Hello,
just changed the oil on my '05 xt660x. And when i was pouring the old oil out of the basin I used I found a couple of small metal shavings. Should I be concerned?

Well... Yes and, erm... No!

Yes, because the metal shavings have come from somewhere inside the engine/gearbox - something shed some metal that shouldn't have done.

No, because what can you do? To find out what it is, or rather where it came from, you're going to have to open up the motor. If you do that, you may as well rebuild it or replace everything that's worn anyway. If it's not making any funny noises, or using oil and it's running OK, then you may as well wait and see what happens (if anything at all) and strip it if something does.

Have you a photo of the metal in question? How big? What shape? What kind of metal?

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Thanks for the quick reply, I haven't any photos, never even thought of taking any. There was maybe half a dozen bits, none bigger than a grain of sugar, only noticed them as they stood out against the thin layer of oil left at the bottom of the pan.

No discernible shape really. Would have thought they should have been caught by the filter or would they sit at the bottom of the crank case maybe?

Bike is running and sounding fine, could have sworn it's running smoother after the oil change but could be my imagination

Through multiple examples on this and other forums we can come to the conclusion that although the XT660 engines are very robust the dogs on the gears are their weakest point. There have been examples of people losing multiple dogs from the gears and the engine keeps running until they pull it apart and realise what has happened. Or in my case I lost just one of the dogs and a metal shard got in between the crank and the crankcase and caused a terminal failure leaving me stranded in a country lane 137 miles from home in the blazing sun without any shelter! Not sure if it is advisable to pull the engine apart and check or not, as Pleiades said it kind of depends on the size and shape of the metal. It would also depend on how handy you are in a garage, how much money and time you have to throw about and how critical the bike is to you i.e a daily commuter or occasional toy. However if what happened to me had happened when I was doing 90mph+ down a dual carriageway instead of whilst accelerating out of a corner the consequences could have been far greater.

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Now have a 2017 S1000XR Sport SE

2006 XT660X - Cat D write off due to someone pulling out on me - Pipewerx carbon fibre exhausts - Snorkel removed and airbox drilled - DNA stage 1 + 2 air filters - Kevs fuel controller mod - Scottoiler V system - Oxford heated grips - HEL braided brake hoses - Wilbers 540 rear shock - Brembo brake pads - AFAM chain and sprockets - Michelin Pilot Street Radial's - Denali DX Xtreme dual intensity spotlights

They are small then. I had visions from your OP that they were shavings and would have been bigger. If they're that size, I think there is probably less to worry about.

Might sound a daft question, but are you 100% sure they are metal because you can quite often find grains of carbon that size and also friction material from the clutch plates. Also they could have come from around the drain plugs on the outside of the engine/frame and simply be grains of silica or sand from the road that washed into your oil pan as it's very difficult to drain the oil from an XT cleanly.

I definitely wouldn't panic yet if the engine and gearbox seem to be operating smoothly and everything else is tickety-boo.

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So that's pretty much the sum total of the material left in oil pan. Definitely metallic

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I still don't think necessarily anything to worry about. Can you check them with a magnet to see if they are ferrous or not, which will give some sort of clue where they might be from.

One other easy thing you could do is run the bike for 500-600 miles and drop the oil again, making sure everything around the drain plugs and your catch-pan is spotless. Examine the oil closely and see how many particles have been washed out. Also remove/change the oil filter and break it open for examination. This will give an indication of the severity of any possible problem.

BTW - Did you change the filter when you did the oil change by any chance?

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crap never checked with a magnet :/

I'll drop the oil out in a few hundred miles as you suggested, sounds like a plan.

Yes changed the oil filter. Just checked the old one there,and I can'd find anything in it.

Hopefully it is as you said and just something from around the drain holes.

Do the 500 mile oil and filter change and report back. I know it'll cost you �25-�30, but it's a relatively cheap and easy place to start.

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Will do, thanks for the help