New owner '98 formula, need help with potentially big problem.

[viperguynick]

Hi all, I have been cruising the boards for a while now, and actually just purchased a '98 formula out of FL a few weeks ago and drove it 1400 miles back home to Maine. The car is now my daily driver with 140k miles and the following mods:

228/228 .588 112LSA
Pacesetter LT's
BMR SFC's
True 3" Duals
Ported LS6 oil pump
DR Timing Chain
Hi-Po Z06 wheels

The car has been running AWESOME ever since it left FL, no problems at all. I figured it was time to do an oil change this weekend so I picked up some Mobil 1 Synthetic 5w-30 for it like I use on every car I own, and started in on the change. As soon as I pulled the drain plug my heart was in my throat: Stuck to the magnetic plug was a piece of what I believe to be Main bearing material about the size of my small fingernail. Hoping that it MIGHT be somthing else, I pulled the valve covers and checked the valvetrain, everything was A-OK up there. What I want to know is, what are the chances of this being some other type of metal from elsewhere in the engine? I know that this is a bad situation either way, but if I can get by driving the car while I build up a second LS1 in the garage over the next month or so, then I will be a happy guy. Thanks in advance..

Nick

[MadSeason]

Hi all, I have been cruising the boards for a while now, and actually just purchased a '98 formula out of FL a few weeks ago and drove it 1400 miles back home to Maine. The car is now my daily driver with 140k miles and the following mods:

228/228 .588 112LSA
Pacesetter LT's
BMR SFC's
True 3" Duals
Ported LS6 oil pump
DR Timing Chain
Hi-Po Z06 wheels

The car has been running AWESOME ever since it left FL, no problems at all. I figured it was time to do an oil change this weekend so I picked up some Mobil 1 Synthetic 5w-30 for it like I use on every car I own, and started in on the change. As soon as I pulled the drain plug my heart was in my throat: Stuck to the magnetic plug was a piece of what I believe to be Main bearing material about the size of my small fingernail. Hoping that it MIGHT be somthing else, I pulled the valve covers and checked the valvetrain, everything was A-OK up there. What I want to know is, what are the chances of this being some other type of metal from elsewhere in the engine? I know that this is a bad situation either way, but if I can get by driving the car while I build up a second LS1 in the garage over the next month or so, then I will be a happy guy. Thanks in advance..

Nick

how many miles on the cam? if it's been modded it's been driven IMO, but that is a rather large chunch of metal just to be finding when chainging the oil. good luck, something is falling apart in there.

[viperguynick]

Less than 10k on the cam. I have no doubt that the car has been driven hard and put away wet. Car pulled 353 RWHP and 354 RWTQ untuned for the previous owner, and I know it make a couple 1/4 mile passes. There are absolutely NO abnormal noises, shakes, rattles, or anything else. The car runs flawlessly. I just hope I can get enough use out of it until I can get a new motor in.

Nick