Found this during oil filter change

[Chargerdude70]

@s219

The old filter was intact....I have since changed the oil as recommended by those who suggested.....I will run for a couple hours and change the filter again...I will post update ...if any...from LS about the matter...thank.you all for your responses...

 

[s219]

Did you look inside the old filter to see if there was a spring in the center? If there was a spring but no tip or plunger, I'd say that is the white piece you found, and no big worries.

 

[flyerdan]

Or pull a new filter of the same make and model out of the box and see if it has the white plug in it, as a double verify.

 

[Coyote machine]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune, but the good thing is you caught it, and are documenting it with LS dealer and the manufacturer. I'd start doing oil analysis from this point on to see what your baseline is, and going forward you should be able to track any unusual wear. Your 5 year warranty should cover you too, but as stated already, it seems it will be on you to carefully track any abnormal results that may show up early on oil analysis. This covers you in case there is some dispute over possible premature bearing or other wear/failure. You may be lucky and not have any issues, but in case you do you want ammo to use as needed.

Was the plastic piece jammed in the inlet to the engine or merely held in place when the idiot who installed the filter missed it?

Did oil pour out of the original filter when you removed it from the engine?

Did you by any chance keep the original filter? Or original oil?

I'd also read the entire warranty regarding powertrain coverage and make sure no loopholes exist. FWIW, all garagekeepers have garagekeepers insurance, so if something does go belly up, their insurance would cover it if nothing else did.
One other thought is to try to find out whether the original filter is installed at the factory, or if it's done at the selling dealer. I suspect it's done at the factory, and filled with oil there. If so, what exactly is used prior to installing the filter, to protect the filter's mounting threads on the filter nipple? If it turns out to be a plastic cap that goes over the threads then whoever installed the filter had their eyes closed, or could have cut the cap off leaving the piece you found, possibly on purpose, if they were having trouble at work. It would not be the first time some malicious actions took place at a factory. Either way, you should be given piece of mind by LS and your dealer.

 

[TSO]

Chargerdude... I'm just curious, how was that piece fixed in place? Was it screwed in somehow, pressed in, or held in place some other way? Or did it just sit there?

 

[DarkBlack]

How do you guys figure the oil didn't get filtered? From what I see, never mind filtering, the engine would have gotten no oil at all, unless the block has an internal bypass. Does it?

 

[Coyote machine]

How do you guys figure the oil didn't get filtered? From what I see, never mind filtering, the engine would have gotten no oil at all, unless the block has an internal bypass. Does it?

If the filter was blocked no oil would go out to it, and if you think about it, if the oil wasn't doing anything but lubricating the engine, it would be seized from lack of oil.


And to the OP, here's a link for oil analysis.

Blackstone Labs

 

[s219]

I think 99% of the old screw-on style filters flow from the outside in, so that "filtered" oil returns to the engine through the center port. When the filter goes into bypass (due to clogged media) they just bypass the media and still need to flow oil out through the center port to return it to the engine. So if this system works that way, I don't see how any oil would have flowed through the filter in any scenario with that white piece jammed in the port. In fact, in that condition, the pressure relief on the engine oil pump probably would have kicked in and immediately returned oil to the sump. Assuming it has a pressure relief. But I don't know how LS oil pumps are designed/etc to say for sure.

The other 1% of filters flow oil the other way, for all kinds of reasons. Not common, but they do exist. If this is the way LS oil flows, then I would not be surprised if that white piece was part of a broken off anti-drainback valve, or some other internal part of the filter. It would have been pushed out of the way when the engine was running and no concerns.

Many newer cars use a different oil filter where you just replace the media element. A lot of these have goofy looking spring/plunger arrangements for bypass and anti-drainback, because every once and while someone yanks that out with the media and posts on the internet trying to figure out what the extra parts are. I haven't really ever learned how these work or which way they flow, other than to say they are definitely different than screw on filters.

 

[Chargerdude70]

I kept the old filter, it still has some of the old oil in it. The first thing I did when I discovered this little white item was take a look at the new filter inside to see how it was made. My thoughts was that it was something that broke off of the original filter. When examined, both filters looked the same on the inside. This little white object was just sitting there when the original filter was removed. It didnt take any effort at all for it to come out.

 

[JLwoodworks]

I believe I know what the white plastic piece is. The tip from a tube of RTV etc. Its the part you cut off before you screw on the nozzle. Guess is it must have fallen in somewhere during factory assembly.

Jason