dr914

1999 996 just came into our shop for an oil change and immediately our guy Jeff saw the metal in the oil.. 90 something mile car. Sure enough the intermediate shaft bearing was failing. We caught it in the nick of time.

Shawn Stanford

God bless you, Jeff!

NuttyProfessor

Caught in time? IMHO... Nope! That engine wouldn't pre-qualified for a retrofit with metal in the oil. The collateral damage was already done.

dr914

inside the oil filter. Just starting to show. We will change the oil again in 1000 miles.

mikefocke

How many have you saved with similar debris in engine symptoms? And how long have the run without incident? I'm curious as there are some with hundreds of experiences who advise against a replacement without drastic engine cleaning and not just a "change oil in 1k" approach.

GVA-SFO

What's about the pieces of metal, I'm talking about the "curious" ones, ..that went in the front of the car, to get some "fresh air", ..when later they will be back home, in the center ?

Brian in Tucson

Good luck with that, really! I would also pull the pan off and clean out any debris. Maybe it'll be okay.

elgy

Do you have a picture of the bearing? My green 2000 Boxster's filter looked about the same but all the metal bits were aluminum, which I understand is not a cause for alarm since all engines shed a some aluminum crumbs. I opened up the filter from my girlfriend's Yaris and saw the same aluminum bits, and its IMS bearing is fine .