decided to cut open my oil filter too

[schoir]

Originally Posted by JTP

Maurice,
thanks for the input. When I saw it I was really worried and thought of the IMS seals but this piece feels like latex, very soft. And from all the photos of the IMS I've seen the seals are black and the outer flange seal is orange. I'll try to take a photo and post it.
So you wouldn't worry about the hard brown specs?

JTP:

Take a few high resolution photos and post them here so that everyone that may have been down this road can give some input.

It's not good to find anything other than dirty oil in the oil filter, but it's better for it to get caught by the filter than circulating inside the engine.

As to the "hard brown specs", it depends on the size and on the number of them, but pieces of the IMS bearing seal are the ones that should raise immediate alarm bells. If you are certain that you have not found any pieces of the seal, then at least you can have peace of mind from that issue, but I would still carefully monitor the underside of the engine for any newly-found oil leaks, as that may be another telltale sign.

Perhaps taking those little pieces of "hard brown specs" in person to an indie for identification of their origin (maybe comparing them to the material of other plastic parts normally found inside the engine) would also help put your mind at ease.

Regards, Maurice.