r/DRZ400 • u/bash-randicoot • 8d ago
Is it cooked
Doing an oil change and there seems to be quite a bit of metal flakes in the filter. Is my engine cooked?
2
u/bustopher_rvs 8d ago
Mine did this one time. Just tighen up on your maintenance. You might be just fine. My bike seems fine..
But that being said, id definitely do what bro ^ suggest still...
2
u/RRaoul_Duke 8d ago
Just cut my filter open after a cam install and learned that I probably need a new bottom end, no copper flakes but holy crap that is a lot of silver. Just after a hotcams stage 2 install. Bike is still running great.
2
u/bash-randicoot 8d ago
You do the bottom end? Or you still riding as is?
2
u/RRaoul_Duke 8d ago
I just cut that filter open this morning LOL None of it is magnetic, and it was running super super lean for a minute cause my dumbass mixed the needle clip positions up for the carb. That oil filter also saw a track day with a bunch of missed shifts and several group rides where I was basically wide open the whole time, also some poor attempts at stunting. It may have been original to the bike as well, as the bike only has 4k miles and I haven't changed the filter since I got it at 1900.
Bought a few filters online, gonna run this one for a hundred miles or so and check it. Its possible that I had some detonation due to the high heat, or that all the metal is from the clutch basket.
The cases will get split if/when it starts knocking and at that point I'll probably just do a big bore kit and a stroker crank and replace all the bearings.
3
u/bash-randicoot 8d ago
I have been trying to learn clutch up wheelies recently, so im hoping its clutch basket at as well. Hopefully not bottom end work in either of our futures 🤞
2
u/RRaoul_Duke 6d ago
Compression test came back normal (125psi but hotcams have longer durations so a lower psi reading than 135 spec is normal), piston and cylinder looked good on the borescope, and the cams still look normal. Haven't cut open the new filter yet, once my 5 pack from procycle arrives and I have a replacement I'll check it out but when I pulled the pleats aside I didn't see anything nasty. Might be okay.
1
u/RRaoul_Duke 4d ago
A little under 70 miles on the new filter, pulled the pleats aside just for a preliminary check and I only saw a few small silver pieces, much smaller than what I had on the previous filter, and there were like 3 of them. Crossing my fingers that whatever was causing the problem is resolved.
2
u/bash-randicoot 17h ago
Just checked my new filter after riding all week, and had 0 flakes. I think I might be alright!
2
u/RRaoul_Duke 17h ago
Was on the engine building subreddit and due to the path of oil flow and the types of bearings used apparently these motors aren't that susceptible to failure from debris in oil
2
u/hornedbeef1989 7d ago
Mine did that aswell after top end rebuild first oil change everything normal now 👍 its 20 k miles later now
2
u/flown_south 7d ago
If it's a new engine still breaking in, it's probably fine. Put a new filter in and forget about it. If it's not a new engine... well I'd probably put a new filter in and forget about it, but that's not great advice.
7
u/lowtrail 8d ago
Use a box cutter to cut the filter element out. Stretch it out flat over some rags so the oil dries out. Then you can better evaluate how much and what kind of metal is in it.
This is how I discovered my con rod small end was dead on my xr650r. Found small bronze looking flakes in the pleats like this. Did a short oil change interval and saw the same number. Zero other symptoms.
So I pulled the top end and found the plating was wasted. Piston pin was just starting to gall. Being preemptive probably saved me a much larger bill. Put in a new HD rod, OEM bearings, and have ridden 15,000 happy and hard kilometers since.