360 How much glitter is normal (oil change)

Before you say "none," be sure you've drained your own oil into a black pan, then poured it into another black pain to see if any glitter follows the oil on the last few drops.

The internet is flooded with threads about it but the answers are all over the board - some experts say it's impossible to change oil without some level of glitter; while the internet trolls say you're due for a rebuild if you see anything. I'm thinking the answer lies somewhere in between.

Anyway I'd like some feedback from anyone who has noticed it in their 360. I first saw this in my Aston Martin DB9, and when I mentioned it on a forum, I was greeted with the doom and gloom story of bad bearings, worn piston linings, cat ingestation, etc., etc. After deciding to quit worrying about it, I drove the car over 135K miles and it never lost an ounce of power.

As for my current situation, I've driven the car about 20K miles in the last 12 months and after the last 2,500 mile oil change interval, there is definite glitter on the bottom of the pan. Not enough to see it in the oil itself with a light (unlike the Aston which looked like paint sometimes), but it definitely followed the oil out when draining out the black plastic pan.

 

It's definitely to the naked eye. I used Blackstone before but it comes back normal. The majority of those on other forums (non-Ferrari) say the same. Blackstone will only detect microscopic particles.

One thing to add is that I believe the glitter is only at the bottom of the block/pan, not in the filter or sump. It appears to be copper color and not magnetic.

 

I have not cut this filter but I will. I cut others and they were completely clean.

The glitter is very small but there is a lot of it. No, lol it's not bubbles. With other cars, I have taken the flakes and examined it under a microscope.

I will try to publish a picture.

 

Again, I've used Blackstone before and all measurements came out within normal range. I still have a few of their black bottles here in my office.

 

Starting from the beginning, If any of you would be ready to change your oil, try collecting all the oil into a black pan, then dump the pan into another container and watch what follows. I'm not interested in a scientific analysis which would give me no help. My question is what is the typical amount of glitter you should see in a Ferrari oil change.

All cars I have had have some level of glitter at the end of the pan. Some more than others. Blackstone will not answer that question. Trust me, I've asked them before lol.

 

Of course.

 

Don't you EVER EVER trust Google Ai. Thank me later.

We were laughing at the Dealer a few weeks back when Google Ai stated that the Ferrari 360 takes 3.9 liters of motor oil.

 

You literally have to look real hard to see it.

 

OK, I just heard from my friend also with a 2003 360 with sub-30K miles. He found the same in his. The dealer told him that "every Ferrari" has glitter at the bottom of the pan.

 

My girl gets nervous when she finds glitter on the passenger seat. I get nervous when it's in the oil. Either way, I guess glitter is just plain BAD.

 

It may not be copper - It just appears that way likely due to the bronze color of the oil.

Honestly I do have pics, however I don't want to post it and spawn a surge of negative comments from anyone who hasn't checked their own oil. I'm just really curious how many Ferrari owners can detect the glitter in their own oil and how much is typical.

In order to see it, you must drain all the oil into an open pan then pour it out and watch for the flake at the very end. The pics look ominous but I had to zoom in quite a bit to make it apparent.

Just for the record, my stomach dropped when I saw this on my Aston. A quick internet search showed my car's days were numbered. After a few oil changes, I poured Seafoam into the fill hole with the pan plug removed and that flushed out the pan, which nearly cleared it completely on subsequent oil changes, indicating what I was seeing a lifetime of flake that was building up over the years - not anything indicating wear that occurred between oil changes. This may be the case now, as I have about 80K miles on the car. Unfortunately I can't flush it in the same way as it's a dry sump and the Seafoam won't make it's way to the block as fast as with a wet sump without running the car.

On the Aston I literally had quotes for a complete engine rebuild for about $15K-$20K. Until, of course I read a testimonial of somewone who was spooked the same was I was and actually got the rebuild only to find the engine continued to shed metal! Waste of $15K!

 

As for the engine oil, I use Mobil 1 15w-50. A little thicker than the standard 40 but not quite as thick as the 10w-60 racing oil. Bear in mind I am in Florida too. I wouldn't recommend 15w anything in colder climates.

About 8 years ago, I tested nearly all compatible oils on the market on a Maserati dry-sump with failing variators. I changed the oil using popular brands and timed the variator rattle at startup. The shorter the duration, the stiffer the oil and the better it's hydraulic abilities. The Mobil 1 15w50 even outperformed the 10w60 Supercar oil at $18 per quart. Since then, I've used this in my Ferraris. I covered the test on another forum focusing on Maseratis prior to replacing all my variator components (variators, solenoids, bushings, etc.).