JTT

I have done maybe 4-5 oil changes since owning my car and have always done a filter inspection at each change. Results were always clear of any visible particles (with magnifying glass). I changed oil this evening and when inspecting the filter, I discovered 5-6 tiny metal flakes (caught light reflection from a bright inspection light), and two small splinters. One was maybe 2-3 mm long, other half that size. Both seem to be non-ferrous.

I have a DE day on Monday....should I panic? Or run, then recheck filter after?

garrett376

If someone tells you to panic, what are you going to do, sell the car?

Schnell Gelb

Wash the debris with gasoline so you can determine what the color is.
Drop the pan and inspect
Fit an LN filter - so ALL the oil is filtered.
Then run the car a few hundred miles and re-inspect.

JTT

Thanks SG. I will extract the two slivers. The other bits are too small to possibly collect. Both slivers appear to be silver in colour and not picked up by magnet.

I should have specified, this is a 2003 c2 (3.6) with 94,000 kms (58,000 miles). IMS has been replaced with LN ceramic. Oil is changed regularly (5000-7000 kms). In fact this oil change is much less than that as I changed it before the last DE weekend (approx 2000kms ago). Car has only been on track the one weekend and used delicately that weekend (short track, never saw redline). Nothing but a tiny amount of grey on the magnetic drain plug.

philooo

if you track the car you will probably see few tiny thing in the filter, especially if you take high G's and change oil frequently. from past threads, unless you get tons of metal pieces, you can ignore it. just keep an eye on it if the volume increase then you can think about your option: sell the car or drive it. But once IMS is done you don't have many other preventive steps you can do without breaking the bank.

JTT

Here is a picture

5CHN3LL

Are you using the Porsche filter or a spin-on adapter? If the latter, check the threads on your spent filter. MAYBE that's just poor machining...

JTT

I'm still using the Porsche filter at this moment. The more I look at it, the more it does looks like thread though. But from where? Interestingly the curve is about the same radius as the drain plug thread. Could it be thread from the sump pan? I've seen stripped drain plugs that dropped similar looking bits in the drained oil, but this as in the filter, and drain plug tightened up firmly with no indications of being stripped.

I think I'll try to put a few miles on this weekend and pull the filter again to see if any more shows up.

ZuffenZeus

JTT, admit it... you over torqued the drain plug again didn't you? (snicker)

5CHN3LL

It doesn't looks like IMS debris to me - that is an awfully long piece to have dodged being chewed up by the oil pump...and you said it's not ferrous...

Ahsai

If you can take a sharper (in focus) photo, Jake can probably tell you exactly what those pieces came from.

ZuffenZeus

yes yes yes!!! MACRO Pwease!!!!

But just to be sure, you didn't get this MIL alert did you?

JTT

Best camera I have unfortunately is my iPhone. This is the best I can get using a magnifying glass and phone.

JTT

I wondered what that light was

JTT

Not much better I'm afraid