Engine reportedly sounds fantastic after TCT and belts done, but they have found small (not huge) flakes in the bottom of the sump - they've taken and
printed a photo for me to look at and suggest that this could be one of any number of bearings, which potentially in time could need replacing.

Anyone had this before and how much of this is just regular wear and tear on a 130k engine? How long before it becomes an issue, which it isn't now? Anything that can be done to help it over time with particular oils etc?

Engine is great and symptom-free and as the dealer said, if we hadn't had it open, we wouldn't have noticed it.

 

Got any pictures?

Flakes sound like deposits that have fallen off.

 

Are they metallic? Could be some sealant from the joint face if not.

My advice would be to have the sump cleaned, and run the car for 1000 miles and check again. It might cost some labour but at least you are monitoring it. Problem is that you don't know when the bits came off. You could also fit a magnetic sump plug which will gather bits of ferrous metal.

130k is a fair bit for an S2000 engine - i'd be expecting to budget for a failure anyway if I had a high miler.

 

You say your engine sounds okay.

The bits could be of the rod bearings, valve guides.

Was there any in the oil filter too?

 

?

 

My bad amended Rod bearings.

 

If you cant decide yourself what the material is, send it to a lab for analysis.
They will tell you its makeup and you can deduce where its from.
It isn't normal, no, as the filter should strain most things out.

I had similar material in an old V8 engine, it was aluminium alloy dust.
There was a bent pushrod and it had worn away the head casting
Maybe fallout from the TCT and a flappy chain? Who knows.

 

Do these magnetic sump plugs really work. ?

 

We use them on gas turbines

 

Yes if the particles are ferrous