The truck is the one in my sig. 224,000 miles, 4.9l/ 5 speed.

I change the oil every 3,000-4,000 miles. Depending.

This last oil change interval, I had noticed more...Grit? in the oil when I'd check the dipstick. Nothing hard enough to be the consistency of regular sand; but more like flour.

I've included some pictures to try to help you guys figure this out.

I have noticed though, that after changing the oil (Mobil Super 5000 5w30 w/ a Purolator L30001 Classic Oil Filter this time) that the "Grit" has gone away more or less.

It's not that it has been gelling up, etc; More just a slightly thicker consistency than normal.

After changing the oil the other day it really seemed to run better. Not saying it unleashed 500hp or something, but it was noticeably better driving on the highway.



Was it just a fluke oil filter or something more that I need to be worried about?

Here's the pics:




This pic is as close as my camera would let me get to take a pic of the particulate matter. Nothing hard like plastic or metal shavings; just is puzzling to me. I do notice copius amounts of moisture present in the oil; but this was after it sat all night, and hadn't been ran. No loss of coolant, etc.

Just wondering if I'm needing to do some sort of major breakdown/ cleaning of my engine.

Not wanting to have to pull it, but I might have to. It needs the oil pan/gasket replaced anyways, so what's a bit more, right?

 

Got your old oil filter? Cut it open and take a look inside. Anything dissolvable would be soaked into the paper, anything you need to worry about will be there waiting for you to eyeball it.

I use tin snips to cut em open, since a cutoff wheel leaves metal bits everywhere.

 

I did the oil change at a friends' house, but I think the filter is still available. I'll check into it.

 

Appears in the pictures to be concentrated on one side of the stick rather than equally coated one would expect if was down in the oil. looks that way in the pictures you posted anyway.

Dip stick tube all rusty and crusty on the outside? just starting to show signs its all the way through now, the stick scrapes little bit off picking it up on the way down the tube, see it once remove the stick?

 

It's the same on both sides; I just snapped both pics iin a hurry. Oddly enough, the dipstick has a rusty texture about 4" down from the handle; but everywhere else, including the tube looks fine??

I had a random thought: What does the Phenolic Fiber materials the Timing Gears are made of, look like?

Never have seen it in person, or seen "Disaster photo's"; but it has been mentioned a few times on here that over the year and thousands of heat cycles, they have the possibility of shredding?

 

Yea the moisture found would be a little disconcerting unless of course know more often than not its short trips never getting to full running temp, if so need to correct that habit.

Far as the timing gear wearing off gotta say never seen one ending up as powder in the oil but anythings possible, they usually just loose teeth chunks of em or whole teeth.

I'd get that filter cut it open see if you can get an idea from it total volume of material you might be looking at. Trace amount or filter just loaded with it.

Moisture and the rust band you do see on the stick, its possible the inside of the tube is coated with rust but shows nothing on the outside.

Need to find the cause of the moisture problem and correct it, hard to say from the picture but no doesn't look like coolant related like a head gasket leak. The picture might not be true to color on everyones monitor. On mine for example it looks like light colored rust even couple of very small "flakes", looks like wet or damp rust dust.

 

I live in Eastern KY, so Humidity is AWFUL here right now.

About the only time it's started is to go to town and back (20-30 mile round trips) or to work and back (45-55 miles each way).

Hardly ever is started and ran less than 5 minutes.

As for the tube, Idk.....