Change of oil and found metallic spring etc inside - need your advise.

[andronikos916]

Hello,

I Changed the oil and found metallic spring, a tiny sphere and a cup
inside my oil. It was trapped on the oil filter magnet. I really need
your advise. Please see attached image.



I have a Performance Engineering 408 Windsor Stroker Cobra Special.

Best - Andronikos,

[mreid]

Remove the pressure sensor can and inspect it. It looks like the guts as much as I can tell from the blurry picture, but that is the only way to truly know. If so, I wouldn't worry about it. The filter picked it up, not the pump.

[Gaz64]

I'd say it's the oil filter bypass valve from within the oil filter.

(A spring loaded valve that opens when the filtered is blocked excessively.)

In other words your engine has been running on unfiltered oil.

I'd have the previous oil tested and change your brand of oil filter.

[andronikos916]

I also think it is from the oil filter. For the record the oil filter is the Motorcraft FL300 filter. I will switch to the Ford Racing High Performance oil filter part# CM-6731-FL1A as perfeng.cc guys recommended.

(tiny sphere is 5mm diameter)

Here are some hi res (clean pics)

[DonC]

Pretty sure that's the pressure bypass spring, ball and cup from the oil filter adapter. It's function is to bypass the filter if the pressure inside it gets too high from the filter being clogged so at least you get oil to the engine even if the filter is clogged.
I replaced two of them and finally went to an external adapter without the bypass. The problem is in the way they seat the retaining cup. It's just a press fit and can pop out without a lot of trouble. Changing the filter won't do any good since the problem is in the adapter.
DonC

[cdnus]

I think you need to be looking elsewhere.
I don't think that 5mm. ball is large enough to be a oil filter bypass. cut your filter apart & have a look, only takes a few minutes.
I'd be talking to Eric before I fired that puppy up again.

JMO

Craig

[CWizard]

Another possibility: the pressure relief valve from the oil pump. Although the spring looks a little too wimpy for that.
Just an idea.

[Pete Munroe]

Oil pump pressure relief valve was the case in my 1967' 327 Corvette...

Oil pressure was great except under braking, accelerating or had cornering.

Pulled the pan and found a "press-fit plug" that eventually I realized had popped out of the side of the oil pump body, probably on initial start up. Found the plug first time I pulled the oilpan...put it on the bench as a monument to careless junk in the engine...pulled the pan 2 more times, adjusting the pickup to no avail...finally pulled the pump and the pressure relief plug was out...

Simply using a cold chisel to stake the plug would have saved the crank.

I have no idea what the valve assembly in a filter or Ford oil pump looklike, but if there are ANY drops in oil pressure, suspect the pump.

Pete

[Barnsnake]

I don't believe there's any way those objects came through the oil pump. If you're running a remote oil filter I believe DonC's answer is one to follow-up on.

[andronikos916]

Also I need to mention that a week ago - I notice that the oil pressure gauge died.

Note sure if this is helping solving the mystery... I am going to cut my spare filter now and report back.

thanx - Andronikos,

[andronikos916]

So here is the Motorcraft FL-300 filter and all the internal parts... No spring or anything like the 3 tiny parts I found in my oil. So I guess I have to check what Mr.DonC is saying.

[kitcarbp]

I'd agree with DonC. Since you added the info your oil pressure gauge stop working, perhaps thats because you have no oil pressure. If you havent figured out the root cause yet, a few pics of how you have your system plumbed would help us. perhaps (remote adapter??) the filter was mounted to spewed the parts. You've eliminated the filter at least, but the components you found are definitely a by-pass or check valve. perhaps you're using a remote mount system and its adpater has lost its valve. In any case, it goes without saying not to start that motor until you can confirm you have oil pressure using a hand held mech, test gauge while CRANKING engine with fuel/spark disabled. good luck. If it was the remote adapter, please share the brand and part number so other folks here can be aware.

[cdnus]

Don't be cranking the engine unless you are sure you have oil pressure first.

Pull the distributor & use a drill with a oil pump drive shaft to check things first. That way there will be no further harm to engine.

Craig

[mreid]

Now that I see the high resolution pictures, that is definitely the bypass check valve from the oil pump. It looks like someone staked the plug with a chisel with such force that it split the plug. That weakens it to the point of being worthless. You will need to drop the pan and inspect the pump. You will see exactly where it came from and can replace the pump. This is the best picture I could find. The pump on the right shows the plug, while the one on the left features an adjustable valve.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0PDoX_J4d...2boil_pump.jpg

[andronikos916]

Now after reading this I have 1-2 more things to mention:

I bought this car 4weks ago - around 670miles , 2 days after the slave cylinder died (previous owner never bleed the fluids).
I replaced the slave cylinder... I was driving the car for 2 weeks and I decided to change oil/sparks etc so I have peace of mind - and I found these pieces on my oil...

So now I am around 900miles still breaking the engine. (actually I am not driving it anymore).

Before the oil change this is my story: - driving between 2000 - 4000rpm. But there where some times that I tried to push couple of gears and I noticed that:

1) When I press full throttle, after 4000rpm was not operating well, like the carburetors are not well tuned (not sure how you say that in English -hope you understand what I mean). If I press 3/4 of throttle then it goes well (of course not using all the power but at least smooth) up-to 5200rpm. I have past experience with 2-stroke motrcycle engines so I thought that maybe I need to push it more so it "cleans". I do not want to do that since I am still "trying" to break in the engine.

2) So I feel that it is impossible to accelerate fast and all the way up to 6000rpm. (even if I do not care about the "break in" - simply the engine does not allow me)

At the beginning I though it was spark plugs so I change them. Then I thought that the previous owner was using wrong oil. I change that as well. Yesterday I convinced myself that it is just a carburetor that needs to be tuned.

Now I really do not know what it is...If this pressure oil and the tiny parts I found on my oil filter are connected with the acceleration issues etc...If something serious is happening...

Thanx - Andronikos,

[andronikos916]

Hi guys, I need to add:

I checked the oil level before the oil change - maybe 2-3 days before. Car was cold on flat surface and the oil level was about 1" (2-3cm) above the maximum level.

Do you think that this hi oil level, maybe caused an excessive pressure and caused the damage?

Also the mechanic told me that he found these pieces on the magnet - I did not see them coming from my engine (I went for a soda that time). Maybe he accidentally placed the oil filter on a bench and the magnet picked these up...?
I am thinking all possible scenarios cause the guys from Performance Engineering saying:

"Hi Andronikos,
We believe the Backdraft's do not use and oil filter adapter, so that rules that out. I have talked to Eric and two other engine builders here, they all agree that all the parts found in the oil pan are not from any of the components inside the engine. All of our 408 Windsor Cobra Special engines do not have any check valves, like those parts found appear to be. Those parts possibly may be from a previous oil filter the original customer used. We suggest definitely switching over to the Ford Racing High Performance oil filter CM-6731-FL1A, after you that we don't seem why it wouldn't be ok to run your car. Your more than welcome to get a second opinion. Hope this helps".

My reply:
I just talked to the previous owner and he told be that he has never
used a different oil filter (Motorcraft FL300). As you can see from
the above image - there are no tiny parts in this filter.

What are these parts? Maybe do not belong to my car? That will be totally crazy? I am looking many hrs to find a similar metallic cup and I can not find any spare part that using that thing! So maybe it is not mine? And the dead psi oil gauge? Coincidence? ...

Thanx - Andronikos,

[andronikos916]

Eric just found what these tiny parts are: It is the Ford Racing lifter.

Hi,
Please see the attached photos, sorry our camera is not high res. Eric has taken apart a new ford Racing lifter, he found the exact style parts you found, these parts were in the very bottom of the lifter. Please call Eric so he can discuss.

[DonC]

Still trying to figure out how the parts ended up in the pan. Only thing I can think of is what someone mentioned previously that they came from the oil pump. Not sure if yours has a pressure bypass/adjustment or not but that would be my best idea of where it came from.
Worth getting the specs on the pump and checking it.
Can't see how something from the valve train would get to the pan. Don't know of any opening large enough to let something like that through.
DonC

[PANAVIA]

The only other thing I can think of here is that these are part of a hydraulic lifter.

were you able to drop the pan and review the oil pump >?

[mreid]

The plunger on a hydraulic lifter is retained by an internal c-clip. If those parts came from the lifter, it would mean that one cylinder will have a loose rocker arm as there is nothing to support the pushrod. The easiest way to check this is to remove the valve covers and inspect the rockers. This is a very easy check that you can do yourself and should be done before you remove the pan. Also, if this is the case, you would hear a very pronounced (noticable) ticking as you rev the engine. It also could be the cause of your acceleration issue, but it would be noisy.

If that is not the issue, your acceleration problem sounds like carb tuning to me.