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Found these two pieces in the folds of the oil filter while doing my annual oil change today on my 997.1 3.6L with 70,300 miles. Both have a curved surface and are 6 mm long and appear to be plastic (aren't attracted to a magnet). Any idea where these came from or if it's an early indication of a pending failure? Have had no problems with oil consumption and engine runs and sounds normal. Had the car exactly 6 years now (purchased January 25, 2015 with 52,000 miles) and has been very reliable (so far). Usual wear and tear items addressed (water pump/t-stat, spark plugs, ignitors, new belt & pulleys) shortly after purchase. Leisure driving, no track or autocross, and Foxwell shows no over-revs. Only drive about 3,000 miles per year. Oil change last January was with Castrol Edge 0W40 European Formula (Porsche A40 approved) with 450 ml (50 ml per liter) of LiqiMoly MoS2.
First thing that comes to my mind is that they can't be internal parts of the engine since I'm not aware of anything made of plastic inside the engine. Could they be parts from the oil filter itself? Or could they somehow have made it into a quart of oil you added?
Not sure if the cylinder walls are magnetic, but that's one thing that comes to mind that is curved and known to break off a.k.a d-chunk. Hope for the best.
I would suggest you try cutting a bit of it with a knife or blade to confirm wether it's plastic or not.
If it is, then you've probably found a piece of the oil can sealing cap which could have felt during filling...
Those pieces look like aluminium - Plastic pieces in oil filter I have seen from other RL'ers posting have a yellowish color or dark black.
I've never seen shiny aluminium plastic.
If it's truly plastic (doesn't look plastic to me from the pics above), it could be a piece of the timing chain tensioner.. I *think* those are make of plastic..
You have any start up chain rattle noises that goes away quickly. Dark brown or black plastic is the tensioner paddle guide pads. If the chains slap when initial start up happens from a weak tensioner, it chips those plastic pieces away. At 70k miles, it would be a good time to have all 3 of your tensioners replaced. Bank 1 and the IMS one are very easy (you do have to lock the crank and the cams), but the Bank 2 one is a pain as you have to remove the A/C Compressor to get it out, which means removing the airbox (easy), serpentine belt (fairly easy), and A/C compressor (a bit fiddly on one bolt that goes in through the side.
Trying to determine if those pieces are plastic or aluminum is important and based on finding those in the filter, I would now drop the sump plate to see if there's more of them in there. Just drain the oil you've put in into a clean container and reuse it once the sealant on the sump pan has cured. No need to remove the oil filter again.
Just drain the oil you've put in into a clean container and reuse it once the sealant on the sump pan has cured. No need to remove the oil filter again.
If one were to remove the oil pan for the inspection, wouldn't one pull the oil filter, install new and inspect the oil filter? Something may have already moved into it from the sump. Eliminating that possibility, or most of it since there might still be something between the oil pump and oil filter, could be helpful.
Found these two pieces in the folds of the oil filter while doing my annual oil change today on my 997.
I routinely inspect my oil filters before I install them. Both the outside and especially the inside. I have only found one thing one time. Wasn't sure if it had gotten in there after packaging since most of filter boxes are not sealed or if it got in there during the manufacturing process. Just a thought to consider.
If it is plastic, any chance that the security collar or a piece of it from the oil bottle found its way in while filling?
01-25-2021, 03:07 PM
Found These in Oil Filter Today
