[QUOTE]Originally posted by P.E.Haiges
[B]Notlost,

Any metal filings in the engine will eventually get into the oil filter. Think of it, the oil is constantly being circulated thru the engine and any contaminates in the oil, including metal shavings, will eventually be caught in the oil filter. That's what the filter is there for.


Of course the filter is there for that very reason. I wasn't saying my colleague Hatterase's engine was lost and beyong hope because of a few shavings. I was describing a situation with my engine which got lost because of this. The shaving were so plentiful there was no pressure in oil system because of a clogged element. At that stage we didn't think a repair would pay off when the engine seized.

My point is that I think Hatteras experiences the same cause of failing bearings as I did. It can be guessed, depending on the ammount of shavings, at what stage his problem is. With few fillings not as bad, with many there is a problem. As far as I can recall I never saw any metal shavings in my filter. There certainly were some due to normal wear. However, when I got to notice them it meant there was something not right to have them in ammounts that couldn't be overlooked.

Hard to tell at distance what Hatteras meant by those shavings - were they spotted only under a magnifying glass or in quantities always seen before or were they plentiful in ammounts before never seen?

Hatterase's engine doesn't have to be lost at all. However it shouldn't be started before an inspection to find out the exact cause and the extent of it.

I would suggest removing the bolt on the oil-pan as if he were changing oil and catch some of the oil in a bucket. Dip his hand in the bucket and feel the oil at the bottom of the bucket between fingers. If the shavings are hardly felt and are few to feel (fine grain) then things should be OK. If he can feel lots of shavings, sharp, big and many then it must be the bearings.