Green plastic in my oil.

[shadrach74]

Happy Easter Folks,

Sooooo, I did an oil change last week and found the stuff you see in the photos nestled in the filter media. It is green in color. It feels firm but is a bit mailable (I hammered it out on a pies of steel and it can be pounded flat without shattering). A freind of mine has said it's cam chain guide material, but I never seen that present as green...and it's very green; it looks like finely chopped capers. Oil has 6000miles on it, filter has 12,000miles (got to the hangar and realized I was out of filters for the last change).

Many thanks as always!

[healthservices]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

Looks like the same material as the cam end plugs.

[shadrach74]

That occurred to me as well, but there's so much of it.

[Top_Ramen]

there's also valve stem seals


spark plug tube gasket/ o-ring

[Jamesp]

The new style chain guide material is light green.

[Steve Tinker]

That could have happened in the last 1,000 miles or 12,000 miles. Whatever caused the debris its not good news.

1) Could your engine have the later (green) chain guides - if so, thats possibly the problem, though the gude plastic is not a soft material.
2) Probably not the camshaft end plugs, if one or part was missing you would have oil leaking everywhere.
3) Valve guide seals would also leak oil into the combustion chamber and engine would smoke.
4) Good call on park tube O ring, have they recently been removed - check for possibe leaks around valve cover.

Maybe time to remove the sump and check for debris in the oil strainer and bottom of sump cover. There maybe other clues in there.

[Jake Raby]

This color material comes from the inside of the hydraulic servo on the 5 chain variocam arrangement.

[shadrach74]

Thanks for all of the replies folks.

Cam deviation is dead on through the rev range as usual.

The car is not smoking, but I do smell oil at times even though I don't see it. It is a 5 chain Motor and does not have upgraded chain guides.

Jake, can you expound on the servo and failure mode?

This is a stock 02 986S with 68,000 miles.

[Jake Raby]

There's a pair of seals inside some of the servo units. To gain access to them the unit must be cut open. When they start to fail the material will contaminate the oil.

[Nine8Six]

Its all okay then right? rainbows and unicorns etc

Man, I almost tempted to keep my 986 parked here indefinitely and keep it as a very nice garage / sport car corner / collectible

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

There's a pair of seals inside some of the servo units. To gain access to them the unit must be cut open. When they start to fail the material will contaminate the oil.

Thank you Raby-Wan Kenobe! What are the implications of the failure of said seal? Could you provide a bit more insight as to what I do to remedy the situation? Do I need to replace the whole VarioCam unit?

[shadrach74]

Does any one else care to ring in/expound upon the VarioCam mystery solenoid seal in dark green? Search yields nothing. Shops around here know nothing of this symptom.

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

Does any one else care to ring in/expound upon the VarioCam mystery solenoid seal in dark green? Search yields nothing. Shops around here know nothing of this symptom.

Not surprising.. If they attended my classes, they would know about it. Unless someone dissects the unit they will never understand this. Most shops have done nothing more to these engines than re-seal cam covers.

When this seal fails ultimately camshaft deviations will occur as the adjuster will no longer function. Its not catastrophic, but when it goes long enough it will set a CEL and account for crappy gas mileage.

[kk2002s]

Just when I was adding another item to the list of - what else can break this motor-
I can yell out the window:
- Hallelujah - Finally a problem that doesn't end in self destruction

Though I would assume that if you have to cut these VarioCam units apart to see the problem, fixing requires replacing very expensive parts and serious labor getting to them

Take a deep breath

[shadrach74]

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

Not surprising.. If they attended my classes, they would know about it. Unless someone dissects the unit they will never understand this. Most shops have done nothing more to these engines than re-seal cam covers.

When this seal fails ultimately camshaft deviations will occur as the adjuster will no longer function. Its not catastrophic, but when it goes long enough it will set a CEL and account for crappy gas mileage.

Thanks Jake, I hope that this is all it is. The cam deviation has not changed in the 18000miles and does not change through out the rev range. What is odd is that one bank is 6.5 and the other is 1.4. I have always wondered about it.

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by shadrach74

Thanks Jake, I hope that this is all it is. The cam deviation has not changed in the 18000miles and does not change through out the rev range. What is odd is that one bank is 6.5 and the other is 1.4. I have always wondered about it.

The bank with 6.5 degrees is the unit that has emitted the pieces of debris.. You have about 2.25 degrees more before it sets a CEL for being out of range. The 6.5* is already costing gas mileage, adding to the rough running index and adding fuel trim.

The servo units are not serviceable and thats why no one else has found the source of the debris, because they have not cut the units open. As a researcher, doing the things that no one else does and finding the things that no one else has found is my job.

If a unit fails, just replace it.

BTW- a failed servo for the VVT arrangement is mode of failure #5 of the 27 documented modes of failure for the M96 engine.

[hideehoo]

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

The bank with 6.5 degrees is the unit that has emitted the pieces of debris.. You have about 2.25 degrees more before it sets a CEL for being out of range. The 6.5* is already costing gas mileage, adding to the rough running index and adding fuel trim.

The servo units are not serviceable and thats why no one else has found the source of the debris, because they have not cut the units open. As a researcher, doing the things that no one else does and finding the things that no one else has found is my job.

If a unit fails, just replace it.

BTW- a failed servo for the VVT arrangement is mode of failure #5 of the 27 documented modes of failure for the M96 engine.

Jake, when you say servo as you referring to the electric solenoid (~$200) or the hydraulic tensioner unit (~$1000) it operates against? Seems like the solenoid is a fairly common failure.

Just pulled my '00S with ~90K out of storage and noticed uneven power delivery in the 3K rev range, some green particles in the oil filter (which is a first), and it just started to throw a 1341 code.

Ordered a Durametric kit to get a little more info before I tear in, but I'm assuming it's either the solenoid and/or actuator going bad. I'll rule out electrical first also, but the particles in the oil filter can't be a coincidence.

Thanks

[GatorLapis]

Originally Posted by hideehoo

Jake, when you say servo as you referring to the electric solenoid (~$200) or the hydraulic tensioner unit (~$1000) it operates against? Seems like the solenoid is a fairly common failure.

Just pulled my '00S with ~90K out of storage and noticed uneven power delivery in the 3K rev range, some green particles in the oil filter (which is a first), and it just started to throw a 1341 code.

Ordered a Durametric kit to get a little more info before I tear in, but I'm assuming it's either the solenoid and/or actuator going bad. I'll rule out electrical first also, but the particles in the oil filter can't be a coincidence.

Thanks

Is it this unit? Chain Tensioner 99610505158 - Genuine Porsche - 996-105-051-58 | Pelican Parts

or just this...

https://www.amazon.com/Porsche-Tensioner-Repair-Guides-rebuild/dp/B00AGZVLPW/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1470511028&sr=8-5&keywords=chain+tensioner+boxster

[first boxster]

It sure would be nice if somebody on this site could post a clear option on the origine of these green bit. Is it the chain tensioner? If so where do the green bits come from? Inside?

[Paul]

Based on Jake's comments earlier in this thread:

Chain Tensioner 99610505158 - Genuine Porsche - 996-105-051-58 | Pelican Parts