Reply to "Call for help 1 hour North of the SanFrancisco Bay Area (Santa Rosa)"

You're correct to be a little paranoid, Mike. One owner added a magnet to his ZF drain plug to fix a problem that hadn't happened. Heat & vibration popped the little magnet loose, which migrated into one of the synchros and locked up his transmission. No damage, but the ZF needed complete disassembly to find the problem.

Magnetic materials ARE heat-sensitive. Google "Curie Point" in magnetic materials sometime. Some recover while others don't. Also remember: super-magnets are metal/ceramic composites, not iron. Tack-welding or even silver-solder may- or may not- destroy your particular magnets. I'd use a good grade of heat-resistant glue; oil in the pan can approach 275 degrees F under full throttle loads. Or if you must, tack a light sheet steel strap to the pan and loosely peen it around the magnet to positively retain it. Impacts will chip a supermagnet, too....