If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

[KRAM36]

Would the IMS Guardian trigger in time to save the engine? Install that and the screw on type oil filter to keep the debris out of the engine?

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by KRAM36

Would the IMS Guardian trigger in time to save the engine? Install that and the screw on type oil filter to keep the debris out of the engine?

No. In order for the system to alarm, there has to be a minimum amount of ferrous debris circulating in the engine, which means it is already all over the inside of the engine, which has to come out and apart.

While the spin on filter will do a better job of trapping materials than the OEM style, you need to remember that the debris starts off inside the engine and gets picked up by the oil, and carried to the filter; so it is already spread around before the filter even gets a chance to remove it.

Neither of these products are designed to prevent catastrophic failures, that requires preemptive steps by the owner, such as replacing the IMS before it starts to crap out. Both the Guardian and the spin on filter can help reduce the amount of damage from an IMS failure, but cannot prevent it from happening.