Metal in oil

[87carl]

Went to change oil few minutes ago and found this on the drain plug alot of flake and a couple big chunks. She has been throwing p0016 cam crank code for couple of weeks. Could all this be just from a bad timing chain? Do I need to rebuild the engine or will it be fine if I just put a new timing chain on?

 

[87carl]

The oil change was overdue have not done it since last summer. My odometer don't light up (gauge cluster has something wrong with it) so I do not know exact miles on oil but probably round 7-9 thousand miles. Has good oil pressure round 40-60 psi normally no nocks or noises engine runs very good.

 

[Bill 1960]

Are you getting any unusual engine noises? I have not spent enough time on the inside of a 5.3 to give any specific advice. In general I’m thinking the source of that is making some unhappy noises.

Missed your second post while thinking... asked and answered.

 

[swathdiver]

The oil change was overdue have not done it since last summer. My odometer don't light up (gauge cluster has something wrong with it) so I do not know exact miles on oil but probably round 7-9 thousand miles. Has good oil pressure round 40-60 psi normally no nocks or noises engine runs very good.

Well something is not right, I would start with having a look behind the front cover and drop the oil pan to see what else is in there and take it from there.

 

[87carl]

Ordered parts for timing will pickup in am. Anyone have any good how too vids or write ups never done this on a ls engine before and is there any specialty tools I'll need? Got the belt and water pump off so far. What can be done bout crank relearn I don't have a scan tool. hopefully I don't find anything to bad in there.

 

[Foggy]

Your crank sensor is a magnet.. So the metal is all over it too..
Make sure to replace it for sure.. It will quit working covered in metal.

 

[87carl]

Your crank sensor is a magnet.. So the metal is all over it too..
Make sure to replace it for sure.. It will quit working covered in metal.

Could that be the cause of the p0016

 

[Foggy]

Could that be the cause of the p0016

Yes, absolutely

 

[87carl]

Yikes. That's not good

 

[87carl]

When I get pan and front cover off tomorrow is there anywhere specific I should look for sources of the metal? What could lose that much metal without making noises or causing problems?

 

[Bill 1960]

Do you still have the oil filter you removed in the oil change? Might want to cut that open and peek inside.

 

[87carl]

Yea was thinking about doing that but how do I cut it open

 

[iamdub]

Yea was thinking about doing that but how do I cut it open

I don't see the point. People cut open filters to see if there's any metal in the oil. You already know you do. I would try to identify the larger chunks. If you still have them, clean them off and post up some clear pics. Maybe we can help pinpoint what's coming apart. The sooner you ID and fix the failure- the better. Your engine might still be very salvageable.

 

[HD_LS]

When I get pan and front cover off tomorrow is there anywhere specific I should look for sources of the metal? What could lose that much metal without making noises or causing problems?

Sorry to hear about this, hopefully it is something repairable without a rebuild. My first guess would be that it is something in valve train other than the timing chain. Pulling the valve covers might be the next step in diagnosis.

 

[donjetman]

A used oil analysis (UOA) would have informative and interesting.

 

[87carl]

Sorry to hear about this, hopefully it is something repairable without a rebuild. My first guess would be that it is something in valve train other than the timing chain. Pulling the valve covers might be the next step in diagnosis.

If I don't find anything in timing or oil pan that will be next place I look.
How much does used oil analysis cost and what would it tell me

 

[swathdiver]

If I don't find anything in timing or oil pan that will be next place I look.
How much does used oil analysis cost and what would it tell me

$30 and it will tell you how many parts per million different metals are floating around in your oil. The metals let you know what kind of wear or problem your engine is experiencing. I do a yearly sample of the engine and transmission, probably should do the differentials and transfer case too.

 

[Bill 1960]

You’re not doing a UOA at this point, unless you saved the old oil in a spotlessly clean container. Sampling the new oil won’t tell you anything.

And you’re way past the point of a few PPM of iron in the oil telling you a problem is approaching. The problem has arrived.

UOA is mainly useful for trends, where you can watch a series of data points over time. For example if you’re doing it regularly and your iron is 11, 13, 10, 37 then that’s a wake up call. And it’s useful for early identification of things like leaking coolant, bad air filtration, PCV failure and so on. I do it myself on a couple of vehicles where I have specific concerns, but not on the average gas engine light duty vehicle. NAPA has the best price I’ve found on UOA service. Less than $15 IIRC. Plus postage to ship the sample.

 

[87carl]

Just got front cover off found the problem timing chain tensioner came apart. And the mangled piece in second picture was between oil pump and crank sprocket grinding on sprocket. So aslong as the metal in the oil didn't damage any bearings or anything it should hopefully be alright? Still gotta drop the differential and steering rack to get oil pan off. Sorry pics are dark phones dying and I'm under a tarp it's pouring out.

 

[89Suburban]

Holy *****!!!!! Good job there pal finding the broken part. How many miles on that beast? Great job on the makeshift garage cover too. You are determined bless you. Hope this works out without major issues for ya.