Is this bad???

[capecodcruiser]

Found this inside the filter of my ZF Hurth Vdrive when I changed fluid and filters last week. Not sure if you can see, but they look like the filings that come from when you tap a hole for threads. They are not ferrous, so it is part of the aluminum case I am assuming. The boat is a 2001 and there seemed to be paint that peeled when I took the filter cover off. I have only had the boat 1 year and I am wondering if these were never serviced due to the paint sealing the cover. Could it be something from the machining of the case originally? A little concerned, to say the least. Please let me know your thoughts. The fluid looked fine by the way.

 

[HUMPH]

Ruh Roh! I would bring those to a qualified mechanic to verify...

 

[Hampton]

I don't think it's a big deal, but I agree. Have an expert look at it - you might be able to mail 1/2 of them in.

 

[my3sons]

It's not good. But if it was mine, and it's working fine, and you have experienced no problems with that transmission in the past, I would remove the cooler and flush it out best I could. The tubing bundle inside could hold some bits, and removing the cooler is a easy job. My tranny has a drain plug that I can actually get at to remove, if you can get a shallow pan under yours, I would fill the tranny with oil and then pull that plug and see what washes out. Then I would put new or cleaned filters in it and refill it and then drain it again after a few hours run time. If it looks ok, do it again and take a wait and see approach.
Good luck