bits in engine oil

[meat head]

Changed the oil today and noticed tiny particles in the drain pan....
These look like very small bits of gold glitter...if you rub them between your fingers they can't be felt as they are so small. The bike has only done 19000.
Can't remember seeing this before...should I be worried?

 

[Wrigsby1]

MHO would be to keep an eye on the next change if you are worried and change it early. If I look closely at any of my oil changes then I think i would find some very fine metallic particles. It's worse when its sunny, honest...

The short engines are usually really strong and the particles may be discoloured with oil. R series engines are still running in for a while after 19k miles!

On the older gearboxes increasing amount of metal particles was not a good sign but yours will have "clean" (sealed) bearings.

Bevel drive oil has to be watched for increasing metal flakes also (see bevel failure threads).

I 1st started noticing the oil metallics on an old courier Yam XJ that was heavily used. I just vowed to ride it harder to stop me worrying

 

[slaphead GSER]

Engine oil crud

Just a thought but if you drain the oil filter into the same dish it will wash some crud of the oil filter housing , scared me untill I realised where it was coming from !

 

[Bryn]

If you're concerned you can stick a strong magnet on the bottom of the oil filter... the sort you'd get out of an old magnetic tank bag.....

That'll ensure that the metallic swarf stays in the oil filter and is not circulated

 

[madman]

But the magnet will not stop the worn bits of bearing material or aluminium bits circulating.

 

[Bryn]

But the magnet will not stop the worn bits of bearing material or aluminium bits circulating.

True

 

[John Armstrong]

If you're concerned you can stick a strong magnet on the bottom of the oil filter... the sort you'd get out of an old magnetic tank bag.....

That'll ensure that the metallic swarf stays in the oil filter and is not circulated

But do the magnets made from unobtanium / fools gold alloy actually stop anything more than the filter already has. And if the filter isn't stopping it, is it so small to be beyond getting worried by it?

If the magnets aren't any use would the OP get more mileage (literally) from just making sure the filter is good?

 

[Colban]

Dare i ask....what oil are you using and can you hear any strange noises from the motor (well,stranger than usual anyway)?.

 

[Schtum]

Oil analysis seems to be quite popular in the USA but I've never known of anyone doing it here in UK.

However, if you feel so inclined..... http://www.oilanalysis.org.uk/

 

[robc]

I had a similar problem a year ago. Oil change before a trip, no metal bits. Oil change after the trip (including a lap of the Nurburgring and 100 miles flat out through France to Calais) had metal bits in it.

I dropped the oil every 1,000 miles (every week ) and the first two times there was metal bits. I'm now a few oil changes and >15,000 miles further down the road and there has been no metal since.

I reckon it was just swarf in the engine that didn't make its way out until I thrashed it for 1,000+ miles through France, Belguim, Luxembourg and Germany.

So far, it's still going strong and not making any unusual noises - for a boxer engine.

That's not to say your problem is the same but it might be. Thrashed the bike recently?

Regards

Rob C

 

[meat head]

Dare i ask....what oil are you using and can you hear any strange noises from the motor (well,stranger than usual anyway)?.

silkoline pro comp semi synth.... motor is quiet....i'm going out tomorrow to put a couple of hundred miles on it, and i'll drop the oil over the weekend and see what it looks like.

 

[hughguzzi]

Metal bits in oil scare !

I had a scare today!! changed the engine oil couple of days ago into a bowl and today when clearing out the garage, I poured the oil into a container for disposal.
OH S..T ! metal bits in the bottom of the bowl - going to the alps in 5 weeks - the cost - etc. So I cut open the old filter to have a closer look and no bits in it !!!??? what the f..... It was then I remembered that I had chucked some other waste white spirit / oil etc that I had kicking around in various containers . So I dug around the bin and YESSS> found the culprit container with remnants of swarf / oil from using it as drilling lube........
Moral of this story .... use a clean container and check it before you chuck it !! Oh and dont add other stuff till after you checked it !!

Pheww!!