copper and chrome glitter in the oil

[Danny89]

Yea this is bad. This has been going on for 5-6 oil changes now. I thought perhaps the debris left in my drainpan came from the lawn mower, but I don't think so since I've cut open the oil filter and found minute amounts of this glitter. Napa gold filter, GTX 10-30/10-40, 5/30 GTX Blend for winter, and 210,000mi 1989 EA82T. I haven't noticed any engine noise or excessive fuel/oil consumption problems.

 

I had some collasped lifters and would use (I forgot the name, pint yellow bottle, oil detergent) worked well, would make the hammering lifters go away. Well I replaced the bad lifters 2 oil changes ago and perhaps this is not bearing material. The cams and followers looked really good, but the interior of the block has a dark bronze color from 210,000 mi of Castrol. Could the debris be "normal" or am i screwed in "X" amount of miles?

[northguy]

All that glitters is no gold, and in your case, that metalflake has to be coming from somewhere. If you rig is in the 200k range, it's served well. You may want to start looking for a replacement, but run the thing until it pukes completely. Change the oil in it and run it like a Subaru - go out strong and kicking, not whimpering in a garage somewhere.

[archemitis]

this might sound bad, but... i've noticed this on lots of cars. i thought my car was toast, after i inspected the oil reely close, then i started checking friends cars, and found out that most cars have sparkles in the oil, if you look hard enough. seriously.

 

come on guys, start calling me a dumb*****

[thealleyboy]

Before jumping to conclusions, I would try to figure out if the particles were a result of a one time event - or an ongoing internal wear issue.

 

I usually preach against doing engine flushes, but this is one case where it can probably be justified. A single oil change will never get out all the particles and crud floating around in your oil. Rather, particles are removed gradually thru a series of oil changes.

 

It is possible that the particles came from running the car rough under some harsh conditions, or with worn out or insufficient oil. It may just take a while to get them out of the crankcase.

 

However, if you do the flush and continue to see the particles, you can safely assume that you are getting some internal wear - probably a lot.

 

I like the idea of "going down in flames", so have some fun in it before she craps out. You will probably want a better core for your rebuild, so no need to feel guilty about abusing your old motor.

 

good luck, John

[rallyruss]

well dont know what to tell you. I have seen motors where the bearings were shot and there was glitter in the oil.

 

then again my EA82t has less than 20,000 miles on it and I get glitter in the oil now. I called CCR and they said its common. I still am afraid of the dreaded knock knock knock. but Its still running good as of now. gonna get crackin on my spare motor soon.

 

if it has good oil pressure keep running it.

[MorganM]

if it has good oil pressure keep running it.

Spoken like a subaru master Speaking of which when was the last time that oil pump had a new impeller? Maybe its starting to eat itself and leave metal in your oil! As stated above you also could still have metal floating around from when your lifters were shot.

 

How about some powerful magnets (like ones inside computer hard drives) on your oil filter and a magnetic drain plug! Least you wont be circulating a lot of the particles then.

[baccaruda]

http://www.filtermag.com