Did my yearly oil change today, Mobil 1 Delvac 5W40. I noticed some magnetic material on the pickup. It was not a solid piece or pieces, but seemed to be compacted powder in consistancy and there was probably a quarter of a pencil eraser in volume.
I'm sending a sample to Blackstone for analysis. Anyone care to speculate?

 

How many mile/months since the last change. Any 'powder' at all then?

 

Probably a combination of big ends, thrust bearing, main bearings, piston rings, oil delamination, blowback and general carbon buildup.
Nothing to worry about.

 

That doesn't sound very good. Any speculation is purely speculative! (Damn I'm smart!) But first thing comes to mind is TBF? Unlikely on a 5 speed, but maybe worth looking at. Keep us informed.

 

Hmmm...I never see anything on the magnetic piece of the drainplug.

 

12 months and about 5k miles.

 

There aren't too many choices for where magnetic metals can come from in our engines... rings, crank, cams, oil pump (mine was half full of a similar sounding metallic powder, but no sign of wear), lifters, valves...

I'd only be worried if there was much less metal on the magnet on previous oil changes. Even then, if this is the first time you've run Delvac 1 it could be loosening residue your previous oil left somewhere in the engine. Did you take your oil sample from the drain or the oil filter? Did you cut open the filter and probe with a magnet for more ferrous powder?

 

I sometimes see black thick substance on drain plug magnet.

 

if you do an oil analysis, you can figure out what type of metal it is, then you'll know what's wearing out. ie, bearing material, aluminum, iron, etc all mean different things.

on the other hand, sounds like an excuse to build a fire breathing stroker

 

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/index.html

$20 for an oil analysis! CHEAP peace-of-mind!

 

Last time I did an oil change there was no metal on the magnet.

 

Hi Ernest,
such "deposits" are quite normal on an engine's magnetic drain plug - I certainly have them on my cars and trucks. Some of the deposit is likely to be from the combustion process (not wear metals)
I always install magnetic engine drain plugs on all engines if not OE - on my heavy trucks they have proved very valuable. For instance, they capture failed camshaft/valve actuator wear pads. This enables accurate and quick identification and replacement

Such deposits are also common on gearbox and differential magnetic drain plugs

As I recall Ernest your last oil analysis was excellent - I think this one will most likely be the same

The discussion on here regarding oil contamination as a prelude to a TT failure mentioned visible metallic flakes in the lubricant. This is serious stuff and usually beyond preventative maintenance action!
Pe-emptive oil analysis is very valuable as the measurements are in ppm and accumulative up to oil drain point. These wear metals will not be visible to the human eye within the oil but the rate of uptake and the total ppm provides the "trend data" and can isolate potential failure points. This is so important in any preventative maintenace programme

As a matter of interest we have never been able to use oil analysis to pre-empt faulty camshafts (soft lobes) or turboharger bearing failures. These have been identified by normal diagnosis processes. Sudden failures caused by fatigue etc cannot be isolated by oil analysis.
Oil analysis has been extremely helpful to me in pre-empting many other serious engine issues
and saved $0000's

I hope that you are obtaining a used oil analysis report and not just an analysis of the "deposit"

Measurement of total contaminant levels is usually done using a "PQ Index" and hard contaminants are usually rated by particle size (in microns). Typically they are separated in ranges below 15microns - above this most are captured by the oil filter. The ranges used below this extend to sub-micron levels

Best of luck Ernest

Regards
Doug

 

Yuk. Are you running a different oil than before your previous change?

Burning more oil than previous?

The oil analysis is step numero uno.

 

Thanks Doug,
Guys,
READ THE FIRST POST!! I've got a sample all boxed up and ready to go to Blackstone tomorrow.
Oh, and Roger cut open the filter and it's clean.

 

Should you smear the most minute amount of this paste betwixt the thumb and little finger - and find yourself spontaneously emitting a contented sigh prompted by its velvetly smooth texture - be at peace!
This is absolutely normal ... unless there is a pound or so of the stuff