997.1: Name that oil filter debris
 

I was going to post a thread patting myself on the back for how easy it was doing my first oil change. Then I cut open my oil filter and got a swift kick in the nut$ ;-)

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I found 4 large non-magnetic, rounded aluminum shavings in the filter. Nothing else. I wanted to get the collective wisdom from the forum on the best guess prognosis: source of debris, recommended course of action. Pix below:

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Background: The car is a late model year 2006 997.1 with 45k miles. I likely put more miles on it in the last 6 months than the previous owner put in the last 4 years. Its been a champ. No issues, burns zero oil, no oil leaks, only smoked at startup once, no knocks or scary noises. I bought it from a Pcar mechanic who purchased it from the prior owner and drove every few days for 6 months before selling it, so it hadnt been sitting. He replaced the RMS and water pump in the last two years and when he replaced the RMS was able to verify it had the larger IMS bearing from the m97.

I shared the photos with Jake Raby @ Flat 6 and he was a rockstar. He replied right away with the following:

This made me feel better. But i still dont know what that actually means.

I also showed the flakes to my local indy, Hitech, and they generally agreed with Jake's view, but couldn't say definitively. They felt it was definitely not from the IMS or cylinders. They didnt think I should worry about it, and didnt feel i should pull the oil pan. They said just check it again after the next oil change to see if it persists. That being said, they certainly didnt think it was "normal" but said I should really only worry if there are lots of fine metallic flakes in the filter.

I brought it by my local Porsche dealer and asked the service manager his opinion. He was useless.

If any eagle eyes out there have seen similar flakes or have a working hypothesis i would love to hear it. Not what you want to see after your first oil change but its all part of the learning process.

Thx!

Ps - i sent an oil sample off to Blackstone and will post the results once I get them back.

Kudos to Jake for his immediate response!

+1 for Jake!

For ease of mind, drop the sump plate and give it a good going over. New oil filter. Reinstall all, add oil.

Sleep better.

Replace and inspect oil filter half way through oil change interval for more peace of mind.

Would a magnetic drain plug caught those?

Peace
Bruce in Philly

OP says non metallic in paragraph two. But he probably meant to say non ferrous or non magnetic.

@lexvan - good catch. yes, apologies i edited the post to write "non-magnetic".

What Jake's comment means is that during engine production, the raw aluminum block casting has holes drilled in it along with other machining. When the holes are drilled, curled chips of aluminum are produced that look like those chips you pulled out. Those chips should all get washed out of the engine before it is assembled, but evidently yours was not completely cleaned - they probably were hiding in a hole or stuck in a corner somewhere. They somehow got dislodged and ended up in the filter some time since the last oil change. That's great - your filter did it's job. He then suggests that if you pull the sump plate off the bottom of the engine, you will find some more chips like those in the filter. You can then wipe them out and put it back together if you like.

@Ducati_John - many thanks!

Another data point from my other local Indy, S-Car-Go. Rob and Pat agreed Jake's explanation was likely right. Pat said the debris was larger that he usually sees and that could only be from left over bits from the machining process. They did not feel it was worth pulling the pan at this time. They just suggested seeing if it turned up in the next oil change.

Classic.....

Not uncommon to find tiny bits like that in a new engine or transmission. It's a little odd that they've hung around for so long but not unheard of.

If you change your mind we can pull the pan. Say, in a thousand miles at the next oil change. Your call.

Why not pull the sump and get rid of any others??

Wonder how many oil filter changes made in 45k miles?

How many bits in each previous filter?

@Wayne - I am going to take you up on that offer. I could use your help pulling the pan. I watched a video Jake did pulling the pan in a 996 so generally get the steps and process. Just need to buy the right adhesive. Whats your schedule like over the next 2 weeks?

@996AE - this was my first oil change since I bought it so I dont have any baseline. It had regular service from the same Pcar mechanic in Texas for the last 4-5 years. Unfortunately the shop I had do the PPI, RAC Performance, didnt pull the filter. Lesson learned.

@KNS - the prior owners were an older couple and I think they drove it gingerly for the last 4-5 years. My working hypothesis is the bits broke free during my first autocross last month. We'll see after the next oil change ;-)

@Jake - thanks again!!!