Particulates after 1st 1000 miles, normal??
 

Car: '82 ROW SC
Oil: Brad Penn 30 wt 1st 20 minutes, 20-50 there after

This is the 2nd oil change for my new engine (complete top+bottom end). I have about 1000 miles and the engine and it spins like a top, starts easy, and drips no oil. Sounds great too w/ headers and sport muffler.

I put in a magnetic plug into my sump plate and here is what has caused my concern:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1234028677.jpg

There was a ton of this very very fine dull gray paste stuck to the plug. It wiped off easily as you can see some on the paper towel in the background. The plug was essentially full to the brim with this stuff. You can see how much that is by looking at the cleaned plug below and comparing above...
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1234028821.jpg

Should I be concerned or is this typical of the break in process? I have not cut the oil filter yet, but am planning on it.

Best regards,

Michael

I think you are fine- I wouldnt worry about that.
If you are really concerned, I would recommend one of those filter magnets.
But I think you are normal for break in

This is iron or steel as evidenced by the attraction to the magnet. The iron in our engines is in the crankshaft, layshaft, piston rings, rocker arms, camshaft, and oil pump. The steel is in the oil pump, cam timing, and distributor gears, chains, sprockets, springs, ball bearings, and shims.

Some particulates are normal, but this is a lot. I would cut open the oil filter and if you see this much gray paste, I would send the oil to a lab for analysis. Here is one that knows Porsche:
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/index.html

You may have a serious problem or it may be break-in dust, it would depend on what parts you replaced.

Mark

I replaced: chains, all bearings except #8 nose cone, a couple of cylinders, all the rings, 1 piston, complete head job, and most of the hardware. Cams, rockers, rocker shafts, and bolts remained the same as they were good. That's all the big stuff.

-Michael

I completely rebuilt my 3.2 as well, and saw similar deposits on my plug. However, it has not lasted nearly 1000 miles. I race the car, so the motor is used more vigorously, but the amount of assembly lube you are seeing at this stage indicates you may have used too much. I would be concerned that it is gunking up the tiny passages where the oil is supposed to go, causing starvation in critical areas like the crankshaft and piston squirters. Below is a pic of my plug following a rod bearing failure due to starvation.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/100_0855.jpg

and the bearing damage:

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/100_0880.jpg

and crank:

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/100_0879.jpg

Eeewwww.....

[QUOTE=ZOA NOM;4470995]I completely rebuilt my 3.2 as well, and saw similar deposits on my plug. However, it has not lasted nearly 1000 miles. I race the car, so the motor is used more vigorously, but the amount of assembly lube you are seeing at this stage indicates you may have used too much. I would be concerned that it is gunking up the tiny passages where the oil is supposed to go, causing starvation in critical areas like the crankshaft and piston squirters. Below is a pic of my plug following a rod bearing failure due to starvation.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...s/100_0880.jpg

Dude, that sucks! I dont think this was caused by assembly lube though.
The particulates that he is seeing are not anything out of the ordinary- What he is seeing is none other than rings and MAYBE a little bit of brand new chain stuck to the drain plug.
Just make sure you get as much oil out as you can.
Anyone else notice how our cars don't filter on the pressure side? Porsche skimped on that department :rolleyes:

That looks about right for a break in with new rings. Drive it for awhile and change the oil again and I'll bet you have alot less.

-Andy

Some is normal for the first few thousand miles but that looks like a little more and It may be small particles lining up in the magnetic flux, but that looks like slivers of metal on the magnet.

I hope your cam sprockets are in correct alighnment with the intermediate shaft sprockets bacuse if they aren't, this how the metal being shaved off the edges of the sprockets by the chain look can look.

Hope it's cleaner next oil change.