Found these, all jammed up in myoil pump pickup along the edge of the screen. Did not get attracted by a magnet, so its aluminum shavings/cuttings.

I'm at a loss, and can't handle mysteries, so need the forum to solve this for me, or at least, theorize.





I haven't had any engine work done on the car, and the only 'service' i've had performed by others is my oil cooler line replaced by an indy shop, but don't see how cuttings got into the oil. I purchased the car from the jaguar dealer, and I'm the second owner. Coincidentally, it was from Brutal's dealership in Houston.

 

In the clump at 7:00 or so, just in the middle of it, it almost appears that it is an Allen head screw top? Or is that just the way it looks in the pic - an illusion?

 

I am going to "theorize" that it had something to do with the oil cooler line. Is it aluminum/non magnetic?

That would scare the crap out of me if I found those metal shavings running around inside my engine. You might want to pull everything upline from there. Obviously those filings could not go through the oil filter, or event that wire mesh screen, which is probably what saved you from a completely destroyed engine. They had to come from upstream.

I can't wait to find out where they came from. Glad you caught them in time.

 

The fact that one side (outer radius) of each shaving is smooth and silver, and the other side (inner radius) is cooked oil color leads me to believe that this problem happened during the operation of the engine, not from assembling the engine.

Those pieces look just like what comes off a lathe.

So when those pieces were cut, the part that got cut, might not have been the moving part. That is, something cutting into a rotating aluminum shaft.

Instead, the aluminum might have been the stationary part, and something moving or spinning cut into the aluminum.

Just guessing, perhaps a pulley (or gear) had a bit of flashing to it and it cut adjacent material as it spun?

Maybe a timing chain jumped a guide (or the guide broke) and the chain dragged across some surface? Tensioner problem?

Weird stuff happens inside of an engine.

Reminds me of the time I found a pebble wedged between the cam cap and camshaft of my VTR250. My best guess was that somehow the pebble got into the camshaft right before assembly in the factory. Oil pressure then blew it out of the camshaft and into the journal, where it wedged between the camshaft and journal. Sat there for 5k miles before I discovered it checking the valves. Seems the pebble caused for too big of a gap between the camshaft and cam cap, thereby lowering pressure elsewhere along the cam. The lifter didn't get enough lubrication and wore/burned both the lifter and camshaft. Oh, the VTR250 is a Honda product.

 

You have at least five pieces with identical helical profiles, uniform thickness and uniform width. They could not have come from the same random source (i.e., one location experiencing some wear event). I believe those pieces came from a repeated machining process of some kind. I might have some good news though - because there is no variation in thickness and width, the probability that small pieces may have made it through the screen is fairly slim and more than likely your engine isn't about to grenade itself either.

And now I must put away my crystal ball and pointy hat (which I admit, are just as good as everyone else's - lol)

Ciao! - Jim

 

I agree that it was from a Machining Process external to the Engine operation. Could have been in there since the Engine was New. The "Large" size probably prevented any of the pieces from getting into the Oil Pump.

 

OK, my second (hopefully last) theory on the topic.

The engine block is aluminum. This took something turning in a circular mode, such as a lathe to shave off these pieces. It had to be something in the lower end of the engine. I am thinking that somehow, this has something to do with the crankshaft or or a connecting rod or some other related part shaving these pieces off of the block.

Otherwise, they may have somehow been there from the initial engine assembly and never detected. Once again, happy that they did not destroy your engine.

I am neither an engineer nor a mechanic, and I don't play on on the internet, but you asked us to theorize.........

 

They are all strangely the same thickness, and since I am no mechanical 'anything', my first thought was some bore or machining process too, perhaps on the valves. I'd like to hear what one of the jag techs might offer, perhaps they've seen this themselves on an oil change. The only reason some were 'broken' is that they were so wedged in that lip, that I broke a few getting them out, otherwise, they'd all be as large as the one in the center and upper right. I did almost sheet myself when I first saw it and pulled one after another out.

 

As I am a machinist/engineer, they are definitely from the original engine production.... The only other option is someone put them there, there is nothing in the engine that would cause that otherwise....

Looking at the swarf they look like they have come from a grooving process, you get this idea from the horizontal lines across the back of the turnings and the shiny surface which is the tool edge at the front, I get a nigh on identically effect when I am parting off on the lathe


On the whole, you were very lucky

 

+1 - no doubt that's swarf from (probably) machining the block.
Maybe got lost in an oilway.
Don't worry about it - it's all Brutal's fault anyway.

 

Matt, I must have missed, why you as a 'none' mechanic removed the oil pan.

But, I would go have a chat with Bill asap, before putting things back together.

At least the screen did it's job.

 

These shavings come under the topic of "stuff you wish you never saw" or "stuff you wish you could forget".

Were it me, I would try for the latter, .

 

Just some theorizing:
1. old metal dipstick, or dipstick tube, then subjected to twisting (of crank).
2. parts left over from the timing chain / tensioner repair making its way to the bottom.
3. a single crankshaft bearing (falling into pan) or camshaft bearing (making its way back by oil passages).
4. insides of part of an oil filter which made itself looses.
5. any part of something that was replaced (oil pump, tube, etc).

Questions:
1. Why did you remove oil pan to begin with?
2. What engine repairs / parts have ever been done that touch oil (tensioners, oil pump, valves, bearings?)

 

Hard to say where it came from but I know I would be thinking about it until I found the source. It appears to be cut consistent and caused by a sharp tool using equal pressure and in my opinion done by a lathe or drill press. It is difficult to put into perspective without a point of measurement, can you put a coin next to the shavings? Looking at the shavings again it appears that the inside of each looks like part of the casting (unpolished & onetime cut) and that the shavings were part of the process to finish or receive something.

Like others it is an opinion!

 

Wow. I agree with the hypothesis that the debris is probably shavings left over from the machining process during original engine construction. Looks like the machinist/builder was careless and did not do a complete check for debris prior to assembly. I wonder if you found all of it, or if there's still more trapped inside....

Keep us posted as you make progress....

 

I'll get a pic with relative scale of the pieces shown a bit better next to a coin of my choosing.

Richard, when I say 'non-mechanic', I meant it more as a machinist or mechanical engineer', i've pulled many a part off my cars that have bolts or screws attached.

Bill, why you ask? I dropped the pan because I was chasing a RPM dependent noise; first noticed it about 8 months ago. It is more noticeable on startup, when cold; it sounded like a bad bearing on the lower half. I changed the idler pulley, alternator, and listened to all other pumps...nothing found. I thought it was my torque converter also, but that was replaced w/ my tranny rebuild. I finally elected to see if the oil pump was to blame, perhaps getting a restriction, or if the pan was damaged and too close to the pickup. Maybe it could have been some of those fragments just rattling around along that screen?

No top-end work has ever been done on this engine. Never had the valve covers off, only changed spark plugs and coils on it. Solid as can be, really.

I've already cleaned it up, put oil in it, and started it. Noise isn't there, but I haven't driven it yet, and it was even louder on acceleration around 2000 rpm. Once my intake manifold gaskets and those hoses underneath arrive, I'll put it back together for a test drive that is going to be more tense than normal after a DIY repair.

I'm wondering, what was Jaguar's labor situation in late 2002 when this car was built; were there financial worries, talks of sale, anything that might explain oversight or pressure to complete manufacturing with less hours? (if indeed it was from the original block/head machining).

Now, I'm wondering who'll be under their cars this weekend or next to take a look at their own oil pan and the pickup screen.

 

Sabotage is always a possibility - it was not unknown in the UK car industry unfortunately.
I'd guess they would have used something more effective though.
I can't see why/how the swarf would block your pickup or make a noise though.

 

Recession was certainly in full swing during late 2002. The tech bubble had collapsed here in the U.S. and I'm sure the repercussions were being felt on a global basis regardless of industry sector due to the stock market's drastic slide as well. I think "financial worries" were 24/7 at all auto manufacturers, not just Ford/Jaguar. But I still think that individual carelessness on the assembly line is a more likely explanation. You've heard the old story before about quality issues with cars built primarily on a Monday due to weekend hangovers being suffered by the assembly line workers. Perhaps your engine was built primarily on a Monday....

You should see the stuff that I have found inside walls and ceilings when doing home renovations. Makes me wonder what in the hell the construction crew was doing there besides just building the house....

 

I wouldn't be too worried about it. As has been mentioned, it looks like debris from machining. It's likely too heavy to be circulated and even if it was, as it's aluminum, probably wouldn't cause any harm.

 

Can somebody explain to me why one side of the shavings are pristine clean, and the other side are stained of different degree? For example: Bottom right, dark. Middle, in between. Upper left, light. Bottom left, none. If these shavings were assumed to be clean at the factory, and they have been sitting in the sump for all this time, should they not be equally discolored, if at all?

Looking at the underside of the crankcase in the first photo, how there is a gradient of discoloration, makes me think the way I do.