HandsomeRob

Here is my report card.

HandsomeRob

What is the best way to check filters if I get that LN spin on?

JohnCA58

this is what I have, but I use this on large diesel oil filters and aircraft filters, you can find them in the 40 dollar range on Amazon. once you cut the can off, use a box cutter and cut out the pleated filter element and inspect.

HandsomeRob

Here is my update. I put about 1500 miles on the car since the oil change with Mobil1. I am sending another sample to Blackstone to see how it looks. I already had bought a case of DT40 on Amazon for this oil change but next time I will buy my DT40 From Jake and get his oil analysis.

Anyway, I dropped the pan and other than the bits of plastic (I assume chain guides)...the pan was clean and the pick up tube was clean. I cleaned the previous sealant residue from both sides of the pan and cleaned the pan with some brake cleaner and bolted it back up gingerly (had no idea how little torque was needed for these bolts).

No chards in the filter this time and so far I can't make out any metal specks yet since the filter is still wet.

Well, when I was videoing the oil pan and didn't see any metal I was happy thinking that the plastic bits of chain guide were relatively normal for a 71k mile engine... but the more I search for similar pics.. I am thinking that these bits are larger than "normal" and I am concerned. I still am planning on a significant service bill soon to address my IMS, RMS, AOS, water pump... and now maybe the chain guides.

Any feedback is welcome.

HandsomeRob

So, my latest analysis. Question is with this only being a 1200 mile interval...are the metals (Aluminum and Copper) still a little too high?

Flat6 Innovations

You can't judge the wear metals at only 1200 miles. At that point the oil is still so fresh that it will fight mechanical wear a great deal. Try a 3K interval and see what happens.

Looks like Mobil 1, though..

HandsomeRob

You are Correct on the Mobil 1... but it does have DT40 in it now. I actually wouldn't have changed the oil so soon (at 1200 miles) but I really wanted to drop the pan and see what secrets may lie there. Turned out there was nothing metallic... but there were a fair amount of chain guide bits. However, those plastic bits may have been there from the beginning for all I know.

Regarding the DT40... It could be almost a year before I hit 3000 miles, what would be a max amount of time to wait to change the oil?

Thanks for the help.

dporto

I wouldn't call those chunks of chain guides normal. If you had that much after 1200 mi. I would be concerned. If you've got that much (or more) again after your next oil change (3-5k) I'd start formulating a plan to change them out...

HandsomeRob

Those chips of chain guide were likely there since the car was new...I only could make out one "bead stain" of sealant on the top of the sump plate so I don't think it has been dropped before. I also didn't seen anything in its maintenance history that showed it was taken off. So that is more likely 75000 miles worth of chain guide wear not 1200 miles. Also, I have opened up my last two oil filters and each only had one or two very small (1mm?) chips. I would think if those chips in the sump were "fresh" then my filters would have a lot more debris. Speaking of debris to update.. my filter I changed at about 5000 miles wear did have some specks of metal and that one sliver... but my last filter had no perceptible metal specks.

I did HPDE the car a couple times during that 5000 mile interval... and didn't at all during the 1200 miles. So, the HPDE could have been the hardest the car has ever been pushed and it may have either caused some unusual wear... or flushed some specks out given the oil likely got sloshed around more than ever? There is a long sweeping right on the track I HPDE that is enough lateral G in my E36M3 to get fuel starvation (known issue with the fuel pick up on the right side of the tank) with 3/8 tank on track tires.

Edited to add... I was on street tires so it wasn't "oil-starvation" G loads (disclaimer, this painfully slow lap was two years ago when I first started doing DE's)....
after linking the above lap that was really slow, I have gotten quicker (now doing TT with NASA), here was my lap last week at Track Night in my E36M3 albeit on Maxxis RC1's...