First oil change in 2008 ACR...chunky

[CarDude]

I just had the oil changed in my 2008 ACR. Car had 880 miles on it and the oil was quite a mess, place that changed it says it had little metal shavings in it. The dealer I took it too after that said they could change the oil again and see what was in it. The Viper tech made me second guess his abilities when he said that he liked the changes I made to my car (stock ACR)...then some sales people came out and told me the same thing. Now I am sure this was the first ACR they have seen but come on shouldn't the Viper tech know about the ACR????

SIDE NOTE
The two techs said that they heard the Viper plant has already started to move equipment from the factory...I am not going to give any credence to their rhetoric since they didn't even know what an ACR was.

 

[plumcrazy]

id never let a "viper tech" touch my ACR if he thought it was upgraded like that. its amazing the stupidity of these "viper techs"

there must be a REAL tech near you somewhere.

id drop the pan and check to see if you can find any hints, then send that oil to get inspected.

 

[CarDude]

Yes...I will drive the car some more then have the oil rechecked for trash. Not sure I trust the Viper tech. He might just want the warranty money to pull the engine etc... These are tough time for everybody.

 

[plumcrazy]

dont let those "viper techs" touch it. find someone like a chuck tator who knows what he's doing

 

[ViperPWR]

I'll never trust the "Viper Tech" again, what qualifies one? A few extra classes to get the certification....

Good luck with the metal shavings in the oil.

 

[Martin]

Did the guys who did the oil change save a sample, and was the metal ultra-fine and suspended in the oil, or substantial like a bearing is shot or something broke? You'd think that, if they really saw something unusual, they'd be responsible and save a sample to show you - especially with a car like an ACR. Keep in mind that a new engine will almost always have more metal content in its oil than one that's been broken in. It's good that you did your first change at less than 1000 miles - you need to get that stuff out of there since it just gunks up your filter and the filter will just be bypassing constantly. Typically, I will do a change at 200 miles and then another at 600 or 800 and drain some of the oil into a clear container to see what comes out and settles on the bottom after letting it sit overnight.

My suggestion would be to drive it hard for a thousand miles or so, have the oil changed, save a sample (SAVE THE FILTER TOO!!!), and send the oil sample off to be tested for metal content. If it comes back showing unusual metal content, find a good Viper tech, and have them look at the oil analysis report - and cut open the filter you saved to see what's in it. If something's bad, they'll send the whole engine back to Arrow (I think they still go there) and when you get it back it will probably be better than new (that seems to be the trend when engines go back there).

 

[adamlotus]

sounds normal for some shavings in first oil change,change the oil again in 3000 miles and recheck for shavings,thats why its critcal to do a proper engine break in.drive and have fun .

 

[Blue Pilot]

Always cut open your oil filter and look for metal shavings. It is a normal procedure for aircraft engines.

 

[CarDude]

I am pretty sure things are OK. Spoke with Woodhouse this morning and they said it is not unusual to see some metal in the first change as the new block will have some shavings in it no matter how hard they try to clean it. Engine is running fine (just like my other 08) so I am not that worried. I did have my Ram SRT engine rebuilt by Arrow and it came back with 45 more HP and 75 ft lbs of torque so not bad at all. All in all, I am not that concerned. I just don't want to be without my ACR for any of the driving season (that's why I need to move so I have have a year-round driving season).

 

[CarDude]

Oh and while I had it out yesterday, two people thought it was red...looks pretty dang orange to me. Must be some color blind people out there.

 

[Martin]

Always cut open your oil filter and look for metal shavings. It is a normal procedure for aircraft engines.

I used to work in a maintenance hangar, and we had a filter cutter - it was basically like a restaurant-sized hand-crank can opener. Do you know where I could get one of those? I've opened filters with my dremel in the past, but it's a pain in the a$$, and it's sometimes hard to see whether the metal in the filter is from the engine, or from the filter opening process...

 

[Newport Viper]

May I suggest.... Blackstone Laboratories - Gas Engines

 

[ViperTony]

I used to work in a maintenance hangar, and we had a filter cutter - it was basically like a restaurant-sized hand-crank can opener. Do you know where I could get one of those? I've opened filters with my dremel in the past, but it's a pain in the a$$, and it's sometimes hard to see whether the metal in the filter is from the engine, or from the filter opening process...

Jeg's and Summit Racing have those oil filter openers.

 

[Kevan]

I am pretty sure things are OK. Spoke with Woodhouse this morning and they said it is not unusual to see some metal in the first change as the new block will have some shavings in it no matter how hard they try to clean it. Engine is running fine (just like my other 08) so I am not that worried. I did have my Ram SRT engine rebuilt by Arrow and it came back with 45 more HP and 75 ft lbs of torque so not bad at all. All in all, I am not that concerned. I just don't want to be without my ACR for any of the driving season (that's why I need to move so I have have a year-round driving season).

Yep. You should be fine.
With my Viper ENGINE, my first oil change showed a good bit of swarf (metal shavings) on the magnetic tip of the drain plug.
The amount of swarf has continually gone down every oil change since.

If you pull the drain plug and there's a bearing stuck to the end, then you have problems.

 

[VIPER R]

As a suggestion, doing your own oil change is very simple. If you have a garage all you need is a set of ramps and a wrench or two. At least you will get first hand info and become more familiar with your car.

 

[CarDude]

As a suggestion, doing your own oil change is very simple. If you have a garage all you need is a set of ramps and a wrench or two. At least you will get first hand info and become more familiar with your car.

I usually do my own changes...only problem was my Copphead was on the top of the lift, and I needed to change the oil sooner than later. I was getting some quotes on clear bra, so I went for my oil change too. Weather was turning sour later in the day (snow about 2 inches last night) so I didn't have much time.

 

[VIPER R]

I usually do my own changes...only problem was my Copphead was on the top of the lift, and I needed to change the oil sooner than later. I was getting some quotes on clear bra, so I went for my oil change too. Weather was turning sour later in the day (snow about 2 inches last night) so I didn't have much time.

Move your garage to southern California, that's what I did, makes the oil changes even easier.

 

[elanderholm]

are we talking 'shavings' or just tiny metal filings? It's normal in the diff and from the engine when you have the first oil change. Did you take a picture of the oil or anything like that?