Engine on track for disaster?

[Calvinep3]

Ok so today I changed my oil with castrol syn 5w30
I had an issue with the oil drain plug being stripped so my bro(a mechanic) helped me take it out
my engine has 113xxx and i found metal at the bottom of the oil pan from the oil i removed. After putting in my new oil my bro said that my engine is gonna die out on me and he gave my car about a month. idk if hes being an asshole or hes being serious. any thoughts suggestions or ways i prevent my engine from failing? its my dd and im a college student so i rely on it alot.

[04EP3Hatch]

Ok so today I changed my oil with castrol syn 5w30
I had an issue with the oil drain plug being stripped so my bro(a mechanic) helped me take it out
my engine has 113xxx and i found metal at the bottom of the oil pan from the oil i removed. After putting in my new oil my bro said that my engine is gonna die out on me and he gave my car about a month. idk if hes being an asshole or hes being serious. any thoughts suggestions or ways i prevent my engine from failing? its my dd and im a college student so i rely on it alot.

define metal please? small mettalic shavings, large shavings/chunks, copper colored bits? or maybe small peices of orange looking material (tensioner guides). does the engine sound normal, no knocks, taps or ticks? and check your cams if you have the stock A3

[04EP3Hatch]

i'd due an old fashin flush on her though, if the engine is quiet. go get some cheaper 0w20 and idle the engine for 20 minutes with it in there then let it drain for hours. it'll deplete all the old oil and whatever is left behind

[Calvinep3]

define metal please? small mettalic shavings, large shavings/chunks, copper colored bits? or maybe small peices of orange looking material (tensioner guides). does the engine sound normal, no knocks, taps or ticks? and check your cams if you have the stock A3

my car is stock btw and the engine sounds good to me. and no power lose for that matter.
they were small thin metallic shavings. my bro also turned on the engine and removed the oil cap and showed me how air pumps out very hard from there dunno if thats part of diagnosing a bad engine?.

[talonXracer]

How about aluminum shavings from the stripped threads on the pan????

Or does it look like very fine particles?

and the air pumping is expected at the oil cap.

I would not overly worry until the next oil change and if there is alot of new metal debris

[Calvinep3]

How about aluminum shavings from the stripped threads on the pan????

Or does it look like very fine particles?

and the air pumping is expected at the oil cap.



they were scattered on the bottom of the pan. some shavings some small particles.

is air pumping expected from the dip stick also?

[talonXracer]

Yes air will pump out the dip stick hole if the dip stick isnt inserted.

I would be concerned, shavings in the oil is never a good thing, determine if the shavings are aluminum or steel with a magnet.

[Calvinep3]

Yes air will pump out the dip stick hole if the dip stick isnt inserted.

I would be concerned, shavings in the oil is never a good thing, determine if the shavings are aluminum or steel with a magnet.

i dont have the shavings anymore =/ dropped of the oil at autozone. is there anything i can do other than avoiding high revs? maybe thicker oil?

[Ep3 ked]

I use cam2 15 40 its has zinc in it helps save ur engine

[talonXracer]

No oil can repair damage

Do not put 15w40 into the engine!

Use your current oil then go to a good dino oil and just do a few oil changes with short intervals to see if there is any more debris or you start hearing obvious noises of failure(you will be rather paranoid amplifying every little noise in your brain, LOL).

It would have been a good idea at that mileage to have swapped out the oil pump with as much work as it takes to get the pan off, also would have been a good time to check the condition of bearings.

[Tnhatch03]

your bro's an asshole. lol

take a bet that it will last longer than a month...

[Calvinep3]

@talonXracer - willdef take your advice
and yea now im def paranoid at anything i feel sound werid..lol but from now on im not "hitting the vtec"(even though we tech dont have any..lol) and no more ask fam for favors =/

@04EP3Hatch - thanks for your advice bro

@Tnhatch03 - yea he is dude and it sucks bc its family. hes just jealous bc im 5 years younger(20) and i have a nicer car than he does..and hes a mechanic..

[ImportCustomx]

Did you use an item called Restore or any other additives when changing the oil..becuase if you did...Restore and other additives sometimes have little metallic looking flakes in their additives to to help certain things.

if you used Restore, then ive seen that. the can looks like this
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/3163fx3gWML._SL500_AA300_.jpg

if you used this in your motor then you will notice little things in your oil that are metallic things

[talonXracer]

@talonXracer - willdef take your advice
and yea now im def paranoid at anything i feel sound werid..lol but from now on im not "hitting the vtec"(even though we tech dont have any..lol) and no more ask fam for favors =/


Now I have to step onto the pulpit and preach to the Honda brethren...

The Honda God Granted ALL K-series engines with VTEC !!!!!!!

And he also said, that ALL 16 valves on the K20A3 operate at all times!!!!


Your VTEC is engaging at 2400rpm

[Twisted-X]

Things that I would try the next time you change your oil would be a magnetic drain plug, and to cut open your used oil filter and inspect it for metal. You could also use a coffee filter in your funnel when you pour the used oil back into the container to get recycled (just be careful because the oil will go through the filter very slowly :mbiggrin:) .

[Calvinep3]

@ImportCustomx - nope no addictives just plain old 5w-30 castrol sunthetic =)

@talonXracer - haha yea we do but its not the traditional 4500-5000 most people expect.

@Twisted-X - great tips! sure will do next time! should be soon bc now im really paranoid about my engine. as soon as it begins to look dirty it will be my excuse for an oil change.

[superchargedk20]

check ur cams

[sLiCk]

I would take talons advice. Keep monitoring your oil changes for further debris in oil. I mean, if there is something wrong, the damage is already done.

[ImportCustomx]

now i have to step onto the pulpit and preach to the honda brethren...

The honda god granted all k-series engines with vtec !!!!!!!

And he also said, that all 16 valves on the k20a3 operate at all times!!!!


Your vtec is engaging at 2400rpm


ahmen!!!

[big kitty]

i just had the same type of issue, lots of metal in my oil, check your rod bearings, mine were slowly grinding away, bent one of my rods, check it before its too late

[yyi]

i just had the same type of issue, lots of metal in my oil, check your rod bearings, mine were slowly grinding away, bent one of my rods, check it before its too late

really? check rod bearings? you want him to completely take apart the engine?

[AKEP]

^ droping the oil pan is a small price to pay for a healthy motor.

[yyi]

^ droping the oil pan is a small price to pay for a healthy motor.

I didn't think about going from underneath. But don't you still need to pull the rod caps and girdle? I can't imagine that being an easy task, not to mention going from the bottom.