I have a 2008 Pontiac G6 Base with the 2.4L Ecotec engine and automatic transmission. I bought the car with 78,XXX miles on it and the car currently has 106,XXX miles on it. Around the 80,000 mark, I took it into a local shop to have the timing chain and guides replaced due to a check engine light and serious misfire. Along with the last oil change at 103K miles, I replaced the oil drain plug. The new one had a magnet on it. Today, when I changed the oil, I had a big chunk of metal stuck to the magnet on the oil drain plug. It was too large to fit through the oil drain hole. I assume I'm going to have to pull the oil pan and clean it out. Is there any tips to removing the oil pan, and anything I should inspect or replace while I have the pan off the bottom of the engine?
Just empty out all the oil, and then remove the bolts holding the oil pan to the engine. I would do a careful inspection inside the engine, and figure out where that chunk of metal came from! The drain holes are fairly large, so it sounds like a pretty big piece. Was the engine running fine?
You may have to tap the pan with a rubber mallet to loosen it after you remove the bolts. Make sure to clean the mating surfaces very well before reinstalling. Torque the bolts to the specified amount in a criss cross pattern.
The chunk of metal may well be a nut or bolt dropped by the mechanic, or that worked loose which led to the timing chain issue. Or a piece of a chain guide.
