Oil Changing Guru's Is this normal??

When changing the oil in my 06 w/ 34k, we saw this weird corrosive looking stuff on the oil filter catch basin where the oil filter screws on. Is this normal? I cleaned the area but this wouldn't come off nor did I want it to flake/chip off. Should I worry about it? We use Toyota OEM filters and Syn oil if it matters.

 

I don't think that what you are seeing is corrosion. It looks more like impurities in the metal, or sand deposits from the casting process used to make the part. That doesn't mean that there is sand floating around in your engine. Sand is used to make the moulds that cast parts are made in. Sometimes, a piece of the mould will crumble and deposit loose sand in the mould. When the molten metal is poured into the mould, this loose sand forms a reverse impression in the molten metal when it cools and solidifies. This makes the cast part appear to have voids, or other defects in the surface finish. Its nothing to worry about.

 

Looks like some sort of sludge build up. I would not worry about it though. How many miles do you average between oil changes? I wonder who makes the OEM filters?

HTH

 

You got it, casting inclusions. It looks like this part is sand cast (as stated above), not investment cast. That is a fairly small radius in the corner, and it would be very possible that you'd get some shell-cracking leading to a bit rougher surface finish there. No worries.

 

Thank you everyone for your input & will not worry about it then.
Ive done regular intervals @ around 4-5k using Mobil One 5-30. Have no idea on the filter maker...I think its made in Thailand??

 

Sorry for that reply on this. As long as you are changing oil an filter at that interval then you won't have any issues.

HTH