Found metal chips in oil, still runs great

[Wildchild467]

I changed the oil in my Deuce last night with 74M35A2. I pulled the rear plug first, no issues. When I pulled the front drain plug I found the small hole in the drain plug filled with some metal shavings. There were also some in the oil bucket when I checked that after, but not too many. These chips are non-magnetic. The engine still runs great with no noises so I am not sure what it could be from. Obviously I’m not going to tear the engine down if it still sounds good. I could pull the pan, but I don’t know if I want to get into that big of a project. Any guesses what it could be from?

 

[Wildchild467]

I almost think it is from engine timing cover gears hitting a cover or something like that. My reasoning is that it seems like about the size of what a gear could chew off and i think the front cover is aluminum. That's just my guess.

 

[RAYZER]

Small aluminum shavings is a better scenario than broken metal pieces!

 

[FMJ]

Old saying goes:

You can pay me now, or you can pay me later. . . .

 

[73m819]

Small aluminum shavings is a better scenario than broken metal pieces!

STILL screw up a IP or about anything else it can go though or block oil passages..

 

[wreckerman893]

Ya pay your money and ya takes your chances.

 

[Wildchild467]

I have always taken good care of the engine since I bought it. I put 30,000 miles on it and it had "23,686" on it when I bought it. So I don't think it was a previous owner kind of thing. I have spin on filters so they filter finer than the originals... but still. It would be fun to tear it down if I had the time, but that can lead to bigger projects. You know how it goes, "well, while I have the engine out, I might as well do this and that..."

The oil pressure on the engine is great. when it is cold and is warming up at about 1000 RPM, its about 75 PSI and then idling warm is about 35. Driving down the highway is about 60 PSI.

 

[RAYZER]

STILL screw up a IP or about anything else it can go though or block oil passages..

That it could.
Hopefully the oil pick up screen or oil filters catch them before.

 

[73m819]

I have a DEAD deuce as part of the heard right now, it broke the cam, the collateral damage of this event was a froze ip., this was a great running engine with never a problem and spin ons TILL the event, now it will be engine swap demo at the 14SSGAR.

I would at least pull the front of the engine and take a look at the what is going on behind the gear cover, you can do this in frame, a GOOD running engine can turn into a non running anchor in a nano second, most of the time this sudden change happen 100 miles from no where, no cell service, and you just convinced the wife to go for her FIRST long distance ride.

There is WAY TO MUCH metal there to just say "it still runs fine", If I was working on it, I would NOT guarantee any engine work with the engine in this condition, The only guarantee I would give is that the engine would make it out the gate under its own power.

 

[Wildchild467]

What could some of the sources be for non-magnetic metal be in the engine? Pistons, Timing Cover, Bearings, Pistons.... Anybody have any more possibilities?

 

[RAYZER]

You might pull the pan and take a look!

 

[Wildchild467]

yea... it may not be that bad to do. How hard is it to pull the timing cover? I felt around the inside if the drain hole and I only felt just a couple more chips, but not many at all. What else could I see if I pulled it? could I see in to the timing gears at all?

 

[Jeepsinker]

Bearings, pistons, and timing cover should be all unless the shavings are coming from inside the case of the injector pump, which is highly unlikely seeing as it still runs. Were there any magnetic pieces at all?

 

[Wildchild467]

Bearings, pistons, and timing cover should be all unless the shavings are coming from inside the case of the injector pump, which is highly unlikely seeing as it still runs. Were there any magnetic pieces at all?

No, nothing was magnetic.

The only thing I have done different than I usually do with the truck with this last oil change was I have been driving it a little bit shorter trips to work. I'm 3.5 miles from work and usually let the truck warm up for 5 minutes or so... sometimes only a couple minutes and I just baby it in 3rd gear as i go thorough city streets at lower RPM to give it more time to warm up. I also drove it from upstate new york out here and that was a 14 hour trip. Other than that, same oil, same driver, etc. Since I bought the truck I have put about 30,000 miles on it. So these metal shavings showed up between 27,000 miles and 30,000 miles of the miles that i drove it (currently 56,000 miles on the odometer and i bought the truck with 26,000 miles).

I did think of another thing. When I bought the truck i was tinkering around with it and noticed a bolt missing on the back of the injection pump support bracket. so I went to put a new support bolt in and the threads did not line up to the hole. So i loosened the other bolt on the bracket because the holes were slotted I think. when I loosened the bolt up for the injection pump support bracket, the injection pump snapped toward the engine. Basically somebody put a different injection pump on at one point and never loosened the bracket. They only bolted it to the gear case on the front of the engine and that was it. so that bracket was "twisting" the injection pump a little. So if it did that, could it have caused clearance issues with the timing cover? And then the chips got trapped in sludge until i took my 14 hour trip and gave them time to wander loose? I have taken many other long (4-5 hours about) trips with it so I doubt that is the case but its a thought.

 

[Jeepsinker]

That would not seem unlikely.

 

[Hainebd]

If the IP rolled then timing has changed? Just asking.

 

[73m819]

If you pulled the pan, you might see where the metal is coming from, same with the front gear cover. It is better that you FIND the source then the engine showing you. I know you do not want to hear that no more then Andy wanted to here that he broke a cam.

 

[mobileauto2000]

I had the timing advance unit fail in my injector pump. I had some particles of metal that looked like that in my drain plug. The difference was that i also had chewed up spring pieces too. After I replace the injector pump i noticed the front housing was swollen from the advance coming apart. Just something to throw in the mix.

 

[andy3]

It might just be the picture but the metal looks very yellow. Where is brass in the engine?

Speaking from experience lately, go ahead and buy a new motor. Set it in the garage and if you never need it it was good insurance. After I recover from my recent failure I will be on the lookout for a good spare.

 

[Wildchild467]

My truck has been acting like a slouch lately and has a little high EGTs. I am wondering if my advance did come apart. Interesting.