Oil filter dissection: found a few non-metal black bits -- feedback re

[charleypartanna]

Just bought my first Porsche, a 2002 Boxster with 58k miles. IMS has never been replaced, and I believe it has the single-row bearing.

I've had it for a few thousand miles and it's twice made an unexplained grinding some that... scared the hell out of me for obvious reasons! I can't figure out where it came from or what it was. My indie tech thinks it might have been the non-Porsche brakes that the prior owned had installed.

It will be due for a new clutch sometime in the next 10k, and I'll do the replace the IMS with the LN retrofit at that time. In the meantime, I'm rolling the dice.

So, being a bit nervous, I did an oil change even though it wasn't due.

I cut apart the filter. No silver metal at all. But a few black bits, which seem to be perhaps plastic. They're not metal (a magnet doesn't attract them). It's possible that they are from from when I cut (with a hacksaw) the end of the plastic part of the filter. But some of the black bits were deep in the recesses of the filter folds when I unfolded it, so that seems unlikely.

Pictures below.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Charley

[charleypartanna]

Sorry -- the title got cut off. It's supposed to end with "...feedback requested."

Thanks all!

[JFP in PA]

Two possibilities: particles worn off the cam chain tensioning paddle wear pads, or small flakes of sealant that broke loose in the engine. Both are common and nothing to be concerned about in small amounts.

[charleypartanna]

<Phew>

Thanks!

[70Sixter]

Possible water pump? Early M96 had plastic impellers.

[70Sixter]

Also recommend an oil sample analysis. Copper from rod and main bearings non-ferrous, but not black. Some aluminum also.

[Dennis Nicholls]

I did my first cut-open-filter analysis today, at only 600 miles since a dealer oil change a few miles before my purchase. Just a few non-metallic bits which broke up when squeezed between fingers. There was one canine-tooth shaped bit of non-ferrous metal that was about 2mm long and 1mm wide. Since I doubt the dealer cleaned the inside of the plastic case some of this stuff may have been around for some time. I'm doing a few oil filter changes just to get a baseline on what my engine's doing at 51K miles. Filters are cheap.

In other positive news my engine serial number is M96/2265Y13700. This is "most likely" a dual row IMSB engine with that "Y" in the code, although several single row IMSBs are supposed to have gotten into that sequence.

[JFP in PA]

I did my first cut-open-filter analysis today, at only 600 miles since a dealer oil change a few miles before my purchase. Just a few non-metallic bits which broke up when squeezed between fingers. There was one canine-tooth shaped bit of non-ferrous metal that was about 2mm long and 1mm wide. Since I doubt the dealer cleaned the inside of the plastic case some of this stuff may have been around for some time. I'm doing a few oil filter changes just to get a baseline on what my engine's doing at 51K miles. Filters are cheap.

In other positive news my engine serial number is M96/2265Y13700. This is "most likely" a dual row IMSB engine with that "Y" in the code, although several single row IMSBs are supposed to have gotten into that sequence.

Don't bet the ranch on that data, 2000 and 2001 engine's can go either way; the only way to know for sure on them is to pull the flywheel and look. People have been posting erroneous data on that period for a long time, and more often than not, it is wrong.

[Dennis Nicholls]

I'm not putting the ranch up.....just carefully watching. It's too cold here for me to do the work until springtime and right now I'm just learning about the car. That's why I'm being proactive at tearing the filters apart every few hundred miles. When I get some time I'll probably put it up on jackstands and pull the tranny/clutch/flywheel to see what's the story. Notice I said "most likely" as it's still not known to a certainty. I know you can't even order parts from LN unless you know which one you need.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Dennis Nicholls