During a routine oil and filter change on this 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo (951) we saw some rather worrying “metal shavings in the oil” and on the magnetic oil drain plug. Based on the size, shape, and silver color of the shavings, our initial thought was to check the rod bearings for signs of detrimental wear or failure. Specifically, the rod bearing on cylinder #2 is known to wear out much more quickly than the others in these engines and one of the textbook indicators of “rod bearing failure” on these cars is the presence of shavings or “metal flakes in the oil”. After pulling the oil pan and removing the rod bearings, we found them to be in surprisingly good shape. The next step? Remove the cylinder head to check the walls of the cylinder for scoring and other damage. Once we got the cylinder head off the block, we were again a little surprised to find the cylinder walls were unmarked and perfectly fine… We did, however, find the cylinder head itself to be in pretty desperate need of attention. There’s no way we’re putting it back on in that condition. We’ll get started on that as well and show you a before and after picture once it is finished. But still no signs of where those metal shavings are coming from!
Now it’s time to really dig into this engine and find the source of those metal shavings. We love a challenge so stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted as the story develops.
