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First and foremost, I am nowhere near an expert in any of this. I know enough just to get myself in trouble. Ive been around heavy diesels my entire life, from the farm to the oilfields. Coming here to seek some advice. Serviced the truck Saturday after a small shakedown of my new suspension, and admittedly this service interval went a little longer than I ever do on my trucks (about 6000 miles and a little over a year), but this one only sees 5-10k miles a year MAX (avg ~7500). I am generally an every 3,000 miles or 6 months type of person on my trucks, if im using it a lot ill run it to 5,000. Been a rotella T6 15-40 guy for life, but have ran amsoil in this truck before as well.
My curiosity got the best of me on this one. I haven't cut a filter open or really filtered the oil on a change since having the motor out to re-seal and do an oil pan on, so I said what the heck lets cut the filter open and have a look. Now I wish I didn't. My question is, on these trucks or lighter diesels, how much is too much? Im talking material in the filter/oil. I know what a bad bearing looks like, but those are generally only once you have a knock or spun bearing, and know the motors down already. Ive never looked at one that's operating as normal. In the oil field and we always sent oil samples to CAT, and I remember back in the day on the farm we used blackstone. I plan to run this 3,000 and pull a sample and send it into Speed Diagnostics, as I've seen there advertisement and heard the name thrown around.
Now for the good stuff. In this filter I found 2 pieces, one small remnant of a zip tie, and one small piece of rubber-ish piece of plastic. The filter pleats didn't look bad, few very small silver pieces here and there, but overall looked very clean. How the heck the piece of zip tie ended up in there, ill never know. Remaining oil in the filter had some glitter, nothing crazy, but my eyes saw it, and its there, and cant be unseen. My truck does make a weird knocking noise OCCASIONALLY when coming back down to idle, like approaching a stop at a stop light, but goes away after a few seconds idling. Ive never even considered it being a rod knock, more so a fuel knock or piston slapping sound, but I do have an FRx on it, just generally never paid it any attention and chalked it up to 7.3 injectors being 7.3 injectors. As time goes on, I plan on turning this truck into more of a hobby project than using it for any kind of real work, sort of a fun money pit winter driver, as the wife has really been on my butt to upgrade these recent months.
Im not overly concerned, just genuinely trying to get some education here from some of you that are way more knowledgeable than myself in this area.
Pics below for you to pass judgment and determine my fate. I know an analysis is the only true way, and this thread will be the beginning of that rabbit hole. Enjoy.
Blackstone still does oil reports, I did one last year after a scare. I see the pieces you have on your finger and not sure on the zip tie. Maybe it was in the filter before use. The other piece may be some excessive seal that came loose.
The debris at the bottom of the oil filter I'm not sure. Any of it magnetic?
Like a dummy I didn’t stick a magnet in it. Comparing filters of engines that are long gone, this amount seems like nothing, but those engines were also 10,000+ hour Cummins and cats that run under load for weeks on end sometimes.
Maybe the rubberish flat piece is a crushed piece of zip tie by the oil pump. Don't really see how that intact piece of zip tie made it through the oil pump though. lol
I always check the inside of the oil filter before I install. This is what I found this last time. Looks like a manufacture defect.
before changing my oil filter
I always check the inside of the oil filter before I install. This is what I found this last time. Looks like a manufacture defect.
before changing my oil filter
wow, never, ever, looked at one before screwing it on...
I will now, but at 83, I have screwed on a lot of oil filters.
Yeah i agree that piece of zip tie is definitely from the uvch, I believe I need new gaskets anyways, so may be tearing into this a little further. I told the wife I might have to do some extra driving in it, so I can get the oil sent off sooner. I am very curious to see the results.
I may have missed it but what is the total mileage on the engine now?
Sorry I didnt post it, 267,000 miles, however only ~15k are from me. This truck definitely lived a hard life, believe a company used it as a plow truck.
Sorry I didnt post it, 267,000 miles, however only ~15k are from me. This truck definitely lived a hard life, believe a company used it as a plow truck.
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