I spun a rod bearing last Jan and rebuilt the engine. Checked oil pan today and I've got steel and copper flakes again. I replaced the bearings and two crank arms along with the oil pump, and all the gaskets. What did I miss?

2000 OBW MT EJ25

Edited August 26, 200916 yr by rvac99
Left out engine details

maybe more then one rod bearing was bad at the time that you did the work.

 

Did the rod bearing damage result from running the engine, when it was low on motor oil?

 

Any current rod knocking noise?

Hard to say, but your next move should be to pull all of the rod caps and check for wear. If that turns up clean, you might want to split the block ad make sure your mains are in good shape.

I replaced the crank and the two rods that had spun bearings. No knocking noise. Engine runs smooth as can be. I had a leaking oil pan so I removed it today and found the flakes.

 

This damage probably happened when I was working on my P0341 issue a few months ago. Search for the thread: P0341, and P0340. (7 pages). The engine was running poorly and there may have been low oil pressure during that time.

 

I guess what I could use right now is some advice. I just put a ton of new stuff into this car. Close to $2,000. The exhaust, cat’s and muffler are new as of Feb ’09. New sensors, oil pump, water pump, tensioner. It is still running fine. Should I part it out or try to sell it as a whole?

Always worth more selling as a whole, vs. parting it out. Besides parting it out takes time, often a lot of time.

 

I guess on the other side of the coin, since you say it runs good without knocking, replace the pan and drive on. Maybe the metalic grit you found is a carry over from the original spun bearing, and everything is really okay with the motor.

If it is running good, I would clean the pan, cheange the filter, and keep going. It may be just as said, leftover flakes. Better them in the pan and filter then in the bearings.

 

 

nipper

Thanks for the advice. I’ve got the time and some beautiful weather so I’m going to pull the rod caps and see what they look like. I would love to believe that the metal was left over but I just can’t. I cleaned that sucker well and installed all new bearings, new crank, oil pump and all the seals.

I’m hoping that the crank is not damaged.

The rod caps are set up like my old Jetta and there is no peeking at those bearings without splitting the engine. I’d rather just drive it I think. I’ll look into another block just in case.

The rod caps are set up like my old Jetta and there is no peeking at those bearings without splitting the engine. I’d rather just drive it I think. I’ll look into another block just in case.

 

 

Projects become an issue of time vs money vs value of what you have. Which do you have more of? I agree, if it were mine, I would replace the pan and drive on. As Nipper wrote, change the oil and oil filter and hope for the best.