Aluminum foil and jelled SLIME on the oil screen - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

BB Benz · 03-10-2012, 06:08 PM

I had removed the oil plug with the pressed on oil screen cylinder on it in preparation for installation of the Fumoto oil drain valve.
I was horrified to find a piece of aluminum foil sucked into the hole on the end of the screen. In addition, there was a kind of jellied slime clogging up some of the screen!

It has been suggested that the screen is unnecessary. From this experience, not only will I continue to use the screen, I will now feel obligated to remove the Fumoto valve to Check and clean the oil pump intake screen. This really is a neat design as with other designs, you would have to drop the pan to check and or clean the oil pick up screen. The piece of aluminum foil was almost the size of a nickel sucked inside the open end of the screen.
I've switched to Pennzoil Ultra which is supposed to keep the engine as clean as a Ferrari.

come on, I know you've seen the ads.

smartcar111 · 03-10-2012, 06:12 PM

Uh-oh! I think you should get a Blackstone test during your next oil change! I wonder what's going on in there!

**rfernatt** · 03-10-2012, 06:13 PM

I think I'd be sending that oil off to be tested and see what's in it.

BB Benz · 03-10-2012, 06:23 PM

That would be a good idea. The aluminum foil is a real puzzler. The oil was about 5000 miles old, and still looked quite good. A dark honey color, but certainly not black. The jellied residue is somthing I've never seen before, but I've never inspected an oil pick up screen before, being inside of the oil pan.

Needless to say, I used JB weld to glue the intake screen onto the end of the Fumoto oil drain valve.

WhiteNBlack08 · 03-10-2012, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BB Benz

That would be a good idea. The aluminum foil is a real puzzler. The oil was about 5000 miles old, and still looked quite good. A dark honey color, but certainly not black. The jellied residue is somthing I've never seen before, but I've never inspected an oil pick up screen before, being inside of the oil pan.

Needless to say, I used JB weld to glue the intake screen onto the end of the Fumoto oil drain valve.

What color was the slime? Was it milky brown in color? That could signal a blown head gasket. The foil is a real puzzler, as far as I know, the head gasket is MLS, so it shouldn't have a foil layer. Don't know what in the engine would be foil? Hope I'm wrong....

BB Benz · 03-10-2012, 06:41 PM

dark honey colored gel. Translucent. Not milky brown. I hope you are wrong too, WhiteNBlack08. If there were a blown head gasket, I would expect the oil to appear to be a different color altogether.

Brutal Force · 03-10-2012, 06:42 PM

Possible that the oil you used to fill with had Oil Bottles with a Foil seal? It may have fallen out while filling the oil.

This is a Rotella 5Qt. Oil Bottle.

jetfuel · 03-10-2012, 07:00 PM

...brutal is right..and as you said "about the size of a nickel" and made out of foil....the protective /seal that is used on most if not all the bottles sold in the world..the slime could be the paper backing that is attached to the foil...

jetfuel...CSI

Padawan · 03-10-2012, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brutal Force

Possible that the oil you used to fill with had Oil Bottles with a Foil seal? It may have fallen out while filling the oil.

This was my first thought also.

BB Benz · 03-10-2012, 07:01 PM

This was a thin piece of foil. There did not appear to be any plastic film on the aluminum, unless that was the plastic jell on the screen. It removed fairly easily with Brake cleaner.