So I changed my oil after 100 miles in my 331 and found very tiny particles colored silver, and copper/gold. I know the copper isn't good news... Your thoughts?
Have you cut open your oil filter to see what it has trapped? Sounds like the engine is eating itself (main bearings). I'd get in contact with your engine builder ASAP!
Did you cut open the oil filter to see if there are bigger pieces stuck in there?
Could tell you if it's a bigger problem than just a bit of break-in wear.
Can't think of anything other than bearings that would be the source of the gold/copper colored stuff. I'd be placing a call to the engine builder (unless that's you) to get their opinion on next steps.
I think you need to determine the severity, by pulling the pan (if capable) pulling a couple mains and rod caps and posting a pic. Otherwise, revisit whomever built this engine for a discussion.
So I changed my oil after 100 miles in my 331 and found very tiny particles colored silver, and copper/gold. I know the copper isn't good news... Your thoughts?
I think before you go nutz ripping your car apart, you need to flush and change the oil and drive another hundred miles and check it again. Having some metal in that first oil change is pretty normal.
For the "drive it another 100 miles crowd" I have one question:
where does copper come from that can be considered normal, and not needing attention ? ? The only copper I know of is under the outer backing of the plain "Babbitt" bearings. Once you're thru to the copper, OUCH !
If the OP starts looking now for the origin of the copper particles he just may avoid a much more costly overhaul. Driving the car more than what he has already done can only end up costing more.
I was thinking maybe some initial wear and to run it a bit more, but Z stopped that dead in it's tracks (for me at least). I'm in the process of rebuilding now and am very interested in how this comes out.
Hey guys, I just cut open the filter. It looked clean? It had some metallic oil in it with the copper hue, but I didn't see a single big chunk? The biggest pieces were maybe the size of a small grain of salt. Also, after inspection, it looks like nearly ALL the shavings are copper colored? I have most all the shavings gathered together. I know copper is a bad sign, however why is it I can't seem to find any steel colored metal dust?
Just thinking out loud...it is common for a newly rebuilt motor to have metal in the oil the first couple of oil changes. Confirmed with a magnet, if none of it is actually copper, I would lean towards changing the oil and running it some more. If it is in fact copper...consult your engine builder.
Before you do anything, grab the balancer and check the crankshaft endplay. Just push and pull it back and forth, and if you get a "clunk," you've found your problem. Is it a manual, or an auto?
Well here is a picture. Mind you the glare from the oil makes the dust look a lot bigger than it really is. It's as small as metallic in a paint job. That's all the metallic I found in the oil change gathered in one spot, most all of it out of the filter.
Did you run any kind of break in oil? or just regular oil change?
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