Found some metal flakes in the (plastic) oil filter of my 72 240D today

[mabbonizio]

While changing the oil in my 72 220D (w115 240D motor swap) I found some metal flakes in the thin plastic filter that goes onto the main cartridge filter.

Curious if this should be cause for concern? I've noticed this type of thing on my much older 54 300 which has a metal filter that is cleaned and re-used. I don't drive that car much and the motor has been recently rebuilt so I don't worry much about it.

I didn't see any flakes in the oil that was drained, just in the small mesh plastic oil filter itself. Should I worry?

No idea how many miles are on the motor but it runs well and has excellent oil pressure. The gauge is always pegged at idle no matter how long I drive on the highway for (unlike my 82 240D which sits at 1.25 bar at idle after a highway run at 70mph)

thoughts?

[Sugar Bear]

Normal if it was specks or flakes.

[vwnate1]

This is why you always want to run a magnetic oil drain plug .

Luckily for us, Harbor Freight sells 10 small disc shaped rare earth magnets in a package, I add them to both fill and drain plugs and discover finer SWARF on the fill magnets .

After a few hot oil and filter changes the SWARF pretty much vanishes, relaxing my worries .

[barry12345]

If you have retained them. How do or did they respond to a magnet? If they do not it is not hard to check the condition of the first rod bearing.

When the four cylinder 616 engine is run for long periods with low fuel pressure. It seems the first rod bearing gets damaged eventually.

Even if I am wrong in what I have long suspected.. There is no doubt almost all rod bearing failures on the 616 engines involve the first cylinders rod bearing. . So on unknown engines I think this is always worth checking anyways.

To me this is the greatest potential failure issue on these 616 engines right along with old tired oil cooler lines. Plus really old tired unchecked timing chains.

All three of these items are in general cheap to address before they fail if needed. After any of them do fail is a real pain in comparison.

Hard to detect that early rod bearing wear or damage otherwise as the engines are so noisy overall. Anyways it is just an opinion but if I found low fuel pressure on any new 616 acquisition. I would correct it and plastigauge the first rod bearing. If caught early enough crankshaft damage may be avoided.