Please identify this material in my oil pan

[jamericaniSS]

I found it on my pick up tube and after draining the last amount of oil in the pan

 

[Sleeper-6]

Blue silicone?

 

[highboost2000]

When you take a piece and try to crush it does it come apart into a fine mixture? If it does, it could be carbon buildup. That is if the engine hasn't been rebuild recently.

 

[SFITurbo]

Cam gear

 

[getchasum]

Kind of looks like a head gasket going south.....

 

[zeus87gn]

Funk nasties

That is what I have always called good ol' engine funk. It can be caused by any of the above mentioned situations. This can happen in the best of older cars.

If you already have the oil pan off, and have better than 100k miles, you may seriously want to check the condition of the timing chain and cam gear. Not the easiest thing to replace, but better than an entire motor if it goes at just the wrong time.

 

[bruce]

I found it on my pick up tube and after draining the last amount of oil in the pan

You can basically have, AL pieces (usually piston), Plastic (timing chain), carbon (accumulations that flake and fall off), headgasket material, valve cover material, Bronze material (rod/ main/ thrust bearing), flakes of iron (can lobe going south). Probably a few other things, but a black chip in a picture, is just a black chip, you have to see what it really is.

 

[scottyb]

That is what I have always called good ol' engine funk. It can be caused by any of the above mentioned situations. This can happen in the best of older cars.

If you already have the oil pan off, and have better than 100k miles, you may seriously want to check the condition of the timing chain and cam gear. Not the easiest thing to replace, but better than an entire motor if it goes at just the wrong time.

I agree. At 175k , my chain tensioner came apart (pad came off the tensioner), and took out what little remained of the gear. My pickup screen looked much worse than that, and the pan had a healthy amount of plastic bits.

 

[AM86]

Just a newbie with this stuff but would he not be a great canidate to have his oil sent off to one of those oil testing places and have them tell what it is for sure? I was looking in to doing this myself does anyone have any input on doing this?

 

[zeus87gn]

Just a newbie with this stuff but would he not be a great canidate to have his oil sent off to one of those oil testing places and have them tell what it is for sure? I was looking in to doing this myself does anyone have any input on doing this?

Yes, that is certainly possible. But they wouldn't tell you anything other than you have just read. There are only so many types of basic physical material present in an internal combustion engine. The problem causers have already been listed.

 

[Ormand]

There can be things in the oil pan that were just leftovers from the assembly line. I've found a spare washer, heard of others finding tools. They do start the engines while they're on the assembly line, but that just filters out the really big stuff, like lunch boxes.

 

[jamericaniSS]

Ok guys i have updated info that might take out some of the possibilities. I just successfully pulled the intake manifold (my first one ever). I matched the material found in the pan to headgasket material. I could see like little pieces of hg material on the intake side. I pulled one of those pieces off and it matched the stuff in the pan. So what does this mean now, new headgaskets right.

If you zoom into the pics u can see the headgasket kinda seperating. I wonder if that would explain the disappearing radiator fluid slowly over a period of time.

This is car is a piece of work. I may end up pulling the motor myself, but ofcourse i will be doing it one bolt at a time

 

[jamericaniSS]

Ok guy pulled off the covers and checked all the lifters 1 by 1 and found absolutely no scaring, nicks, nothing. Put them back in proper position.

Next i'll pull the turbo and headers and then the heads.........stay tuned

 

[Scott Atk]

Anthony, Did you ever do a compression test? I'd hate to see you do an unnecessary headgasket job.

 

[jamericaniSS]

yeah i did the compression test, the guy said they seemed fine, i didnt do it myself, i was just there, it was late at night and i dont really remember....however i can see the gasket coming apart....plus there are only so many ways u can have disappearing radiator fluid. i almost have the head off anyways...i would feel better just to change it, they head need to be cleaned up anyways lots of white junky crap on one of the ports.

i mean even though im not 100% positive it is yet, i matched the headgasket material to the stuff found in the pan, so i dont know really where else to go....

if there is any other possibilities let me know, headed out to the store to pick up some 1/2 drive sockets

forget to mention im having way too much fun doing this :biggrin: one bolt at a time

 

[Scott Atk]

Have you decided on which gaskets you're going with?? For your application I would go with a Felpro 9441PT

 

[jamericaniSS]

Are those recommended for gn1 heads? Going back out for more wrenching

 

[jamericaniSS]

ok guys got the passenger head off this is what i found. i dent in part of the gasket on the intake valley side, dirty pistons, and ahmmm i dont know what else. some brown stuff on the valves. here are the pics

 

[jamericaniSS]

last one

 

[Scott Atk]

looks like it's been lifting, but not blown.
btw, that looks like the Felpro I was talking about.