Metal Shavings on Oil Filter
  • fundispencer
    Posts: 2
    Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:54 pm

    Metal Shavings on Oil Filter

    by fundispencer » Sun May 13, 2018 11:39 am

    I have a 2005 CRF250X.  i went to change the oil filter and there was a ton of aluminum shavings.  I took off the valve cover and I can't see anything that doesn't look normal.  I pulled off the Left Side cover to check for damage.  I found no obvious problem but i I found steel pieces, large pieces.  Does anyone have any idea what these pieces are from?  I'm ready to pull the head off and check the cylinder but i was hoping someone could tell me the problem.
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    JimDirt
    Posts: 4406
    Joined: Sat Nov 25, 2006 6:31 pm

    Re: Metal Shavings on Oil Filter

    by JimDirt » Mon May 14, 2018 9:23 am

    Looks like you have been here a while , but since this is your first post ... Welcome to the site !! \:D/

    What i would check is the Chain Tensioner for the cam , i am suspecting its the chain tensioner that came apart , did you hear any loud tapping or slapping like your drive chain might make but coming from the engine ??? , did you notice any hard starting issue ?? , or difficulty or irregular idling ??

    It looks like the tensioner exploded (it happens) and the pieces have got ground up by the timing chain , unfortunately with that amount of debris (you did not show the filter) i would be worried about pieces getting into the bearings and causing more issues , if this is the case i would suggest (unfortunately) tearing the engine down and inspecting all the engine side bearings (transmission is completely separate on these engines so i doubt any debris got into it , but it still requires a complete disassembly to get to the crank bearing , if anything (to save you some heartache and teardown) remove the flywheel (make sure you use the correct puller specifically for your bike) and inspect the crank bearing , if you do not see any shavings in the actual bearing and the engine turns over by hand with no binding (remove the plug and turn the engine over by removing the large round plug on the clutch side , and using a socket/ratchet on the balancer shaft , slowly rotate the engine to "feel" for rough spots) , and if it feels free then you might have caught it in time

    I would also if all checks out , flush the engine with some clean oil (it does not have to be good oil just cheap "clean" oil and a new filter and check it after a minute of running , this would be after you replace the tensioner (if it is in fact the tensioner) , .......... If , it is not the tensioner , then a complete engine tear down would be necessary to find the failed part which would most likely be a bearing
    2020 CRF450R
    2006 CRF450X
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    Weiser , Idaho
  • fundispencer
    Posts: 2
    Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 7:54 pm

    Re: Metal Shavings on Oil Filter

    by fundispencer » Tue May 15, 2018 9:08 pm

    Thanks for the welcome and the reply!

    As it turns out, the metal was pieces of the shim bucket. The aluminum was from the shim bucket wallowing out in place, ruining the head.

    Question: do I need to have head work done, to seat my valves, on the new head?
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    JimDirt
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    Re: Metal Shavings on Oil Filter

    by JimDirt » Fri May 18, 2018 9:17 am

    That is something i would not have expected to be the cause of the metal chunks

    I would certainly have the valve springs checked as well as the valve itself and the valve guide , as something had to happen to cause the bucket to break like that , i have never seen one break , so that one is new to me , i would also inspect , or have , the cam inspected as well , any lobe damage will cause issues down the road , and that bucket would explain the noise you were hearing , ....... was the shim damaged in any way ?? (did you measure it to make sure it was not partially crushed or compromised ?) and i would (after head repair/replacement) flush the engine oil several times before riding (fire it up , run it for a minute or so , let it cool , then change oil and filter , keep doing it till you do not see any shavings or fragments , i would tilt the engine to the left after filling with oil and running engine , so any shrapnel will hopefully flow to the ignition side , then pull the ignition cover at the end of flushing to make sure all metal is removed ..... this would be the best solution unless you are going to just go ahead and tear the engine completely apart to inspect everything in the engine side of the case **which is what i would personally do** (the tranny should not have been compromised) , i would as mentioned before , check all bearings because they are open and not sealed on the inside , so any metal could have gotten into the bearing

    Its up to you as to how extensive you want to go with the repair , the head obviously has to be inspected/repaired or replaced , the rest depends on your confidence of how compromised the engine was to contamination ..... Thanks for the update on your findings .... hopefully you caught it before any more major damage was done 8-[ [-oo
    2020 CRF450R
    2006 CRF450X
    Image
    Weiser , Idaho

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