hey guys. i did my oil change and in the bottom of the oil container i found some solid black grit". I also found a few in the oil filter.
to the naked eye, it just looks like regular carbon but unlike carbon, it does not smudge or fall apart. There are only a few of them.
my car is a 06 9-3 with 190k miles. engine runs smooth, no engine or oil lights. engine does not knock. regular oil change ever 3000-4000 miles with mobile one. no metal shavings in the oil filter.
Run the used oil through a sieve to see if there’s anything else of note in there. I’ve used a discarded white t-shirt for doing that. Some oil sludge deposits can be pretty hard substances. You could also see what happens when you heat the grit up. If it melts, probably plastic. I expect it is oil sludge deposits, and means you should change your oil and filter a little more frequently. Especially true if your car has variable valve timing.
Did you recently switch from conventional dinosaur to synthetic oil? If so, this is probably normal.
hi, thanks for the response. i have owned the car for 13000 miles now and changed the oil 3-4 times since i bought it. mobil one has been used for every oil change apart from my last oil changed. idk what the garage used. doesn’t feel as smooth as mobil one
If it IS a timing chain guide, you will know pretty soon. The car will clatter like a tin bucket of spoons at startup and idle. I think the engine has to come out on the 9-3 to replace the chain and guides. Pretty pricey.
Nick , you have 4 threads about this vehicle since March . This is a discontinued brand so my thought would be trade for something that lets you sleep at night.
I remember when the Ford soft plastic valve stem seals would petrify, disintegrate, and clog the oil pump pick-up screen. I would guess the black particles in the Saab’s oil are plastic from somewhere.
