Stuff on the Screens

[Daniel644]

OK, so I was getting ready to finally get the trailblazer tuned and so I did a scan of the codes to make sure the only code was the fan code (since I switched to the 08 fan clutch) and I found a P0014 code so I ordered a VVT solenoid as thats the most common cause (and there was some oil in the electrical connector), it arrived and so I pulled the old one out and found this (see attached pictures), I then immediately turned the truck around, drove it on the ramps and did an oil change and when I pulled the oil filter the oil leaked out as it does and got all over my hand and I saw 5 or 6 pieces of something that when angled at the right angle was shiny metal.

Not sure what to do at this point, just sunk like 2 grand over the last year into the fan clutch, engine mounts, brakes, tires, water pump and thermostat, not sure if it's worth rebuilding the 4.2 or time to try to get an SS and move everything that can be moved over to it and part out the rest.

 

[TJBaker57]

Maybe get an oil analysis from one of those mail-in labs?

 

[Sparky]

How many miles on it?

You sure that the stuff you got out of the oil was metallic? Because that gunk does not look metallic there.

How does it sound when running?

I agree a UOA from someplace may shed some light.

 

[budwich]

did you keep the oil? cheap test is run a magnet thru it and see what it picks up. Of course, it won't attract aluminum but other main "metal parts" if failing would have their "contributions" to the oil stuck to the magnet.

 

[Mooseman]

And did you keep the oil filter? I'd open it up and check.

I have to agree with @Sparky . That stuff looks almost like fibres. Maybe oil filter disintegration?

 

[Daniel644]

How many miles on it?

You sure that the stuff you got out of the oil was metallic? Because that gunk does not look metallic there.

How does it sound when running?

I agree a UOA from someplace may shed some light.

Engine has about 240-250k miles on it. the stuff that was in the oil that got on my hand looked completely different from the stuff on the solenoid, the stuff that was in the oil on my hand when held at the right angle reflected the sunlight and was shiney silver colored when it did, definitely different then this stuff on the solenoid.

sounds fine from what I can hear but I haven't really spent much time listening under the hood.

did you keep the oil? cheap test is run a magnet thru it and see what it picks up. Of course, it won't attract aluminum but other main "metal parts" if failing would have their "contributions" to the oil stuck to the magnet.

no, the oil is gone.

And did you keep the oil filter? I'd open it up and check.

I have to agree with @Sparky . That stuff looks almost like fibres. Maybe oil filter disintegration?

I do have the filter as I just put it in the garage trash bag which I haven't dumped yet, any tips on cutting it open without getting a bunch of metal shavings from cutting it?

my 2 theories are timing chain guide or oil filter disintegration, which I would be surprised, it was a Royal Purple filter.

 

[Mooseman]

I use an exhaust pipe cutter to open it but some people just use a hacksaw or a cutting wheel. There's this video showing using tin snips:

 

[Daniel644]

Took a little work but the tin snips worked.

Not sure what to think of this mess, lets try to walk through the photos in this post, first see the specs on the bottom of the oil filter can after removing the element, that seemed to have a small amount of glitter while in the oil.

next the filter element spread open, the side that is black and brown is the inside of the filter and the all black is the outside of the filter.

lastly, I took the oil that was in the can in the first photo, poured it over the shop towel and sprayed out the can with some brake clean and then sprayed the paper towel with the brake clean, first is a wide shot then the other is the closeup.

Something came apart, not sure what, can't see it being sludge, the oil drained out of the pan without any sludge to it and this car only gets driven like 30-50 miles a week and had less then a year on this oil change.

 

[Sparky]

Well the filter did its job at least. But maybe you got a little excess wear due to less-than-ideal oil flow from a gunked up filter?

Frankly, I'd be tempted to just drive it for another few hundred miles, drain the oil again, change the filter again, send it in for a UOA. Or, given the miles, just drive it, change the oil/filter here in another few hundred miles to look for anything obvious, and if it still looks/sounds good, keep going! But I'm crazy like that...

 

[Mooseman]

Is that a Fram Ultra? When I use those, I find they are sludgy when I open them. Maybe they filter too well. I didn't see anything in those pics.

As suggested, drive it a while and see what happens. Maybe do a UOA after a few hundred miles but keep using the same oil after replacing the amount for the UOA. See what the the report says. Keep driving on the same oil until the next scheduled change and do another UOA.

If something really bad happened to a chain guide or other piece, you'd definitely be hearing it. A bad bearing might manifest itself later but you'd think the filter would have captured that. Seen lots of busted engines torn down with the "forbidden glitter" and it's everywhere. Check out "I do cars" on YT.

 

[Daniel644]

Update, so tonight I decided to run the magnet from an old blown speaker over the paper towel and the only stuff it picked up was the oily sand looking stuff that it directly touched, nothing shiny on the magnet. I just ordered one of those filter cutting tools and I'm thinking buy some cheap filters (found some AC Delco's for like $4ish a piece on Amazon) thinking about buying a few of those and just swapping filters and topping off the oil till it cleans up changing just the filter every couple hundred miles and go from there.

and @Mooseman, no I don't use Fram Filters, my go to filter since I switched to Full Synthetic Oil is the Royal Purple, if I can't get that then my fall back filter is the Mobile One Extended Performance, this specific filter was the Royal Purple (I think I once used a K&N oil filter when the Royal Purple was out of stock), I know most Fram oil filters are garbage so I just decided to completely avoid the brand. I watch "I Do Cars" religiously, it's what I watch when i'm eating dinner Saturday Night because he posts at about the time I eat dinner on Saturday, pretty crazy how flexible those chain guides where on that Toyota 4.0 with the broken rod this week, When I said maybe chain guide I wasn't thinking a piece broke off so much as maybe "shaved" off a little of the surface or something like that.

Either way this is making me reconsider doing any more tuning or other stuff to the 4.2 (I was all gung ho after doing a tune on my 10th gen Civic Daily) and maybe sell some of my Bitcoin and buying an SS (I'm trying to not sell my Bitcoin if I don't have to), kinda like the idea of a starting point with more after market support for the engine, a truck with much lower miles and something I can direct swap my 22 SS Replicas and sound system and some of the other components outside of the engine bay over into and then return this truck to mostly stock and sell it off to help slightly offset the cost of the SS. I like the idea of starting with almost 50% more horsepower then the 4.2 and being able to build from there and I haven't owned a V8 powered vehicle since 2001 when I had my old 96 Tahoe LT.