[Mosaud1998]

Am I tweaking or are those light metal specs/flakes in the oil? I have a 09 328 with 72k miles. Changed the oil 100 miles ago. No weird noises coming from the engine. Filter doesn't have any specs of metal.

[Mosaud1998]

Now I am confused lmao. I put a magnet through it and nothing showed up. Put my finger in and rubbed the oil around my fingers didn’t feel anything. Maybe it’s just a little of the oil that doesn’t get drained that mixed in with the new oil and makes it look like there are metal flakes. When in reality it’s just old oil mixed up? Or the flash from my phone made the oil shiny and make it look like there are metal flakes in the oil when it's just the flash making the oil shiny. If there were legit flakes I'd feel it between my fingers or see it on the magnet.

[Phil325i]

In the photo they look like tiny bubbles. If I were you, I'd get a sample off to Blackstone labs for peace of mind...

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

In the photo they look like tiny bubbles. If I were you, I'd get a sample off to Blackstone labs for peace of mind...

I have a video but I can't attach it here. Yeah, I am thinking about getting an oil analysis.

[Mosaud1998]

Update: I sent those pics to my indy and the owner (retired 15 years BMW master tech) told me that that looks more like air bubbles than metal shavings. If it was metal shaving, you'd feel it on your fingers when you rubbed the oil together. I didn't feel anything. He also said, the 15 years he's been working on BMWs, he's never seen or heard of BMW N52s having an engine failure due to metal shavings. Neither has he seen an N52 have metal shavings in the oil. I am going to get a Blackstone Analysis done and update with the results.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

I have a video but I can't attach it here. Yeah, I am thinking about getting an oil analysis.

Yeah can't upload directly here. You need to upload to something like Youtube then link the vid here

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Yeah can't upload directly here. You need to upload to something like Youtube then link the vid here

That sucks. I kind of feel better after speaking to my indy. I'll probably send an oil analysis in 5 months when my next oil change is due (cars not being driven right now). I mean, I can do it sooner. But, then the oil in the car right now will kind of go to waste. I changed the oil 100 miles ago last month.

[Mosaud1998]

Update: I spoke to Kyle one of the people that analyzes oil at Black Stone. He told me 100 miles on the oil won't really tell them anything unless it's a huge issue and I should wait until the oil has at least 1,000 miles on it to send a sample in or if I notice any abnormal noise like knocking or such. I haven't noticed any abnormal noises. He also said if I didn't feel anything on my fingers when I rubbed the oil on it, it probably isn't metal then. Might've been air bubbles.

[IllSic_Design]

Just wondering why you even thought to check the oil for metal since you said you just changed the oil 100 miles ago and also you weren't having any issues/abnormal noises?

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by IllSic_Design

Just wondering why you even thought to check the oil for metal since you said you just changed the oil 100 miles ago and also you weren't having any issues/abnormal noises?

The car was sitting for a week so I thought I'd take a look at the fluids. So I looked at the coolant and then opened the oil cap and flashed a flashlight at the oil and saw that (pic). So, I freaked out thinking it was metal shavings in the oil instead of realizing the shiny stuff is probably the oil itself and the small bubble looking things are probably legit air bubbles and not metal shavings. I used to drive a 1998 Toyota Camry with 197k miles on it. Every time I stopped to get gas, I'd check all the fluids just to make sure nothing was low. So, I guess I'm so used to checking fluids because of the Camry that I decided to take a look at the fluids in the BMW (though there is no oil dipstick nor transmission dipstick)

[IllSic_Design]

I get the habit of checking fluids semi-often, but that seems overly excessive unless you have known issues that you are watching for. I drive my 335i 60+ miles every day and check my fluids like once a week maybe, more closer to once or twice a month.

But hey if it makes you feel better about the car, then more power to you.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by IllSic_Design

I get the habit of checking fluids semi-often, but that seems overly excessive unless you have known issues that you are watching for. I drive my 335i 60+ miles every day and check my fluids like once a week maybe, more closer to once or twice a month.

But hey if it makes you feel better about the car, then more power to you.

The Camry would burn oil so that's why I checked the oil and the other fluids every week or so at the gas station. But the BMW, this was my first time actually checking all the fluids like this.

[Mosaud1998]

What’s that grey/silver stuff... Started the car let it run for about 5 min. Again no abnormal noises or anything. The paper plate had nothing on it. Used a magnifying glass and saw nothing.

[CTinline-six]

Looks like normal oil to me.

[Biginboca]

Does it taste metallic?

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Does it taste metallic?

I didnt taste it

[Mosaud1998]

Finally found out what that swirly grey stuff is. I spoke to someone else that had the same exact issues as me. He told me it's aluminum shaving from the oil filter housing threads. Every time you tight the oil filter cap, it slightly shaves a little off the threads and goes into the oil. That's why when you take the oil filter cap off, you see it but then it dissapers.

[machine4321]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

Finally found out what that swirly grey stuff is. I spoke to someone else that had the same exact issues as me. He told me it's aluminum shaving from the oil filter housing threads. Every time you tight the oil filter cap, it slightly shaves a little off the threads and goes into the oil. That's why when you take the oil filter cap off, you see it but then it dissapers.

Old tread revive. Any more to add to this? My n54 looks identical every time I check it. Car runs awesome.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by machine4321

Old tread revive. Any more to add to this? My n54 looks identical every time I check it. Car runs awesome.

I started to ignore it.

Nothing has happened since I started to notice that. Car runs and drives the same. No knocking noise or weird noises.

Runs and drives smoothly.

I am going to get a UOA next oil change just to make sure everything is good internally.

Send a pic to my indy. They said that's normal.

[machine4321]

Originally Posted by Mosaud1998

I started to ignore it.

Nothing has happened since I started to notice that. Car runs and drives the same. No knocking noise or weird noises.

Runs and drives smoothly.

I am going to get a UOA next oil change just to make sure everything is good internally.

Send a pic to my indy. They said that's normal.

Checked again and sure enough theres a shit load of flake in the threads of the plastic cap. I could see them cascading down from the top threads of the housing into a little stream at the bottom. I wouldn't have believed it had I have not seen it. I will be getting blackstone to he sure. Ill clean up the threads in the OFH just to see.

[Dormermike]

I honestly cant tell what we are supposed to be looking at, looks normal to me.

That said I know of an n52 that was showing tiny metal (ally) fragments in the oil filter. Just always seemed to be there, very small, you'd REALLY have to look and stretch out the filter by cutting off the ends. Engine ran for 40k miles till sold, no noises, no knocking - didnt notice anything wrong with the oil itself, looked normal. Wonder if it was the oil cap after all lol.

[Mosaud1998]

Originally Posted by machine4321

Checked again and sure enough theres a shit load of flake in the threads of the plastic cap. I could see them cascading down from the top threads of the housing into a little stream at the bottom. I wouldn't have believed it had I have not seen it. I will be getting blackstone to he sure. Ill clean up the threads in the OFH just to see.

Shit I didn’t check the oil cap