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After I noticed metal in the oil on my dipstick, I decided to do the 500-mile initial oil change on my new engine prematurely, at around 375-400 miles. Given it's my first time breaking in a new engine as well as my first time opening up an oil filter, I have no idea what should be expected. Here are the pictures of the filter media. What do you guys think?
Two pertinent details are that it has a roller cam and that the builder did not thoroughly clean the engine block.
Last edited by C4ProjectCar; May 27, 2016 at 01:33 AM.
Hope you got some kind of metal leftover in the engine warranty with it as I'm sure you'll likely be using it. If it was me and I had to live with that engine, I'd get a magnetic drain plug and get that in there right away. I'd also plan on doing another 3 or 4 short cycle oil changes to catch as much of that crap and get it out of the engine. I don't know how easy it would be to drop your oil pan but I'd give it serious consideration and clean the heck out of it too.
Wow, that's scary. I'd say you have worse problems than a worn distributor gear. Change the oil, put a new filter in and run it for another 100 miles. If it looks anything like this, your motor is shot. It may be shot anyway. Your bearings can't be happy. Good luck.
Hard to tell in the picture, is that mostly debris (like dirt)? doesn't look metallic. And don't see any brass coloring like you would have from bearings.
This is why you change oil and filter after the first 500 miles. Your going to have some metal in the oil fir first 500 miles as the engine breaks in. Since you bought the engine as someone's project that they gave up on, it is difficult to tell how clean he had it before you got it.
Glad you finally have it up and running.
John
Last edited by John A. Marker; May 27, 2016 at 11:16 AM.
Yeah, I know very little about the builder, except that they aren't in business anymore
Bought the engine off a guy from MD.
Originally Posted by hcbph
Hope you got some kind of metal leftover in the engine warranty with it as I'm sure you'll likely be using it. If it was me and I had to live with that engine, I'd get a magnetic drain plug and get that in there right away. I'd also plan on doing another 3 or 4 short cycle oil changes to catch as much of that crap and get it out of the engine. I don't know how easy it would be to drop your oil pan but I'd give it serious consideration and clean the heck out of it too.
I already got a magnetic plug and I'll plan to keep an eye on the oil to see if new debris is added or if all the stuff in the filter was previously in the block, thanks.
Originally Posted by 383vett
Wow, that's scary. I'd say you have worse problems than a worn distributor gear. Change the oil, put a new filter in and run it for another 100 miles. If it looks anything like this, your motor is shot. It may be shot anyway. Your bearings can't be happy. Good luck.
I've dropped the pan before, and it wasn't fun: the oil cooler coolant line and front crossmember braces are in the way, and it was difficult to get the pan to clear the crankshaft counterweights in the front. With the larger counterweights on the 383 crank, I'm not sure I could get the pan off without lifting the engine.
Originally Posted by John A. Marker
Hard to tell in the picture, is that mostly debris (like dirt)? doesn't look metallic. And don't see any brass coloring like you would have from bearings.
This is why you change oil and filter after the first 500 miles. Your going to have some metal in the oil fir first 500 miles as the engine breaks in. Since you bought the engine as someone's project that they gave up on, it is difficult to tell how clean he had it before you got it.
Glad you finally have it up and running.
John
You're right, very little of the stuff in the filter is metal. Running a magnet over it picked up very little, and almost all of the remaining specks that looked like they could have been metal (just nonferrous since the magnet didn't grab them) turned out to be tiny chunks of sealant and the like. With it being soaked in oil everything glistens like it's metal.
Thanks, John. Now to get it running well
Last edited by C4ProjectCar; May 27, 2016 at 03:13 PM.
If you have run a magnet over it and picked up very little, I would say that your okay.
Like you said...now to get it fine tuned and running well. I think you were planning to do the chip yourself. If not the best way to go would be to contact Roman I believe it his name is that works out of Motor Sport Image in Roseville. He is a good tuner that can handle you car. Just about the only on around capable of tuning the L98.
From: Las Vegas - Just stop perpetuating myths please.
Sorry to read the news man. I don't think u deserve another engine issue. But ya know we checked all the internal clearances and torques. I'm inclined to believe that's a result of a sloppy block cleaning. Many short cuts will leave all the block plugs in while hot tanking the bare block and a lot of loose poop gonna come out. But that stuff went through the oil pump before getting into the filter. U need to keep an eye on oil press, maybe double check with a mechanical pressure gauge at regular intervals. Dropping the pan won't save any bearing damage done now but would verify damage occurred. I really dont think your ready to remove, dissemble, retank, re-clean, then rebearing and maybe re-ring the block now.
I say drive it, monitor oil pressure and frequently change oil & filter.
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Not all the metal particles are magnetic. The trash your seeing is nominal for a rebuilt. Like the man said, fresh oil and filter. run it for a few hundred and check again.
If the oil is looking like metallic paint I'd say it's time to drop the pan and pull a few caps and pull the dizzy to see whats going on.
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
WHO here has EVER opened a break-in filter?
Or a filter that has seen normal operations after 3-4k miles.?
And can reliably say that this filter is full of junk?
BTW an Oil Analysis is a data trend over a length of time/miles.
One sample at 500 miles is worthless unless your picking Part Numbers out of the oil pan.
And then you already know she about to come apart.
when an engine gets rebuilt, depending on the rebuilder of course, there is usually a copious amount of assembly lube / anti seize which contain a high amount of some base metal, usually molylibium, sometimes copper, sometimes nickel, and in the olden times lead. After the initial startup, it gets trapped in and coats the filter element. To me that's what your filter element looks like; now of course if it feels gritty...well then it's more than just assembly lube.
Rather than being too concerned at this point, I would change oil and filter, run the engine / drive the car for a reasonable amount of time / distance and then recheck the filter element
WHO here has EVER opened a break-in filter?
Or a filter that has seen normal operations after 3-4k miles.?
And can reliably say that this filter is full of junk?
BTW an Oil Analysis is a data trend over a length of time/miles.
One sample at 500 miles is worthless unless your picking Part Numbers out of the oil pan.
And then you already know she about to come apart.
I cut open my filter after a rebuild. Also after every 30 runs along with an oil change. I can say that this filter is full of junk. Hopefully it's just sloppy block cleaning after machining. I would keep changing the oil and filter and monitor everything.
If you have run a magnet over it and picked up very little, I would say that your okay.
Like you said...now to get it fine tuned and running well. I think you were planning to do the chip yourself. If not the best way to go would be to contact Roman I believe it his name is that works out of Motor Sport Image in Roseville. He is a good tuner that can handle you car. Just about the only on around capable of tuning the L98.
John
Thanks, John, and thanks for the reference for tuning. Someone on the forum is helping me tune, but it's good to know I have options if I want a dyno tune.
Originally Posted by cardo0
Sorry to read the news man. I don't think u deserve another engine issue. But ya know we checked all the internal clearances and torques. I'm inclined to believe that's a result of a sloppy block cleaning. Many short cuts will leave all the block plugs in while hot tanking the bare block and a lot of loose poop gonna come out. But that stuff went through the oil pump before getting into the filter. U need to keep an eye on oil press, maybe double check with a mechanical pressure gauge at regular intervals. Dropping the pan won't save any bearing damage done now but would verify damage occurred. I really dont think your ready to remove, dissemble, retank, re-clean, then rebearing and maybe re-ring the block now.
I say drive it, monitor oil pressure and frequently change oil & filter.
My sympathies C4.
Thanks, it's definitely been tough, but I got this car to learn and with all these problems I'm learning a lot so it's not all bad
Originally Posted by JrRifleCoach
If the oil is looking like metallic paint I'd say it's time to drop the pan and pull a few caps and pull the dizzy to see whats going on.
Metal particles were visible in the oil when a light was shined on it, but I wouldn't say it looked like metallic paint.
Originally Posted by jv9999
Stop guessing and have an oil analysis done. It's not very expensive and will tell you exactly what's in the oil and what it means.
I considered that, but I wasn't sure if it would necessarily help since there could be crud from my engine block's previous life floating around in there.
Originally Posted by JrRifleCoach
... unless your picking Part Numbers out of the oil pan.
haven't heard that one before
Originally Posted by mtwoolford
when an engine gets rebuilt, depending on the rebuilder of course, there is usually a copious amount of assembly lube / anti seize which contain a high amount of some base metal, usually molylibium, sometimes copper, sometimes nickel, and in the olden times lead. After the initial startup, it gets trapped in and coats the filter element. To me that's what your filter element looks like; now of course if it feels gritty...well then it's more than just assembly lube.
Ah, I was unaware that assembly lube was metallic. No, none of the metallic gunk felt gritty, so let's hope it was largely assembly lube.
..WW
Oil Filter Teardown
