Freshly built motor now metallic oil

E92 420

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Jul 8, 2017
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Ok so drained the oil and all seemed pretty normal to me, no excessive glitter like oil just normal looking oil. Magnetic Sump plug had nothing on it at all. Only the oil filter area had glittery looking oil.

To me all seems pretty normal now. Obviously the oil filter is doing it’s job and caught whatever there was on intitial start up and run. Think I can relax a bit.

Iv changed oil and filter so will continue with break in over weekend then Monday another oil and filter change.
 

Bmwfixerguy1

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Jun 5, 2017
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I'm saying this nicely. Your being paranoid lol. Which is ok :)

This is breaking in and Normal, it's the reason builders instruct you to use a high zddp oil and change it often in the beginning. I know some builders demand a 5 min idle then change then another 15 minutes change. Then break in....

I think you be ok pal enjoy and I hope we took some edge off for ya
 

doublespaces

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Oct 18, 2016
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Glad to hear things seem to be alright. So, when do we get to see your car in action?
 

E92 420

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Jul 8, 2017
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I'm saying this nicely. Your being paranoid lol. Which is ok :)

This is breaking in and Normal, it's the reason builders instruct you to use a high zddp oil and change it often in the beginning. I know some builders demand a 5 min idle then change then another 15 minutes change. Then break in....

I think you be ok pal enjoy and I hope we took some edge off for ya

Yes I think I am. And yes the edge has been taken off lol.

The paranoia comes from having 2 stock motors fail on me at low power levels.
 
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E92 420

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Glad to hear things seem to be alright. So, when do we get to see your car in action?

Well with a new born son and working offshore for weeks at a time, time is most certainly a premium at the moment! Also sods law that now I have the car back, it’s around the time in the UK when the weather turns bad and they will start salting the roads, so as soon as the Engine is broken in the car will put away for the winter! A lot of other lovely parts to fit over the winter months tho and once I feel the car is where i want it I will be starting a thread on the build. Once late spring is here I’ll be taking her to the Nurburgring for a long weekend and other more local track/road course days (car is not a drag car). Ill be sure to fit cams to the car for the ring and post up footage.
 

doublespaces

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Trying to diagnose the knocking sound on my car, I have pretty much the exact same thing in my oil:

upload_2018-6-16_14-24-25.png


Nothing I can see in the filter:
upload_2018-6-16_14-25-1.png
 

boostE92d

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Jan 9, 2018
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Stock motor with metal? Continue driving like I stole it.
Built motor with metal? Fingernails don't get a chance to grow.
Pretty sure it'll be fine, but I understand.
 

E92 420

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Jul 8, 2017
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Hmm. Well after 5 or so oil changes in 2500 miles mine has reduced considerably but not completely. Cars running very strong, tuned by V8bait and made numbers that I’m happy with for a lower compression motor.

Have you compresion tested?
And flushed the oil out to see if It comes back? Do you have a sound clip of the noise?
 

doublespaces

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You can hear it a bit in these videos. After startup, sometimes it clanks really loudly, then quiets down. It tends to come in and out in terms of how loud it is. It seems like a very quick sound for an 800 rpm idle if a single rod bearing has gone bad. Also, it seems to go away with RPM as the one time I did rev it I couldn't hear anything and I brought it up to around 5k or so.

This is what I've done since I tried to run the car last, walnut blast, upgraded index 11 to index 12, #6 was leaky. Replaced #6 plug, regapped to 0.020, swapped coils from BL to stock back to BL trying to figure out severe timing problems. Changed PCV from stock to RB external. Have had rail pressure issues with shotgun, 23 psi gives me 1100 psi rail pressures on E54. Have vacuum on the oil cap.
 
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Blaster3500

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Nov 5, 2016
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Does it sound similar to this? Yours sounds deeper but coulda just be the video. Only reason I ask is this is a dying HPFP with a shotgun setup.
 

doublespaces

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Does it sound similar to this? Yours sounds deeper but coulda just be the video. Only reason I ask is this is a dying HPFP with a shotgun setup.
Close, but thats a bit higher. I stuck my ear to a screw driver and traced it to the front of the enging, timing area. Looked in front of my motor and noticed this:
35496538_1957205617631927_8328501423046131712_n.jpg


My tensioner pulley I reused, because the one I bought was soft metal and stripped when trying to put the tight shotgun belt on.

Looks like I'm just going to be the legit OEM pulleys. I wonder if this thing is loose or failing. The tensioner has 60k on it.

This is what it looked like when I was done installing it:
upload_2018-6-17_22-51-2.png


I'm wondering if I ever tightened the tensioner down fully... Will check it tomorrow.

By the way, if this turns out to be the issue, shout to @WedgePerformance for suggesting this first. @dyezak was on the right track, and also for everyone else who suggested the screw driver which led me to this. Going to cross my fingers this solves my problems.
 
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fmorelli

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dyezak

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Close, but thats a bit higher. I stuck my ear to a screw driver and traced it to the front of the enging, timing area. Looked in front of my motor and noticed this:
View attachment 12434

My tensioner pulley I reused, because the one I bought was soft metal and stripped when trying to put the tight shotgun belt on.

Looks like I'm just going to be the legit OEM pulleys. I wonder if this thing is loose or failing. The tensioner has 60k on it.

This is what it looked like when I was done installing it:
View attachment 12435

I'm wondering if I ever tightened the tensioner down fully... Will check it tomorrow.

By the way, if this turns out to be the issue, shout to @WedgePerformance for suggesting this first. @dyezak was on the right track, and also for everyone else who suggested the screw driver which led me to this. Going to cross my fingers this solves my problems.

Here's a beer to toast to it being a relatively easy fix :beer:

(note, we need a beer emoji)
 
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doublespaces

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Tightened pulley, noise still there. Screw driver says its coming from behind the hpfp on the block, cylinder #2. Its a clicky grindy noise.
 

bennythebimmer

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Sep 8, 2017
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Tightened pulley, noise still there. Screw driver says its coming from behind the hpfp on the block, cylinder #2. Its a clicky grindy noise.
Just stumbled on this thread and most interested in the original report you had of glitter in the oil. Were you ever able to track this down or any further updates on what happened? I have had the exact same thing in my oil ever since I have had the car. Car feels healthy, sounds healthy, no knocking, no weird noises, and oil analysis is normal.
 

AkRb

New Member
Dec 10, 2023
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Hmm. Well after 5 or so oil changes in 2500 miles mine has reduced considerably but not completely. Cars running very strong, tuned by V8bait and made numbers that I’m happy with for a lower compression motor.

Have you compresion tested?
And flushed the oil out to see if It comes back? Do you have a sound clip of the noise?
Sorry for reviving an old thread, but after all did you have any issues after?