leoj65

Tearing my engine down to find cause of microscopic non-ferrous glitter in oil. Took the cam covers off today. Is this normal wear for 32,000 miles? Can't feel any of it.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YZ...SwPS9_Sn4B9bPT
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1c1...rf8J1ikGJ9qUEr
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1lp..._9lTxdw2rFYZLw
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F_...SDeMTxWIs1HjqQ

Thanks!

Byprodriver

Looks typical

tomcat

You are probably going to to have to replace all three oil pumps. Then all hydraulic actuators, tensioners, lifters, and variable cam sprockets. Filters under two of the actuators in the heads. Replace or clean the air oil separators in the sump. And clean out the crank and cams through the oiling holes.

Macster

First, sorry but I put a pic in the wrong place and I don't know how to fix it.

How much glitter? I've seen a lot of "glitter" and it has been nothing. These engines shed metal, mostly aluminum because they are mostly made of aluminum. A piece of aluminum can go through a scavenge pump, then through the high pressure pump. It is blocked from going further thanks to the filter. The metal remains in the oil in the oil filter housing. This oil can get routed back through the oil pump if the oil pump pressure bypass valve is opened due to too high of oil pressure which can happen at cold start.

Over time the small piece of aluminum will get pulverized into a whole lot of tiny metal flakes.

I have pics of my Boxster's cam covers, and cams and the pics show the cam shaft bearing journals and the cam bearings in the cam shaft covers. What I see in my pics looks about the same as your pics.

Might mention my pices were taken when the camshaft cover was off to address a bad solenoid/actuator at something over 250K miles.

Let me post some pics...




If you can't feel any "wear" there is none. Just some burnishing taking place from a bit of marginal lubrication at engine start. In fact that might have been done the first time the engine was started and run from new.

Have you removed the scavenge pumps to see they are "dirty" with metal debris? My limited understanding is any debris on the the clean side of the engne oil system is sufficient to tear down the engine and clean it.

leoj65

Haven't really seen any metal in the oil on the "clean" side yet, but I will have to assume there is though if they way I understand it oil bypasses on all(?) startups. There was many, many particles in the oil when I first saw them, they were almost too small to see but flashed brightly in the sun though... I did test the spring at the bottom of the filter housing and it was quite strong if that matters. looking at and feeling the oil uptake into case there wasn't anything I could see or feel.

leoj65

Ok thanks. Have you seen ones that look similar with the same linear marks?