interesting oil change question

[grumpyvette]

I had Bob stop over to use my lift to do and oil change , he brought his own oil, and filter etc. like he usually does and while he put his car up on my lift I got the oil catch can ready, and the oil filter wrench etc. and after he had the car up I rolled the oil catch can under the car and got the large funnel end centered, I dropped the disposable paper paint filter with one of my engine magnets into the base of the funnel like Ive done for decades so that all the oil draining out of the engine drains out thru the filter and and ferrous metal sticks to the magnet which I can use to trap and spot potential problems, Ive done that on my cars for decades and did it as a mater of course without really thinking about it on his car, after all the magnets easily reusable, after its cleaned, the filters thrown in the trash and I'm out 20 cents but I'm also likely to catch any issues with bearing failing early before they become a big issue.
he said,
"Ive seen you do that dozens of times and never thought to ask what the hell you were looking for,... well?"
I looked at the screen and the magnet and said,
"the doc prescribes more frequent oil changes , but other than that I think the patient will live"

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=D82SH

my shop oil collection drain can looks a bit like this one but holds 20 gallons
http://www.homedepot.com/s/paint+filter?NCNI-5
almost any auto paint store and most hardware stores sell these disposable throw away paint strainer filters , that cost about 20-35 cents each, or a bit less in bulk packs, honestly I don,t see why most guys don,t invest the dollar it takes for a magnet and a couple filters

heres a helpful diagnostic tool,(the oil filter cutter pictured below) and yes I still cut open the oil filters and inspect the filter element on my cars oil filter [/color]

http://www.circletrack.com/enginetech/c ... ilter_fun/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-9 ... toview=sku

its basically a heavy duty can opener , or an oil filter cutter designed to make it easy to internally inspect oil filters, by allowing you to remove the filter element , from inside the surrounding (CAN) for close visual inspection. if you've got more than a tiny bit of metallic crud in the filter theres a good chance some is embedded in bearings or partly clogging oil passages
If you don,t have one, and have not used one, your unlikely to see, or appreciate the benefits,close inspection can and does frequently give you prior evidence of impending or at least gradually occurring wear and with practice you can make an excellent guess as to the parts and condition of those components.

related threads
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...king-how-other-people-might.11959/#post-56957

viewtopic.php?f=51&t=1458&p=22845&hilit=shrapnel+screens#p22845

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=117&p=15899&hilit=inspecting+oil+filter#p15899

 

[87vette81big]

Thats a Couple of great tips Grumpy.
Its a regular habit of mine to cut open oil filters & inspect when changing oil in my own vehicles.
I never thought of using paint strainers with a small magnet in bottom to check further.
Have to try it this weekend.
Change the oil in the Suburban, Honda CRV & Corvette.

 

[Indycars]

Grumpy,

Many, many, times you have said cut the filter open, but you have never said
anything about how to proceed after that.

* Do you take the paper element out?

* If you take the filter element out, then how do you remove it from the filter?

* Any photos of a typical filter trash a person is likely to see and is nothing to
worry about?

* Obviously one is looking for metal, but have you found gasket material in the
filter when say an Intake Gasket failed?

* I used a box knife to cut the filter element out so I could stretch it out and see
down inside the pleats. Is there a better way to get the filter element out?

 

[grumpyvette]

that method will work fine! but I generally don,t go that far,
trust me, if somethings starting to go bad a strong flash light and a thumb spreading the pleats will be all thats required
to make it all too obvious even without cutting the filter element loose.

a $6 32 led flash light from harbor freight , will make micro bits of metallic trash from cam lobes, lifters and bearings trapped in the pleats of the oil filter stand out like the assets of a stripper in the flood lights of a topless bar, as you spread the pleats with your thumb even with the element still fully attached to the oil filter as it came from the manufacturer.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-3-4-quar ... 98504.html

 

[Indycars]

OK, thanks Grumpy !

 

[grumpyvette]

Symptoms of Engine Bearing Failure

, eHow Contributor

Of all the things that can take your engine out, bearing failure is one of the most insidious. Car-oriented types tend to try to ignore bearing issues, compensating for them by using ever-thicker oil and an eye on the gauges instead of just replacing them as necessary. But bearing wear can have broad-ranging consequences not only to your engine, but to anything bolted to it. Have a question? Get an answer from a mechanic now!
Other People Are Reading
Silver Shavings in the Oil

A certain amount of silver-like, metal sheen -- actually aluminum dust -- in the oil and on the dipstick is a result of normal bearing wear. But this dust should be just that; a powder fine enough that you cannot make out any individual grain of aluminum. But when bearings as a result of overheating or running out of oil, the bearings' aluminum outer face will typically shave away in fine splinters or ribbons. If you find splinters or ribbons of aluminum stuck to your dipstick or in the oil during an oil change, then you've got a bearing either gone or on its way out. A good mechanic will always cut the top off of his oil filter after each oil change to check the filter media for early signs of excess aluminum dust and shavings.
Copper Sheen in the Oil

Many bearings use three layers; a soft aluminum outer layer, a layer of copper in the middle and a steel backing plate. Such tri-metal bearings use copper, which is a softer but slicker metal than aluminum, to give the owner a last line of defense before the bearing wears down to the steel or fails completely. The copper layer will typically last one or two thousand miles, giving you an opportunity to detect imminent bearing failure before it kills your motor. Once you bearing gets down to the copper layer, the bearing will send out a red flag in the form of copper dust in the oil. If you see a ceppory sheen on your dipstick, inside the valve cover or in the oil, then you've got a bearing on the verge of failure.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_12226656_sympt ... z32TrGra3T

when stuff starts to fail youll see stuff like this, don,t ignore it, thats the time to pull the engine down for an inspection and new rings, bearings , and probably lifters, maybe a cam or valve springs, retainers etc. the main thing is a detailed close inspection to locate where the metals coming from WELL before it gets expensive to repair

by the time your filter looks like this, its already getting expensive, that metals coming from someplace, and REMEMBER ITS PUMPED THRU YOUR OIL PUMP GEARS BEFORE IT ENTERS THE OIL FILTER... a GREAT REASON TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT REACHING THE GEARS WITH MAGNETS AND SHRAPNEL SCREENS

RELATED INFO
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=120&p=28636&hilit=magnets+screens#p28636

viewtopic.php?f=53&t=2727

viewtopic.php?f=51&t=1458&p=22845&hilit=magnets+screens#p22845

or
http://www.magnet4sale.com/samarium-cobalt-discs/

keep in mind over heating the oil significantly reduces its durability life span, but an engine that doesn,t get much actual run time, ( less than 3000-5000 miles per year,) has the potential to have moisture build up in the oil while it sits un-used and that moisture plus exhaust gasses form acids that can be harmful to bearings, so changing the oil and filter out at least every 12-14 months would be cheap insurance, if your not willing to pitch oil that looks fairly clean, you should at least get the engine oil temps up to 215F MINIMUM at least once a month and change the oil filters out every 6-8 months, on most cars oil reaches operational temp, with-in 10 minutes running in traffic.

 

[Grumpy]

I have seen on several web sites for oil change saying that the oil change intervals of 10000-25000 (OR) once a year, are now acceptable with the newer synthetic oils.. Why would you change your oil that is recommended for 25000 miles at 15000 just because it has been in there for a year?

All engine oils collect both soot and moisture ,Condensation is always a by-product of combustion and temperature changes from heat cycling, will result in moisture forming acids in a car that sits occasionally for several days at a time, any engine oil must reach and stay at at least 215F minimum for several minutes to boil off trapped moisture content. Said moisture that forms is very acidic and doesn't really do your engine any good if left in there for long periods of time. its a good idea to swap out the oil filter for a new one at about every 5-6 k miles even if your using a synthetic oil, so mid way between swapping your oil and filter every 10-12 K or every 6-8 months WITH A DECENT QUALITY OIL,AND FILTER swapping an oil filter and checking the dip stick oil level every time you get fuel will help durability.
READ THIS LINK
http://www.maintenanceresources.com/referencelibrary/oilanalysis/oa-m.htm
you'll also find that contaminants, that form in the oil tend to build up in the oil filter medium and block the pores in that filter medium, reducing its efficiency, swapping the oil and filter and using a good quality oil and filter is CHEAP compared to the DAMAGE that can occur over time if the old oil is not frequently heat cycled to remove moisture acids and soot build up, there are additives that get burnt or dissolved during the repeated cycles, so it makes sense to swap out old oil .
yes you have the option of having used oil analyzed
but most guys look at the time and cost required and figure its a significant percentage of what an oil change would cost so they feel like its just simpler to swap oil and filter every 10-12 K or every 6-8 months
longer oil filters , and dual oil filters can and usually do have significantly larger surface area of filter medium

http://polarislabs.com/oil-testing-...=63174994743&gclid=CLnVkozu6sUCFYoYHwodRQQAcw

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Wix-24077-Oil-Analysis-Kit/dp/B000CSEUQ0

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/how-to-do-engine-oil-analysis.htm

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/oil-filters-related-info.2080/#post-22579

 

[87vette81big]

The amount of damage done when a Roller Cam and Lifters Fail is Horrorendous.
Takes a $10,000 -100,000 engine and turns it to a pile a Chit.
Only way I would use would Be Isky Redzone Roller Needle bearing free solid lifters.
Ampco bronze trunion bearings.
$2,000 price tag on top of rest of engine build to do it right.