dirt or dirt in oil - help

[Decca]

I am in the middle of changing my oil. I have noticed there seems to be a lot of grit or dirt in the oil. I had a quick look through the oil filler hole, there seems to be more of this stuff on the cam chain. Where does this stuff come from and more importantly, how do I get rid of it.

I was hoping to import some Auto-rx but I wont have the money until next month.

Could the filter have failed in some way?

Help

Steven

 

[Decca]

Is there anything I can do to extra flush the stuff out before I pour in some new oil. I have previously posted about the poor state of the oil and the build up of black deposits around the metal - could this be related?

Steven

 

[moribundman]

I don't like the sound of visible dirt and grit in oil one bit. Filters can fail. If they clog the bypass valve will let unfiltered oil circulate. So if your filter got clogged, and if somehow dirt got into your engine, then that dirt-contaminated oil might get anywhere. Cheap filters may contain cardboard pieces (*cough* rhymes with "Sam") that soften up and clog the filter and/or bypass valve. Many filters are also letting a small (more or less) amount of unfiltered oil pass.

I wonder how you got that much dirt into the engine in the first place. I'd check the oil filler cap and the air filter.

What brand oil filter did you use?

 

[RB Shannon]

If I were planning on getting Auto Rx I would e-mail Frank and get his advice,if it were mine and I could'nt get RX or Neutra my next oil change would be a CI-4/SL rated oil just for the added detergency and dispersants and would probably change filters at some time halfway through the interval to make sure that the filter wasn't loaded up and bypassing

 

[Decca]

Thanks for the responces. The last oil change (January 2003) was carried out by the dealer, Castol Magnatex, I think.

I have just broken my filter wrench on a
fused filter

I will email Frank and see what he suggests. I only plan on keeping this oil for a few weeks or less

Steven

 

[RalphPWood]

Steven,

For some reason your engine is making your filter reach it's capacity a long time before you are draining your oil and changing your filter. It's not the fault of the filter or the oil. Is your engine running too hot? Is it running too cold? Do you need to ignore the BS change recommendations and change your filter and oil more often? Do you need to install a submicronic bypass filter to protect your full flow filter?
The only thing that can damage a Fram full flow filter or other full flow filter is neglect. Additives are a waste of money. If I ever see dirty oil in my engine I will know where to look for the problem -- in the mirror.

Ralph

 

[Gary Allan]

If I saw physical debris (grit, etc.) through the filler hole ...I'd pull the valve cover and, after plugging the return holes ...remove it completely. The worst thing to do is just score the stuff ..it will leach for an eternity (can you tell that I've done this before??). If it's in the valve cover ..it's the same in the pan. That, unless you want to have it pulled, will have to be disolved slowly. There are techiques to remove this build up in a rapid manner ...but nobody would recommend it on an engine that you aren't willing to risk some 'collateral damage". That is you may end up doing more work ..or even replacing the engine if you things go sour.

 

[pedaltothemetal]

You may be seeing large carbon particles. It can dislodge from under the pistons. I have had cars I can put my finger in the drain plug hole and pull out large flakes of it with my finger. I miss that '71 1600cc Hemi Toyota Corolla.
The only place I have seen sand is in my 700R4 transmission oil pan, but never the engine pan.

Leo