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My girlfriend has a 2006 Hyundai Sonata with 117k miles. She has had regular oil changes from a Firestone for $30, so I know they have been putting in the cheapest oil and filter out there, and she has no clue about keeping up with transmission oil/filters/coolant/spark plugs, etc. I did an oil change on it the other day (my first time on her car) to put a better quality oil in for a cheaper rate and when I drained out the oil, a bunch of plastic yellow pieces came out with it. I have no clue what they are, only that it’s probably bad news. I did see some yellow stuff on the outside of the drain bolt but that wouldn’t make sense since it was all over the top of my oil drain container.
Anybody have any ideas? Also, we’re definitely not the riches, the car is probably worth about $4k and I am hesitant to do work on it if it’s going to be close to the car’s value. I just fixed an AC leak, flushed the radiator, but it still needs new spark plugs and a transmission flush. What really sucks is I just paid for new tires on it for her.
Thank you!
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It has a V6 and a 3.3L, i believe, and there aren’t any performance issues. Still seems to run great
I think we’re going to need more information than what you’ve given us. Pictures would be nice.
Are the pieces small? Large? Soft? Hard? Shape? Uniform in size and shape? How many?
Only things I can think of is some kind of left over gasket material or something someone used to try to stop a leak on the drain plug? if it’s soft but if it’s just hard rigid plastic I think either something in the timing (like the tensioner mentioned or does this engine have tensioners for the cams?) or something in the oll system like a bushing in an oil pump or something.
Are the pieces like little plastic shavings or flakes, and are they bright yellow?
If the oil dipstick has a plastic top handle, it might be possible that the top of the dipstick tube is shaving the plastic dipstick handle whenever the dipstick is inserted. Sometimes there are rubber O-rings on the dipstick handle which seat and seal the dipstick inside the tube; check to see if those O-rings are there. If they’re missing, maybe the normal engine vibration when running is causing the loose-fitting dipstick to “fret” plastic shavings off the dipstick handle.
Check to see if the top inner circumference of the dipstick tube has become gouged or nicked from withdrawing and inserting the metal part of the dipstick. If it isn’t smooth, it’ll contribute to wearing away the plastic handle.
It could also be possible that the plastic handle has become hard and brittle over time due to engine heat, causing it to deteriorate.
Sorry they are out of focus. Took a bunch trying to get it to focus and finally said the heck with it. If more is needed, I will take more. These are what is left on top of the can. I still have the oil and plan on sifting through it before I dispose of it. They are hard, small pieces that seem plastic. I did check the dipstick and it doesn’t have any edges that show that it’s coming apart. It’s smooth all around. No rattles nor extra noises either. Thanks for any help given!
It doesn’t look like timing chain guide pieces or anything else I’ve seen come out of a engine. It does look a lot like pieces of the drain plug paint mark that is made by people at places I’ve never worked. I’ve run into plenty of cars that have that handmade paint marking on the oil drain plug, I guess from shops that really want to know if their oil change customer cheats on them. It seem like a lot of pieces to be that paint, but the color and shape is spot on for when you break chunks of it off a drain plug to get the wrench on it. If there was a lot of paint slobbed on and you broke it off when the oil pan was underneath it, it could be just that. Timing chain guides are “yellow”, but it a darker yellow like very stained teeth, because it’s white that is stained by engine oil. Your pieces are bright yellow, not like anything that has been bathed in oil for any length of time.
That certainly doesn’t look like anything that would be coming from a failing internal engine component. So I suppose the good news is that this engine isn’t breaking down internally.
Makes me wonder if something “foreign” accidentally got dropped inside the engine, probably through oil filler cap. You mentioned the oil being routinely changed at a certain shop. Maybe it’s from a broken plastic funnel, or from a filler nozzle if they are using a bulk filling machine instead of dispensing from individual oil bottles.
If it was my car, I would drop the oil pan and clean it out. There’s no guarantee that everything came out when the oil drained.
About the only think I can figure is that it might have been a bad filter and the sealer started coming apart or perhaps someone dropped something down into the engine that got chopped up by the internals. As many have pointed out the most likely suspect for plastic in an engine is timing chain guides, but I don’t recall them being that color.
I’d change the oil a few times along with the filter to see if that cures it. If not, you may want to drop the pan for a closer look at what’s going on. I don’t think the plastic itself would be damaging but if it clogged a key oil passage that would be a real problem. I consider this remote because the oil pick up has a screen to prevent stuff like that from happening.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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