretty powerful neodymium magnet at it's end. it is designed for these cases when you drop something made from metal into an area into which you cannot get by hand.
i have used it several times , worked great.And they don't cost much.

Trying to magnetize a dipstick would not be that easy and the effect you would get would be a small one , I think not big enough to lift something.

 

[sgvaibhav]

Actually I had dropped some object inside my a/c vent / duct.

I carried out some dis-assembly to remove the grille, however I need something, which is very thin, and long, something like a dipstick to put inside the ducts, and to fish out the object using magnetic force.

Or what about attaching one or two neodymium magnets on each side of the dipstick, to use the dipstick as a fishing tool. Some tape can be applied to ensure that the magnet does not get lost in the ducts, and remains attached to the dipstick.

 

[Crazymechanic]

yes you could also do the way you described , but you have to make perfectly sure that the magnets are tied very strongly to the stick you will hold in your hand , otherwise you might end up with the magnets sticking to the metal plate of the oil reservoir and then the only way getting them out would be to dismantle the whole thing.
So what else can I say be careful.

 

[Nugatory]

I carried out some dis-assembly to remove the grille, however I need something, which is very thin, and long, something like a dipstick to put inside the ducts, and to fish out the object using magnetic force.

Any chain auto parts store will have a magnet on a telescoping rod for a few bucks.

 

[sgvaibhav]

Any chain auto parts store will have a magnet on a telescoping rod for a few bucks.

Sadly, I cannot find such a rod/stick over here in my country.

Just remembered, there are some hopes to find magnetic stick in ace hardware. Time to check it out there.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Sadly, I cannot find such a rod/stick over here in my country.

Just remembered, there are some hopes to find magnetic stick in ace hardware. Time to check it out there.

The Internet is a wonderful thing. It is a million times better than the Mail Order Catalogue of the past. Search Ebay?

 

[mrspeedybob]

Sound like you need something like this...

http://www.tooltopia.com/ullman-devices-14x.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=ULL14X&utm_campaign=googlebase_18u&gclid=CJy70NXDlLgCFcGe4Aodaz8ARQ

I'm a mechanic. I use this tool multiple times a day. It works great for retrieving nuts, bolts, etc. Not strong enough for anything heavier then a medium screwdriver. The shaft stays in whatever shape you bend it to. The magnet on the end is probably 7 or 8 mm in diameter.

 

[Crazymechanic]

yup this is an extremely good tool , once i dismantled an old carburetor from a good engine an some small screws fell into the intake manifold , this tool helped me a lot.
The OP should really get his hands on one of these.

 

[sgvaibhav]

I built some self made creative tools, which i will try digging inside to fish objects.

Dont know how reliable they are or how good they will work...
If my own DIY tools don't work, then this magnetic flux tool looks like my next option.