Yesterday when changing my oil I happened to dump the oil from my filter cannister in a certain spot in my drain pan. Upon looking in the pan at that spot I find very tiny metal shavings. Oh god, now what?

1. Should I take it to someone proactively to tear down the engine?
2. I realize metal shavings could be anything, but is there something it is likely to be? A search generated lots of "engine failure" threads (gulp) but nothing specific.
3. The engine is using oil. It uses about 1 quart every 2000 miles but it has always used oil and now I notice the outside of the engine is somewhat wet with it.
4. There are no other symptoms like loss of power, pinging or other noises.

5. I do have lots of tools but have never rebuilt an engine before. This car is my primary source of transportation, so I think this one may be beyond my mechanical skills to accomplish in a weekend. What is an engine rebuilt likely to cost?

Since the car is running and in awesome shape, with 84K on the clock, I could conceivably sell the car and get decent money for it. However I was really hoping this car would last me forever so I could get those cool antique car plates for it, or that I could gift it to my son in a few years. I think this is the point many folks get to in a used car's life when they give it away just before/after a big repair.

Any repair shops on the boards willing to take a look at the car and give me an estimate? Located in CT, willing to travel up to 2 hours for a quality job.

 

Any history of problems?

 

An oil analysis should let you know what is going on. Did you save the oil? Can you take a picture of the "shavings"?

Blackstone Labs is good. I am sure there are others.

Rich

 

I was losing oil too at one time but was totally due to the crank sensor gasket, oil pan gasket and main bearing seal.....since they were replaced I have no oil loss between changes.

There are some magnetic oil drain plugs on the market which may clear out any other pices in there.

 

2003 Mini Cooper S with 84,500 miles. No history of problems at all other than excessive oil consumption and what I consider poor fuel mileage (26 - 28 mpg around town) compared to 2 years ago, which I attributed to the car getting older and perhaps needing a tuneup. Otherwise the car has been flawless in the engine compartment.

 

If I were you I would resolve any obvious leaks (gaskets, etc.), install a magnetic drain bolt, check oil frequently, drain and refill more often then usual and then inspect the magnetic drain bolt and the drained oil and filter for evidence of any continued particles and shavings.

 

I would also send that oil out asap to see what is in there, also do the magnetic drain bolt. Would not waste anytime with this, also change the oil filter asap, see what it looks like

 

can i ask what oil you used in your mini?

 

I took the oil filter out during my oil change and it looked fine, no metal shavings obvious in the inside or outside of it. It is now been thrown away, unfortunately. It is an OEM BMW filter bought from the Mini dealer.

The oil is 5W30 Castrol Syntec changed every 5,000 - 7,500 miles since the 36,000 mile mark. However in fairness I think my problems may be due to oil starvation due to letting the oil run down past the Min mark a few times over the years (which is a bad thing in this car since it is so fun to slosh all the oil to one side of the pan or the other).

Thanks for the help. I did order an oil analysis kit as suggested and will look into the magnetic drain bolt.

 

+1 to checking for leaks on the engine block. +1 to oil diagnosis.

As for gas mileage, I would say something is perhaps amiss. My old '02 MCS got the same great gas mileage all the way to 90K miles when I finally changed the plugs and wires. Pull your plugs and see if you have any ash or oil deposits on them. Normal color is a greyish-brown.

Check and make sure your coil pack terminals are not corroded. Common issue is the #3 terminal turning black. Clean them with STP carb spray cleaner sprayed on a shop rag and/or use a brass brush to clean them up. Make sure you hear the "snap" on the wire terminal ends. The long ends in the spark plug tubes may not snap in; just make sure they all appear evenly pressed down.