Foreign Body On My Dipstick!
Discussion
Just checked the oil in my Griff 500 ready for Duxford and noticed the tiniest bit of debris on the dipstick - not sure what it is but it could be a shard of metal - just one little piece. Is it normal to get the odd bit of rubbish in the oil - cars only done 3500 miles and sounds and runs fine, or should I panic that the engine's starting to disintegrate?
>>> Edited by Rosso Paul on Wednesday 7th August 07:25
>>> Edited by Rosso Paul on Wednesday 7th August 07:25
Car oil filters are pretty course, I have seen bits of metal in previous cars and have never worried about it. Never inspected Griff oil though yet. I personally wouldnt worry too much. Its still fairly new and you will have residual particles in the oil system from he bedding in process. Relax and enjoy.
when the car has its oil change, report the debris and ask them to check the oil.
washing around the waste oil with a magnet will expose any debris of concern (metallic)
we do this on industrial gearboxes
with a brand new, hand made engine i would doubt its too serious...but check anyway!
good luck / enjoy
ps metallic debris will fall to the bottom of the sump and generally stay there so if its "floating" in the oil its probably some other crud
washing around the waste oil with a magnet will expose any debris of concern (metallic)
we do this on industrial gearboxes
with a brand new, hand made engine i would doubt its too serious...but check anyway!
good luck / enjoy
ps metallic debris will fall to the bottom of the sump and generally stay there so if its "floating" in the oil its probably some other crud
quote:
Car oil filters are pretty course,
NO NO NO!!
They are not coarse at all. The filtration level in oil filters is in the region of 1-3 microns.. thats TINY! Even sub-micron size particles (like diesel soot at 0.7 micron or less) will get caught due to the irregular nature of the filtration medium used.
The sump acts as a separation tank, with metallic debris falling to the bottom. The oil pump itself wouldn't be able to handle the sort of debris that you can see - it works on fine tolerances as well.
Just my h'penny worth.
quote:
The last time I had a foreign body on my dipstick I had to shell out for a cab to get her home!
I'll never forget walking by "the Coke Sign" (Darlinghurst Rd?) in Sydney's red light district near where I used to live...
"Come on mate, get some lipstick on yer dipstick"..
That was at six o'clock in morning!
I'd get up to go to work and the club doormen were still shouting at the revellers of the night before...NO NO NO!!
They are not coarse at all. The filtration level in oil filters is in the region of 1-3 microns.. thats TINY! Even sub-micron size particles (like diesel soot at 0.7 micron or less) will get caught due to the irregular nature of the filtration medium used.
The sump acts as a separation tank, with metallic debris falling to the bottom. The oil pump itself wouldn't be able to handle the sort of debris that you can see - it works on fine tolerances as well.
Just my h'penny worth.
Not so sure I agree with you here. I have chopped up several car oil filters in the past and looked at them under an electron microscope and they certainly aint 1-3 micron, more like 50 micron. Although I will agree with you about the metal sinking to the sump.
>> Edited by zippy500 on Friday 9th August 20:18
Well, I used to manage the R&D department of an oil filter manufacturer, and that was the filter mesh size we were looking at...
Normal filters are made from fibres, which creates an irregular filter media - some gaps will be large, some will be small. Thats why the actual filter area is huge (considering that they are pleated etc...) to ensure that efective filtration will take place. We were looking at replacing them with wire mesh, and we needed to be down to 10 micron IIRC to work effectively. Mind you we were using a centrifugal filter as well. Complex stuff.
Normal filters are made from fibres, which creates an irregular filter media - some gaps will be large, some will be small. Thats why the actual filter area is huge (considering that they are pleated etc...) to ensure that efective filtration will take place. We were looking at replacing them with wire mesh, and we needed to be down to 10 micron IIRC to work effectively. Mind you we were using a centrifugal filter as well. Complex stuff.
Well, I invented the internal combustion engine AND the whole concept of 'filters' (my real name is actually Lee Filter, hence the name filters) and I can tell you that you're both wrong you under-educated pistonheaders. In actual fact a 1/8th size clone of Mini-me out of Austin Powers (himself a 1/8th size clone of Dr. Evil) is contained in every oil 'filter' and he spends the life of the 'filter' catching debris as it passes. Sometimes of course he has to sleep or simply misses something (he is approximately human afterall) and that's how the larger debris gets past.
Hope that clears things up for you and that I got enough technical detail in there for you.
Don't worry, there's no charge.
roadsweeper.
:ithinki'mlosingit:
Hope that clears things up for you and that I got enough technical detail in there for you.
Don't worry, there's no charge.
roadsweeper.
:ithinki'mlosingit:
quote:
Well, I used to manage the R&D department of an oil filter manufacturer, and that was the filter mesh size we were looking at...
I have heard a lot of "don't use XXX filters, they are crap, YYY are much better" type comments - unfortunately all contradictory. In your (clearly extensive) experience, which are the good ones?
TVR_nut
quote:
Well, I invented the internal combustion engine AND the whole concept of 'filters' (my real name is actually Lee Filter, hence the name filters) and I can tell you that you're both wrong you under-educated pistonheaders. In actual fact a 1/8th size clone of Mini-me out of Austin Powers (himself a 1/8th size clone of Dr. Evil) is contained in every oil 'filter' and he spends the life of the 'filter' catching debris as it passes. Sometimes of course he has to sleep or simply misses something (he is approximately human afterall) and that's how the larger debris gets past.
Hope that clears things up for you and that I got enough technical detail in there for you.
Don't worry, there's no charge.
roadsweeper.
:ithinki'mlosingit:
Cock!
J3sus, who rattled your cage, or is it just a simple case of a SOH bypass? 
If you read back over the posts it does sound like you're competing in a game of one-up-manship! (sp?) That’s all my post was picking up on – hence the use of the smiley.
Still, people like you always make me laugh - name-calling is a pastime best indulged in by small children and not ‘mature’ adults. I’m sure you’re always so forthright and brave when confronted in person.
roadsweeper :searchingformorerelaxedclimes:
If you read back over the posts it does sound like you're competing in a game of one-up-manship! (sp?) That’s all my post was picking up on – hence the use of the
smiley. Still, people like you always make me laugh - name-calling is a pastime best indulged in by small children and not ‘mature’ adults. I’m sure you’re always so forthright and brave when confronted in person.
roadsweeper :searchingformorerelaxedclimes:
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