magnetic sump plug..../ oil changes

[mk1mini]

General enquiry !

How often do people change there oil in a tuned bigger bore engine ?

Are metal fragments common on a magnetic sump plug ?

I did an oil change today as the car hasn't had a change in 3 years but it has only covered around 2000 miles and I had a filter/oil sitting to be used. I did find some metal fragments on the sump plug very small hair/skelf like silver metal. I did filter via filter paper the contents of the oil filter and there was nothing in there . Another question.... should I be worried ? Or is this just minor engine wear ?

mk1mini

[mini63]

gearboxes make metal...
Very common on the plug but in reality it shouldnt be any
more than very fine deposits etc. As soon as you see
fragments and flakes its a wake up call that something sinister is likely
going on.
Very regular oil and filter changes for continuous use of the car are essential
regards Michael

[dklawson]

Worry if you find big pieces... like gear teeth.

I think it is fair to say that "all Minis do that" with regard to shedding whiskers of metal. Remember that the engine and gearbox share the sump so there are more opportunities to create metal debris. Routine oil changes are pretty much mandatory.

[mk1mini]

I did have a clutch problem on a trip last year and the gearbox took a few crunches back home , that's what I am hoping it is with nothing being in the filter. the particles are almost like filings . I'll keep an eye on it however .

[Charlynsane]

Hello,

I have 4 cars,

mk5 1293 race car, I change oil every 500 km

mk2 cooper I change oil twice year

mk1 baby I change oil twice year

mini moke mk1/1275GT engine I change once year, because i never use it during winter,

Eventhough you don't use your car, your oil is getting old,

That's why I change it as soon as the oil's color changes and turns from geen to brown/black

I always change the oil filter too

[rich@minispares.com]

I have a confession to make



in five years I have never changed the oil or filter in my mini sprint, I only ever top it up (quite a lot, as it pisses out the diff side covers as the potjoints have chewed the bushes up!) with second hand oil -

its had in it (in no particular order)

old oil from my race car
old oil from my dads diesel discovery
old oil from my sisters bmw (very black with the remains of a paper element filter that broke up)
old oil from my diesel 205
old oil from a 1934 'barn find' 3 1/2 litre Bentley (that was like dinosaur blood it was that old and black)
old oil from my 1430 from when it blew up (I did strain the bigger bits out of it though! )
old hydraulic oil from our ramp when we changed it

new machine oil (found a can in the garage)
new EP90 (ditto) - it didn't really want to crank when it was cold
3 litres of 'duck oil'
a load of 'shop soiled' (some had left the lid of a 25 litre drum) of fancy expensive fully synthetic zf lsd oil) - I figured 'what the hell, if it pours in it will be fine!

the oil pressure has remained consistant (10psi at tick over), apart from when it had the ep90 in it, that confused it a bit )

bar the occasional smelly exhaust, its run fine.

I dread to think what the engine internals look like!

oh, and the gearbox still changes gear fine, no graunching or baulking


so much for the religious mantra of 'always change the oil and filter often and always use the right oil!'


I wouldn't recommend this regime on an expensive engine though!!!!!!!

[1071kev]

I have a confession to make



in five years I have never changed the oil or filter in my mini sprint, I only ever top it up (quite a lot, as it pisses out the diff side covers as the potjoints have chewed the bushes up!) with second hand oil -

its had in it (in no particular order)

old oil from my race car
old oil from my dads diesel discovery
old oil from my sisters bmw (very black with the remains of a paper element filter that broke up)
old oil from my diesel 205
old oil from a 1934 'barn find' 3 1/2 litre Bentley (that was like dinosaur blood it was that old and black)
old oil from my 1430 from when it blew up (I did strain the bigger bits out of it though! )
old hydraulic oil from our ramp when we changed it

new machine oil (found a can in the garage)
new EP90 (ditto) - it didn't really want to crank when it was cold
3 litres of 'duck oil'
a load of 'shop soiled' (some had left the lid of a 25 litre drum) of fancy expensive fully synthetic zf lsd oil) - I figured 'what the hell, if it pours in it will be fine!

the oil pressure has remained consistant (10psi at tick over), apart from when it had the ep90 in it, that confused it a bit )

bar the occasional smelly exhaust, its run fine.

I dread to think what the engine internals look like!

oh, and the gearbox still changes gear fine, no graunching or baulking


so much for the religious mantra of 'always change the oil and filter often and always use the right oil!'


I wouldn't recommend this regime on an expensive engine though!!!!!!!

Do you get a grant from the Government for recycling?

[mini63]

I changed my oil and filter today....
In my opinion i think this perfectly fine for circa 20000 miles use.

[Cables]

I don't know why but my friends car used to piss oil out, and always went black straight away and was smokey (suspected the rings gummed up how she drove it), anyway spoke to my dads mate an old boy who worked as a mechanic. He said make a mix of TD oil and ep90 gear oil and run it with that in for a week. Did that, dropped the oil, came out jet black, put some comma sonic in, and it stopped leaking and smoking, apparently the ep90 somehow makes the seals swell, and the TD oil has detergents in it.

[miniminor]

I have a confession to make



in five years I have never changed the oil or filter in my mini sprint, I only ever top it up (quite a lot, as it pisses out the diff side covers as the potjoints have chewed the bushes up!) with second hand oil -

its had in it (in no particular order)

old oil from my race car
old oil from my dads diesel discovery
old oil from my sisters bmw (very black with the remains of a paper element filter that broke up)
old oil from my diesel 205
old oil from a 1934 'barn find' 3 1/2 litre Bentley (that was like dinosaur blood it was that old and black)
old oil from my 1430 from when it blew up (I did strain the bigger bits out of it though! )
old hydraulic oil from our ramp when we changed it

new machine oil (found a can in the garage)
new EP90 (ditto) - it didn't really want to crank when it was cold
3 litres of 'duck oil'
a load of 'shop soiled' (some had left the lid of a 25 litre drum) of fancy expensive fully synthetic zf lsd oil) - I figured 'what the hell, if it pours in it will be fine!

the oil pressure has remained consistant (10psi at tick over), apart from when it had the ep90 in it, that confused it a bit )

bar the occasional smelly exhaust, its run fine.

I dread to think what the engine internals look like!

oh, and the gearbox still changes gear fine, no graunching or baulking


so much for the religious mantra of 'always change the oil and filter often and always use the right oil!'


I wouldn't recommend this regime on an expensive engine though!!!!!!!

Absolutely love it

Changed the oil for the first time after buying my Mk1 and was somewhat surprised to find a small surgical scalpel type blade stuck to the magnet on the sump plug