Found a small piece of metal in the oil....
 

Okay so I get a new drain plug pigtai(IMS Guardian)l for my 2001 Boxster 2.7 and removed the standard drain plug.
In the small amount of oil that came out, I found a piece of metal I would say was no more than 1/16 of an inch long. The IMS guardian is now hooked up and tests okay. Is it unusual to find any metal in the oil? I have not checked the oil filter as the oil was changed less than a 1K miles ago. I will now let the IMS Guardian do its job. Should I be concerned? I might consider doing an earlier oil/filter change say 1-2k if u consider it justified. The Box runs fine and has 40k miles on it.So if you find metal in the oil is the normal source the IMS?

Is the metal ferrous? Find a magnet and test it.

If you are spending Guardian $, why worry about changing an oil filter and a couple of quarts of oil? That is chump change compared to the value of saving the engine.

That sounds like a good plan Mike. Thanks for the suggestion:)

Or just pull, inspect, and replace the filter. No need to empty all of the oil in the sump. Only a small amount of oil will drip out when you remove the oil filter housing. Should take about a quart to top up the oil after installing the new filter. Total cost: $8 for a quart of oil + $12 filter = $20.

I like this idea thstone. Have just ordered everything that is necessary for an oil change - filter, filter housing removal tool etc so I should be able to get at it in a few days.Thank for your input!

This is the exact reason why the IMS Guardian instructions call for sump plate removal and inspection. Did you carry this out or simply install the drain plug?

Hi Jake. Thanks for the suggestion. I have installed the replacement MCD instead of the regular drain plug. I have ordered everything for the oil change, including the oil filter housing removal tool etc. I will let u know what I find when the parts arrive and get it all done!:):)