oil dip sitck and metal shaving
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
oil dip sitck and metal shaving
Ok, I'm not sure if I should panic or not.
I was checking my oil the other day. I don't know about you but my oil dip stick is tight fit and takes a little effort to seat. Well when I checked the dip stick I noticed between the two "v" notches a piece of metal about the 1/8" long that had a curly hair shape to it. Like something had lathed a small hair of metal off of something. I looked at the dipstick and noticed that there was a metal bur extending off the edge of the dipstick on one of the "v" notches. I had a sharp feel to it. I filed it down, cleaned it up and checked the oil level 10 or more times with clean results.
Here is my thinking but I'm open to other thoughts: metal doesn't float, so I presume that I had to pick this metal up on the way up when removing the dipstick. The dipstick doesn't go to the bottom of the pan so a metal shaving wouldn't float in the oil and stick on the dip stick by accident - esp. since the car had been sitting for a day or so. I cant think of anything else that could make a curly shaving like that in the engine, but maybe one of you do.
Only thing of note is that a few weeks earlier I had taken off and reinstalled my cam housing, but I was pretty careful plugging the openings to the engine while working on it and it housing went on pretty much without a hitch, other than the bottom of a lifter catching on a spring hat because the housing was tilted over and not square to the head when I first went to install it.
I'm going to pull the drain plug and a little oil to see if anything else pops up.
Any thoughts?
I was checking my oil the other day. I don't know about you but my oil dip stick is tight fit and takes a little effort to seat. Well when I checked the dip stick I noticed between the two "v" notches a piece of metal about the 1/8" long that had a curly hair shape to it. Like something had lathed a small hair of metal off of something. I looked at the dipstick and noticed that there was a metal bur extending off the edge of the dipstick on one of the "v" notches. I had a sharp feel to it. I filed it down, cleaned it up and checked the oil level 10 or more times with clean results.
Here is my thinking but I'm open to other thoughts: metal doesn't float, so I presume that I had to pick this metal up on the way up when removing the dipstick. The dipstick doesn't go to the bottom of the pan so a metal shaving wouldn't float in the oil and stick on the dip stick by accident - esp. since the car had been sitting for a day or so. I cant think of anything else that could make a curly shaving like that in the engine, but maybe one of you do.
Only thing of note is that a few weeks earlier I had taken off and reinstalled my cam housing, but I was pretty careful plugging the openings to the engine while working on it and it housing went on pretty much without a hitch, other than the bottom of a lifter catching on a spring hat because the housing was tilted over and not square to the head when I first went to install it.
I'm going to pull the drain plug and a little oil to see if anything else pops up.
Any thoughts?
#3
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
#4
Rennlist Member
I agree, drain the oil. Do you still have a stock drain plug with the magnet?
Hopefully it's nothing.
Hopefully it's nothing.
#5
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I am going to drain the oil and I do have the magnetic drain plug. It's a painful oil change since it's joe Gibbs synthetic oil and that stuff ain't cheap.
#6
Drifting
Cheap insurance, though. I'm puzzled about the problem getting the dipstick inserted fully. Trying to remember what is in the area of the end of the dipstick inside the pan.
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#8
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
#9
Burning Brakes
Before that, I used some snips. When the can is opened you cut the paper filter just under the caps with a box cutter, and check inside the pleats of the filter. this is where I found my #2 rod bearing, lol.
I think your bearings are fine, but I would still check to see if any other metal was caught.
#10
A shaving as you describe is not from a rod bearing and unlikely to be from anything bad happening in the engine. More likely left over crap from production that finally worked free or a burr created by the tight dip stick fit. I'd still drain the oil, inspect and cut open the filter to be safe, but I think you'll not find any major issues.
#11
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Okay, drained oil all is perfectly fine nothing on the drain plug or any kind of metal filings or shavings in the oil itself.
Will proceed to cut open oil filter and check. But I think I will be fine.
Will proceed to cut open oil filter and check. But I think I will be fine.
#12
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
#13
Burning Brakes
#14
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Crap, crap, crap - and crap!!!
Cut the filter open and found gold dust. I don't know what's normal or not. The PO put new rod bearings in about 1000 miles ago so I don't know if this is normal break in or not. Probably not knowing my luck.
Cut the filter open and found gold dust. I don't know what's normal or not. The PO put new rod bearings in about 1000 miles ago so I don't know if this is normal break in or not. Probably not knowing my luck.
Last edited by Last Lemming; 02-21-2014 at 04:14 PM.
#15
Burning Brakes
Crap, crap, crap - and crap!!!
Cut the filter open and found gold dust. I don't know what's normal or not. The PO put new rod bearings in about 1000 miles ago so I don't know if this is normal break in or not. Probably not knowing my luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwIxjI9xjdM
Cut the filter open and found gold dust. I don't know what's normal or not. The PO put new rod bearings in about 1000 miles ago so I don't know if this is normal break in or not. Probably not knowing my luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwIxjI9xjdM