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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
180k 4.0 Found this shard during my oil change today, it is magnetic and it is shiny on one side and dark on the other. Time for a new engine? Or should I just run it.
A bit of debris by itself does not provide enough information to make a decision like that. While it is concerning it does not automatically mean the engine is trashed. Did you save any of the old oil? If so you can send a sample off to Blackstone and have it analyzed to see what is in it. Also, does the engine make any odd noise? What oil pressure are you seeing? Is the engine running smooth? I have had valve springs break and shed debris like that. You might want to pull the valve cover off and closely inspect the valve springs for any broken coils. If everything looks normal under there, I would drive it and keep an eye on the oil pressure and an ear to any changes in sound.
Last edited by Steve Hayes; Dec 15, 2019 at 11:33 PM.
If the piece of metal looks like it was part of a spiral (based on its curves), then it is likely a part of the distributor drive gear. They tend to make shards like that when they start getting chewed up. I think they are soft/brittle by design so that the distributor gear fails before causing more damage to the motor internals.
A bit of debris by itself does not provide enough information to make a decision like that. While it is concerning it does not automatically mean the engine is trashed. Did you save any of the old oil? If so you can send a sample off to Blackstone and have it analyzed to see what is in it. Also, does the engine make any odd noise? What oil pressure are you seeing? Is the engine running smooth? I have had valve springs break and shed debris like that. You might want to pull the valve cover off and closely inspect the valve springs for any broken coils. If everything looks normal under there, I would drive it and keep an eye on the oil pressure and an ear to any changes in sound.
engine makes the normal tick that all these engines make, but it seems to have gotten louder in the last few weeks, it has gotten colder though.
oil pressure running good at 40-50.
engine runs and idles great.
ill pull the valve cover when I get time and check it out.
If the piece of metal looks like it was part of a spiral (based on its curves), then it is likely a part of the distributor drive gear. They tend to make shards like that when they start getting chewed up. I think they are soft/brittle by design so that the distributor gear fails before causing more damage to the motor internals.
Ha! That guys the best. I doubt it’s from that part of the filter, I don’t use ****ty fram filters. But I got to thinking and I had a real hard time getting the filter off during the oil change, it was pretty chewed up by the time I finally got it off, maybe a piece sheared off and fell in the oil drain pan. I might be in denial but this is the most reasonable explanation I’ve come up with so far
Metal shard in engine oil
