How Much Metal In Oil Is Normal? Know The Precise Count

You might start to think it is a bad day for you when you notice particles such as debris or metals in your oil, but it might not be as bad as you think! Normally the question can arise in your mind whether it is normal to have any sort of metal shavings in oil? And even if it’s normal, you might want to know how much metal in oil is normal?

Keeping up with the regular maintenance of your vehicle, pulling out the dipstick can turn out to be a part of your daily routine but not this time. You see shiny particles that seem to be metal particles, you start to get worried as you’ve never faced this before. Let us give you a sigh of relief, your engine isn’t totaled, yet. Therefore, today, our discussion is all about this issue. Let’s get into the real deal!

How Much Metal In Oil Is Normal?

Engine oils over time in any kind of vehicle tend to gather up various kinds of shavings of very small, usually unnoticeable tiny metal particles which are almost impossible to be noticed by the bare human eye. Although these particles can be brought together in one place using a magnetic drain plug.

Another way to verify would be to cut open the filter and pour the used oil into a pan. Make sure the oil is clean before you drain it. Casually, you’ll be seeing these tiny flakes on a small amount, and in such instances, it is quite normal and you don’t have to worry about it.

From time to time, the gathering of metal in the oil is pretty normal. For an average distance, after crossing 10,000 miles, noticing the metal particles is normal. But if you notice the particles before crossing even 5000 miles, that’s concerning.

When checking on the filter, a quick tip we would like to give you; if you see very little debris suppose 10 to 20 particles of metals- have oil, and filter change. Come back and take out the filter after a day and inspect thoroughly to see if there’s any improvement or not.

On the contrary, when you’ve got a handful of metal shavings, to begin with for instance 20 to 40 tiny pieces of metal, do the same exact oil and filter change but have an inspection within the first 10 hours and see if that helps.

What Do Shiny Metallic Particles In The Oil Indicate?

A lot of the time it is quite normal to see particles as such during the first oil change after the initial break-in period. The engine would naturally require to settle in everything while you start to put a few thousand miles and do more oil changes.

But once you’re done with this phase, things should clear up quite a bit until you no longer see any more metal shavings in the oil. If things remain the same, then you might need to dig in deeper to address the actual issue!

The sudden collection of tiny metal debris in the lubricating oil should never be considered healthy and clearly is an indication that something is wrong with your motor. The sudden buildups of metal shaving around the oil of an engine usually refer to quick wear-outs of bearings or other crucial components from the engine. As the metals erode away from these parts, it gets stuffed into the engine oil and stocks up until it gets dumped on your next oil change.

On another occasion, during the phase of an oil change, the oil drain bolt’s threads might loosen up being stripped. So when you go ahead and take out the drain plug or replace it, without even knowing you might just be leaving out metal shavings in your oil as a consequence.

If this issue goes unnoticed for a long period, heavy damage might be already done to the engine and these metal shavings will continue their pattern after every oil change. So make sure to inspect and take proper measures before it gets too late.

What To Do If There Is Metal In Your Oil?

If you’re in a situation where you’re worried about a few rattle noises or feel like your vehicle is not running at its full potential and the next thing that catches your eyes is metal shavings residing in the oil- then we’ll guide you a few basic moves you can do to make things better:

• Pull out the engine covers, valves, and necessary components off.
• Take out the piston rings to get them repaired.
• Diagnose your engine for any other issues and solve the issues accordingly.
• Make an oil change and sincerely notice if there are any metal particles present or not.
• On another note, your oil cooler kit might need some cleaning and brushing off as all the metal shavings could get gathered up there.

We would like to get a bit more information about recommended oil for 5.3 Vortec if that’s your engine type. The Royal Purple HMX 5w-30 High Mileage Synthetic Motor Oil is the one you should be leaning towards as it’s one of the best out there on the market which provides a fuel economy unlike any other!

Final Verdict

Now that you know, how much metal in oil is normal, you already know that you should be worried, but don’t start to freak out! As long as you realize that it might be to some extent harmful for the motor of your vehicle, we’d recommend you to change the oil frequently as a $50 oil change is far better than flushing down thousands on engine repairs or even replacement!

If none of the things are working out for you and you feel lost, don’t give up your hopes yet, simply take a sample of the oil in for an examination in a nearby vehicle repair workshop. They might just be able to stumble upon the exact problem and give you a reliable solution to it.