Metal Shavings After Rebuild

[Timothyj94]

So i rebuilt my engine around 3k miles ago, pulled the oil pan off today and found this, (the little metal shavings) They are attracted to a magnet so not aluminum.

So my question is, how bad is this?

 

[LiquidX]

Those are huge, is your turbo blown?

I would start with making sure the turbo is good and then move to the head. Take off the valve cover and check to see that the valve spring seats didn't shatter. I hade one break on me and left similar metal chunks.

 

[Timothyj94]

Those are huge, is your turbo blown?

I would start with making sure the turbo is good and then move to the head. Take off the valve cover and check to see that the valve spring seats didn't shatter. I hade one break on me and left similar metal chunks.

I'm still non turbo, was actually pulling the pan off to do the return line. Engine is running ok no big noises or anything strange.

 

[bullettdsm]

If those things are bouncing around in your engine, that is bad, . As Scott said, those are not shavings, those are pieces. Any close up Macro pics? May help identify. But those aren't happy. How does the pick-up screen look?

MB

 

[Abe'sGST]

i hope those pieces fell in the pan when you did your rebuild (im sure the screen didnt let them go into the engine), if those fell in there after your rebuild, you have a serious problem somewhere bro

 

[dsmcrzy]

Pull the valve cover off too might Sind something up top. But as stated anything other than oil in your oil pan is no good at all. Good luck hope its nothin too bad.

 

[Timothyj94]

Pick up screen is clean, and there more like shavings than chunks, the picture is wierd, they dont look like anything. Engine sounds fine running. I had pulled the valve cover off around 500 miles and everything seemed fine. My timing was off for a while by one notch till i eventually fixed it.

 

[starfish]

look across the crank and bearings to see if there is any blued parts

 

[Timothyj94]

look across the crank and bearings to see if there is any blued parts

Everything looks ok, crank is brand new too (and obviously the bearings).

Oh, and heres more pics.

Do you think it could be leftovers from my donor engine? It did have a broken rod? They look like melted pieces/shavings, not solid chunks of anything. I was sure I cleaned everything up real good tho, especially when i painted the block.

 

[1983gsp]

Did you remove the oil galley plugs and bore brush the block? If not, that's probably where it came from. I'd pull the rod bearings and look for any problems. The main caps would get inspected along with the cam journals. If all looks good, flush the engine by pouring diesel into the head with the oil pan removed. Have a sutible container handy to catch the diesel as it exits out the bottom.
Check the container for debris. If everything checks out, button it back up and enjoy your rebuild.

 

[Timothyj94]

Did you remove the oil galley plugs and bore brush the block? If not, that's probably where it came from. I'd pull the rod bearings and look for any problems. The main caps would get inspected along with the cam journals. If all looks good, flush the engine by pouring diesel into the head with the oil pan removed. Have a sutible container handy to catch the diesel as it exits out the bottom.
Check the container for debris. If everything checks out, button it back up and enjoy your rebuild.

just pour diesel down the oil fill? and its all good?

 

[dsmcrzy]

I have never heard of the diesel trick but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I would just change my oil soon after running it for a little.

OP did you get your block cleaned? Like water jetted or hot tanked? If not it could be left over from the previous failure.

 

[1983gsp]

With the valve cover and oil pan off, pour diesel into the head. It will drain through the block, washing any particulates that have settled into various nooks and crannies of the head and drain paths leading to the pan into your catch basin. If no particulates show up in the basin, id say its okay to put back together. Only after checking your bearings and journals first.

 

[bullettdsm]

While not as bad as they looked in the other pic, still not just break-in material. Yeah, good possibility its left over bearing (those look like bearing flakes).

At this point, I would drop the rod caps and check the rod bearings. If those look OK, then you are PROBABLY good to go. At this point, its your best reasonable option.

MB

 

[bryanwheat]

IF it were bearing material from the oil passages than it would be embedded in the bearings. Those pieces are far to big to come out between the crank journal and bearings.

 

[bullettdsm]

IF it were bearing material from the oil passages than it would be embedded in the bearings. Those pieces are far to big to come out between the crank journal and bearings.

Agreed, but you don't know if there were smaller pieces involved within the system. Those larger pieces could have been lodged in the oil return passages of the block and not cleaned out, while there may be some smaller pieces in the bearing material now.

MB

 

[BogusSVO]

The Op says they are magnetic, so they are a ferrous metal to start

Check the thrust bearing closely.

Since there is no knocking or odd sounds

check the spring seats in the head and make sure that you do not have a spring "hopping" chewing up the spring seat.

 

[MichaelSuch]

After my first build when I did not properly set the crankshaft I had shavings like that come out continuously. I would change oil very often, usually every 500-600 miles. I had around 3,000 miles on that engine before it had too much endplay. The material was coming from the thrust bearing. But the thrust bearing is aluminum so that shouldn't be the case for you. Like everyone else said pull the VC, thoroughly inspect it and start from there.

 

[bullettdsm]

The Op says they are magnetic.

Oops, forgot about that line in the beginning.

Of course, I would still pop the rod caps to check for particles in the bearing.

MB

 

[Timothyj94]

Sounds like some wierd noise coming from valve cover, not too noticable though. My timing was off by one notch for 3k miles tho, maybe that did something?