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YOUR RESEARCHBrown plastic bits in the oil filter - next steps?
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good time
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Probably a good time to drop the pan and check for debris and anything in the oil pickup screen .
Brown plastic bits in the oil filter - next steps?
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Leading evidence: 'good time' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'good time' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check /' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Brown plastic bits in the oil filter - next steps?
Check actual cam deviations and report back
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Brown plastic bits in the oil filter - next steps?
Check debris and anything in the oil pickup screen
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Suggestion
Probably a good time to drop the pan and check for debris and anything in the oil pickup screen .
Brown plastic bits in the oil filter - next steps?
Check its cam deviation
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Suggestion · Original poster
I don�t have a durametric so I�ll have to visit a shop to check its cam deviation, but what are the next steps in general?
Brown plastic bits in the oil filter - next steps?
Run risk of clogging up the oil pick up screen
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Suggestion
As the plastic starts to crumble, you're running the risk of clogging up the oil pick up screen which can lead to more problems related to poor oiling / oil starvation.
Brown plastic bits in the oil filter - next steps?
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Recently changed the oil in my 1999 996 tiptronic and cut up the filter to find a fair bit of small brown plastic bits sprinkled throughout. No soft rubbery bits and no black bits, so it seems to point to the variocam pads wearing out. Probably not too surprising given its age and about 65k miles. The last oil change was 3000 miles ago and not sure what the filter looked like then - a reputable Porsche indy shop did the job and said the filter �looked good.�
I don�t have a durametric so I�ll have to visit a shop to check its cam deviation, but what are the next steps in general?
If the cam deviation isn�t too bad, keep on driving and recheck with the next oil change?
The wear is only going to get worse with time, so address it now? If so, anything else to do �while in there?� Seems like it�ll be a costly engine out job, from what I�m reading.
The car drives fine, no CEL. Not sure if it�s in my head with the recent findings in the filter but now it does seem to have a bit of chain rattle when I step on the gas and let go. Nothing noticeable on cold startup.
Thanks in advance!
Not sure where you're located but would be good to network and see who has a Durametric to confirm the cam deviations. Typically next steps would be to replace the guides. As the plastic starts to crumble, you're running the risk of clogging up the oil pick up screen which can lead to more problems related to poor oiling / oil starvation.
One thing I've learned with P car ownership is that the car will give you a warning and a few chances to fix things before things really go south. Take this as a warning and act accordingly.
Two changes ago saw the same tiny bits in my filter. My indy said could be tensioner, checked at the next change a few months later ready to see more and saw nothing. Keeping an eye on it before dropping the engine for replacing.
What Plpete84 said�
I had little brown bits in my filter before a solenoid failed and I had to go and have the 4 tensioner pads and that solenoid fixed.
Check actual cam deviations and report back. Mine were -4 and -2 before the pads were replaced, and they were quite worn.
I found about 5 small brown pieces in my sump, I dropped it because I've been having weird low pressure in turn issues. The screen "looked" fine, but I didn't do anything more than look at it. Could I have missed something? Do you have to remove anything to see further up?
I found some small pieces of chain tensioner in my sump when I dropped it in November 2018 at 65K miles.
I never saw any pieces in my spin-on filter.(The IMS Solution)
My cam deviations were, and remained, fine and I had no troubles with my car.
I had my engine rebuilt at 82K miles (elective build) and still had no issues.
I believe I could have driven mine as it was for quite a while without any problems.
Are the variocam solenoids also wear items that should be electively replaced at the same time the pads are being done? They�re quite pricy at about 1.7k CDN for the pair, but so is the labour of dropping the engine to access the pads so I�d like to address as much as I reasonably should together.
Replace at same time, or �if it ain�t broke don�t fix it?�
Given the price of the solenoids, I wouldn�t replace them (although I would if they were 10x cheaper, because getting to them is difficult).
However, I would definitely disassemble them and replace their internal seals. I�ve seen photos of people finding green bits in their oil filters, which are pieces of those seals.
You can buy them here:
https://sr.dev/products/variocam-sol...ir-99-01-996-1
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