metal in oil

[gjp]

Decited to drail a bit of oil from my pan today. I let it sit in a cup. After a while when i put a high power magnet on the bottom of the cup and drained the oil out I noticed black metlal shaving on it. Very small. almost like thick liquid. I heard a squeaking a while back but it went away after 10 seconds or so and came back 2 times. found out i had a leaking ps pump. I have not driven the truck since I fixed the pump.
I put a new heads/rockers/pushrods on top and a new timming chain and oil pump on bottom. Oil pressure feels fine? is it just the parks breaking in or do I have a problem?
what could it be. when i had the engine out I looked at the brearings and they looked fine. I wanted to do a whole build but ran out of cash. I was hopeing to get a few years of of this engine and do a full rebuild when it died. I thought bearings were a copper material?

 

[ttypewe4jim]

Re: metal in oil

Decited to drail a bit of oil from my pan today. I let it sit in a cup. After a while when i put a high power magnet on the bottom of the cup and drained the oil out I noticed black metlal shaving on it. Very small. almost like thick liquid. I heard a squeaking a while back but it went away after 10 seconds or so and came back 2 times. found out i had a leaking ps pump. I have not driven the truck since I fixed the pump.
I put a new heads/rockers/pushrods on top and a new timming chain and oil pump on bottom. Oil pressure feels fine? is it just the parks breaking in or do I have a problem?
what could it be. when i had the engine out I looked at the brearings and they looked fine. I wanted to do a whole build but ran out of cash. I was hopeing to get a few years of of this engine and do a full rebuild when it died. I thought bearings were a copper material?

If you can post some pictures of the metal.... If you see some copper color metal then the bearings are um shot

that means most likely its worn into the 2nd layer of the metal in the bearing also try and see if a magnet sticks to it

 

[tbauer03]

Re: metal in oil

I got some disturbing pictures of what your main bearings would look like in your oil filter and oil pan but no means to upload them.

 

[4C FED]

Re: metal in oil

Whenever I drain the oil there is always a little bit of fine metal on the drain plug. That seems the norm to me. Kind of like the stuff that builds up on the tranny magnet.

When my bearings went it looked like fools gold in the oil.

 

[turbodig]

Re: metal in oil

Decited to drail a bit of oil from my pan today. I let it sit in a cup. After a while when i put a high power magnet on the bottom of the cup and drained the oil out I noticed black metlal shaving on it. Very small. almost like thick liquid. I heard a squeaking a while back but it went away after 10 seconds or so and came back 2 times. found out i had a leaking ps pump. I have not driven the truck since I fixed the pump.
I put a new heads/rockers/pushrods on top and a new timming chain and oil pump on bottom. Oil pressure feels fine? is it just the parks breaking in or do I have a problem?
what could it be. when i had the engine out I looked at the brearings and they looked fine. I wanted to do a whole build but ran out of cash. I was hopeing to get a few years of of this engine and do a full rebuild when it died. I thought bearings were a copper material?

Depends on how much stuff there is.

There will always be wear when metal parts contact other metal parts. What you're talking about could simply be the timing chain wearing in, wear from the lifter bores, machining sludge that never got entirely cleaned out.

If it were bearings, it wouldn't stick to a magnet.

Cut your oil filter open... see how much stuff is in there. Lotsa crud means bad things.
One possibility is a timing chain contacting the cover.

If it isn't a whole bunch of crud, flush the motor really good with diesel fuel (down both valve covers), until it runs out clean. Put clean oil back in, and check again on your next oil change.

 

[BigBadSmoosh]

Re: metal in oil

diesel fuel to flush an engine.. i haven't heard that one before...

I was always taught that flushing an engine can loosen up things you don't want to be loose.. let them sit in the hidden parts of the motor, they aren't hurting anything.. =P

 

[autoaddictions]

Re: metal in oil

To late now Gary, Drive her till se blows!!! I also had some silver mud in the oil on my first oil change ,not alot ,nothing gold. Changed at 200 miles never over 15 psi.

 

[turbodig]

Re: metal in oil

diesel fuel to flush an engine.. i haven't heard that one before...

I was always taught that flushing an engine can loosen up things you don't want to be loose.. let them sit in the hidden parts of the motor, they aren't hurting anything.. =P

Flush them always, and the crud never gets there to start with.

I've flushed every vehicle I've owned in the last 20 years. Sy was the only vehicle that ever had an engine failure, but I can't blame a flush for broken ring lands. That was all me.

I knew guys that would start and run it with diesel in the crankcase. I wouldn't go that far, personally... doubt the bearings would last long. Although, I witnessed a Dodge Neon running for 2 hours at WOT with no oil in it at all....

The first time you rinse one with diesel, and see the crud that comes out after you thought you had the oil drained, you'll see what I mean.

 

[pinellas50]

Re: metal in oil

Cut your oil filter open... see how much stuff is in there. Lotsa crud means bad things.

I agree. Cut open the filter and report back with the findings.

 

[BigBadSmoosh]

Re: metal in oil

Flush them always, and the crud never gets there to start with.

I've flushed every vehicle I've owned in the last 20 years. Sy was the only vehicle that ever had an engine failure, but I can't blame a flush for broken ring lands. That was all me.

I knew guys that would start and run it with diesel in the crankcase. I wouldn't go that far, personally... doubt the bearings would last long. Although, I witnessed a Dodge Neon running for 2 hours at WOT with no oil in it at all....

The first time you rinse one with diesel, and see the crud that comes out after you thought you had the oil drained, you'll see what I mean.

i've done this with store bought products.. but never with diesel fuel..and GM has a top end cleaner that does the same thing.. produces alot of smoke

 

[gjp]

Re: metal in oil

top end is new. was thinking the same thing about just parts breaking in. Like was said earlier. I will run it till it blows at this point. I will pull the filter and report back. The filter that was on it before I opened the engine up was clean. I thought bearings was copper so I expected those shavings but got this magnetic black paste instead.

 

[BigBadSmoosh]

Re: metal in oil

its only called top end cleaner because that is where most grim builds up (in the top of the heads) you pour it in the vacuum system and the crank case..

 

[gjp]

Re: metal in oil

I used it before to clean out the engine when I first got it. Heres what the exhaust looked like

 

[Don W.]

Re: metal in oil

Diesel flush? Sure, or, more expensive, Marvel Mystery Oil which I've heard is mostly kerosene. Personally I'd be very careful, I would not do it with 100% diesel. I think Turbodig meant to pore the diesel down the cyl head drains, not run the engine with diesel in it.

I had the pan off mine last winter and you darn near eat of the inside of the thing. I doubt diesel would help it any. IMHO ANY visible metal in the engine oil is not good.:2cents: Cut the filter, maybe do a couple of quick oil changes. Oil pump could be galling and, as mentioned, timing chain touching cover.

 

[gjp]

Re: metal in oil

galling??? is not that when you do a cold weld??
I have been worried that I did not torque my oil pump bolt. I remember looking up the torque spec but not sure if I did it. I normaly write down everything I do and when I torque the bolts I note it. The space in my note book shows the torque spec but not if I did it or not. I dont want to pull the pan to check. I am sure I did it. I have good oil pressure and everything is fine so far.

 

[4C FED]

Re: metal in oil

Galling is a transfer of metal between two surfaces.

A little more detail: Definition: A condition whereby excessive friction between high spots results in localized welding with subsequent splitting and a further roughening of rubbing surfaces of one or both of two mating parts.

 

[mrweelr]

Re: metal in oil

I usually have a little gray metal paste on my magnetic drain plug when changing the oil. No chunks or anything, just fine metal powder/paste. I see it as normal wear and nothing to be concerned with. Post some pictures, would be more helpful.

 

[Don W.]

Re: metal in oil

I usually have a little gray metal paste on my magnetic drain plug when changing the oil. No chunks or anything, just fine metal powder/paste. I see it as normal wear and nothing to be concerned with. Post some pictures, would be more helpful.

This I've seen and would agree, a very small amount accumulated on a magnetic plug would be OK. Quite common to see this, including larger "flakes" on manual trans and dif magnetic drain plugs and these will run for many thousands of miles in "non racing" service.

 

[gjp]

Re: metal in oil

I usually have a little gray metal paste on my magnetic drain plug when changing the oil. No chunks or anything, just fine metal powder/paste. I see it as normal wear and nothing to be concerned with. Post some pictures, would be more helpful.

Thats what it is. I just never seen it on any egine before.