Found this in the filter on the first oil change today. Engine has 500 miles. Before you guys start yelling take it back to the builder it is already there, in my garage. The engine has a comp cams flat tappet cam. Everything was assembled with assembly lube. Comp cams lube on the cam and Comp oil additive in the breakin oil. Pre lubed engine before I started it. Engine started pretty quickly on initial start. Ran for approximately 10 minutes at 2500 rpm and then shut down because engine started to overheat. (Brand brand new thermostat.). Removed thermostat and restarted and ran for 20 minutes @ 2500 RPM. Good oil pressure 40-60psi. The engine seems noisy when driving most noticeable around 2500- 3000 rpm. Not so noticeable in neutral not under load. I wouldn't call it a knock but definitely a deep harmonic sound. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
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I''ll be interested to hear what others have to say since I'm getting ready to change my oil for the first time as well. I hope the news isn't as bad as you think.

 

And that's not from the actual cutting of the filter, right?

 

That all looks black. Not gold like bearing material. Don't get too nervous just yet because even gold debris is normal in the break-in period. My builder said he wishes more people would check the filter on a regular basis because you can find problems in time to save the motor. That said ,there will be debris in any new motor because putting a motor together creates debris. Keep checking with each oil change and show the results to your builder until you are sure its OK. they will let you know if it's a problem and you will sleep MUCH better. Good luck.

 

You are using oil for older cars I hope. (with the zinc ). I do see some gold but as my builder said, when pressing in the cam bearings you will get some debris. If you are worried about the black debris you can get the Filtermag magnets at Filtermag.com that clamp around your oil filter and catch any steel fragments. Check it out. I got them and I think it will extend my engine life by removing those loose metal deposits.

 

what pistons are in it? Mine has forged aluminum and they will make noise until warmed up because they expand. If yours are forged, don't run it hard till it's warm because it can scratch the cylinders.

 

No Mac I was pretty careful to keep the filter oil separate from the housing.

Seal Pro hypereutectic flat tops 30 over. Noise is the same cold or hot

 

That stuff looks a lot like shot used in the engine cleaning process.

 

On my first oil change, I had a few tiny metal pieces and some shavings of aluminum, but upon inspecting the 2nd oil filter, it was clean as a whistle. Like costpenn says, this might be leftovers from the building process. I'd change the oil, run a new filter for a while, then re-inspect, but let's hear from some other folks.

 

Joe, you and Mathews may be on to something.
This stuff is black and only a very few shiney metal pieces showing. Now I am wondering if it could be some of the cam and engine lube that washed through the engine? Also there was not any metal suspended in the oil. This stuff is the consistency of the stuff you find in a transmission pan from the clutch packs.

 

As others said, there is always debris in the first change. A magnet will determine steel from bearing material.

 

Looks like metal shavings left over from the machining process to me. How thoroughly was the engine cleaned before assembly?

 

it could be shavings from machining as said from a dirty engine but i dont like the fact you heard some type of knock the overheating could just be timing and not from bearings and that metal doesnt look like bearings but more like steel

 

The block was very clean when it came back from the machine shop. Machinist stated I shouldn't have to do anything further but I scrubbed it down and blew through all the passages before I started assembly anyway. Not to say I couldn't have missed some though.

 

is everything stock in the engine...any windage tray or anything that could of gotten chewed up

 

That isn't the right look for bearing material. Bearing material is very fine and looks like panned gold. Ask me how I know.

 

Actually the overheating was a crappy new thermostat that did not open. I removed it and no other heating issues. Parts are not what they used to be! The noisy engine is a concern. It is not really a knock like a Rod or a noisy lifter. I cannot hear it under the hood at any RPM. I have tried to narrow it down with a stethoscope. I notice it when driving usually at steady RPM Instead of hearing the mellow exhaust notes I hear the engine. Not like spark knock either. Reminds me more of a solid lifter engine. I plan to take the rocker covers off and check the valve Geometry. The cam is a Comp 268H. Lift is .468. I used stock pushrods. I am wondering if the steel I am seeing is a cam lobe in the process,of wiping itself out.

 

Sampson, please, if you would want to, send a sample of that debris to Enginetech, Inc, my company - Attn. Lonnie Townsend. I will have him do a comprehensive analysis and get you a detailed report. Please send me a note if you are in fact sending it in.

Joe Munoz

 

well that seems like the thing to do with a dial gauge to measure lift also a compression test might be good to try first and hopefully something conclusive will show or the manifold may need to come off

 

that sounds pretty interesting... forensic engine diagnosis!...enginetech? the maker of springs?

 

Joe thank you for your generous offer. Please disregard the PM I sent last night. I was inspecting the debris a little closer this morning, in preparation to send you a sample. I took a little and squished it hard between my Fingers and it broke down into what looks like sludge with a little bit of very fine grit mixed in, that is non metallic. There are a couple pieces of gold metal, but, as others have stated this is to be expected. I tried to maintain an almost hospital sterile environment when I put this engine together. I suspect this dirt came out of the oil p/u. The pick up was extremely dirty to the point it was almost stopped up with sludge and pieces of a plastic timing chain failure. I thought I had cleaned it well but with the strainer in place there is no way to completely get to the inside of that thing. You can bet if I ever rebuild another it will include a new oil p/u. For now I am going to drive it hard and check it again the next oil change. Thanks to all for the responses and offers of help.

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thats good to hear

 

Well, the offer is still open! We do this as a service to all the professional engine rebuilders that are customers of ours. The coffee filter test, especially when performed on the contents of a couple of lifters, really tells the story about engine assembly cleanliness. The stories I could tell you....

 

My money is on a crappy cleaning job after machining. This happens. Only the most **** of builders can get it 99.99% clean. Id close it up and run it another few hundred and then have another look. The filter caught it as it should. Ive seen plenty worse. This is part of the reason to drop the oil so soon after an overhaul.