5w-30, 5.6k mil; 1999 ES300 (1mz-fe), 66k mi ... Pb increasing

[dnewton3]

Good find.
I would recommend an immediate couple of OCIs; short ones. Flush out the existing Si.
Then do another 5k miles and UOA.
You'll either confirm the source, or have to continue looking.

 

[Pablo]

Good find.
I would recommend an immediate couple of OCIs; short ones. Flush out the existing Si.
Then do another 5k miles and UOA.
You'll either confirm the source, or have to continue looking.

This!

I would still eyeball around a bit. I mean you definitely are good to fix this and it could be the cause. BUT I see how it both could and couldn't fit this scenario. If this was just an intake leak - and I have seen intake leaks - the Al is usually in the teens, maybe 20ppm +. That said could be a combination of leaks OR maybe the leak was worse in the past. Don't know. Need to watch and sample.

I mean the good news we are talking PPM. I've seen much higher copper reading from oil coolers sloughing metal, not wear and your Al and Fe are low. Get 'er sealed, clean, resample.

 

[twX]

I would still eyeball around a bit. I mean you definitely are good to fix this and it could be the cause. BUT I see how it both could and couldn't fit this scenario. If this was just an intake leak - and I have seen intake leaks - the Al is usually in the teens, maybe 20ppm +. That said could be a combination of leaks OR maybe the leak was worse in the past. Don't know. Need to watch and sample.

Yeah, the lack of aluminum, iron, and chromium leads me to believe that at least most of that silicon is not from dust. Poor oil filtration might bias the wear more towards the bearings, but I still don't think that most of the bearing wear is from dust either.

@bob_johnson354
Has there been any engine work that might explain the high silicon, especially the sample with 160 ppm?
Also, what oil filter do you use? Toyota filters are known to have poor efficiency. Use an efficient filter while you try to clean up the oil.

Track driving combines a lot of risk factors for high bearing wear, like high rpm, high oil temperature, oil aeration, momentary oil starvation due to high cornering loads and/or oil foaming, etc. I'd suggest installing an oil pressure gauge if you don't have one.

 

[bob_johnson354]

Yeah, the lack of aluminum, iron, and chromium leads me to believe that at least most of that silicon is not from dust. Poor oil filtration might bias the wear more towards the bearings, but I still don't think that most of the bearing wear is from dust either.

@bob_johnson354
Has there been any engine work that might explain the high silicon, especially the sample with 160 ppm?
Also, what oil filter do you use? Toyota filters are known to have poor efficiency. Use an efficient filter while you try to clean up the oil.

Track driving combines a lot of risk factors for high bearing wear, like high rpm, high oil temperature, oil aeration, momentary oil starvation due to high cornering loads and/or oil foaming, etc. I'd suggest installing an oil pressure gauge if you don't have one.

When it had the 160 PPM of silicon I had the valve cover gaskets replaced and actually the filter was a K&N oil filter

 

[addyguy]

With hard driving, I’d move up to a 40-weight oil just because.
M1 0W-40 is the site fave, it can’t hurt in a hard-run engine.
Good detective work on the hose!