1984 Mercedes 300td metal in oil

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I just changed my oil to find a few big metal pieces and a bunch of flakes in the oil. The pices looked like tiny curled up spirals but the were thick. I used a new pan so I crossed that out. The engine doesnt smoke or knock and my oil pressure gauge says it still has great pressure at idle and at speed. Also the turbo is in great shape as well. I checked the filter and there wasnt really anything in it. I didnt think to see if the metal was magnetic. Any ideas?
 
Perhaps the timing chain or hardware related to the chain? I remember having someone come in with a failed timing chain and hardware on their ford modular, and behind the timing cover was so much metallic junk, that I was stunned the engine was still alive.

Garbage like that is often too big to pass through the oil pump screen, that may be why you didn't see anything abnormal in the oil filter.

A failing timing chain on a gasoline engine often sounds like a terrible diesel engine. Since you already have a diesel engine, you might not be able to notice that sound.
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
Perhaps the timing chain or hardware related to the chain? I remember having someone come in with a failed timing chain and hardware on their ford modular, and behind the timing cover was so much metallic junk, that I was stunned the engine was still alive.

Garbage like that is often too big to pass through the oil pump screen, that may be why you didn't see anything abnormal in the oil filter.

A failing timing chain on a gasoline engine often sounds like a terrible diesel engine. Since you already have a diesel engine, you might not be able to notice that sound.


My altima 3.5 timing chain makes that noise for about a minute on start up and youre right, it does sound like diesel clatter. I couldnt tell if the chain on the mercedes is bad because its always loud and clattery.
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
Wild guess, they are pieces scraped off the oil drain threads, You need a new drain plug.



Thats possible. Ill have to pull the plug back out. I do remember seeing something odd on the drain plug but I completely forgot about it once i started seeing the pieces dropping out of the pain. It looked like chunks of sludge so I was stunned watching the oil drain and the interuptions in the flow of oil. The engine is spotless inside as far as I knew with no sludge so i freaked out seeing it.
 
Could be anything. The Vacuum pump is not found in a gas car and sometimes loses the balls in the bearing. You would start checking the vacuum pump by removing it and looking if all the bearing balls are intact. Balls might fall out without total loss of vacuum. If it is the vacuum pump bearing, check for timing chain damage.
 
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