Glitter in oil?
 

Did an oil change today, just passed 85k miles.

Noticed all this brass glitter in the pan? Time to source a new motor?

Car hasn't had any issues. Oil is always at it's right level and from what I can tell no pressure or temp issues. I just commute with it.

I ordered an oil analysis kit already so we'll see what that says.

https://imgur.com/a/i5QbSOw

If you still have the oil filter, I'd cut it open and inspect the filter media for glitter. A bit quicker than an oil analysis and if your engine is indeed shedding metal at alarming rates, some should be captured in the filter.

https://www.amazon.com/Foghorn-Power...dp/B097QGM2ZQ/

I have that exact cutter and it's decent. In a pinch, tin snips work as well but it's def not as clean/easy as the proper tool.

glitter is never good.

I recommend gloving up before playing with used motor oil.

^ this right here. Will tell you if you have a big problem on your hands.

If you took a sample during the drain, you can send it off for analysis, but samples taken after don't typically give good results vs catching a sample of HOT oil during mid-drain. If the filter is good, an analysis will tell you if you have normal or excessive wear.

Especially if you do not get it all off before coming home to your wife!

Here’s the filter cut open. Don’t see any glitter in here, just chunks from the cut filter wall. https://imgur.com/a/Hfg9dAg

Cool, so you still have the filter.

Ok you won't really be able to see much like that. The oil flows from the outside of the filter to the center, so you need to extract that accordion filter media from the housing to be able to see in between those pleats.

This picture shows what you should end up with. I use a razor blade to cut the cardboard or synthetic media and then pull it away from the center filter support structure.

Pro-tip from there, compress the accordion media together, wrap in a shop towel, and compress it in a vise to squeeze all the oil out. That makes it easier to see anything when you open up the pleats.

Sorry to hear this. As others have said metal flake belongs in garish paint jobs. In oil it is the tarot card of death. The engine may not know it yet. But it is dead.

Not that I have done it in years nor ever plan to do it again but that is genius. So simple but effective.

Wow. I had never thought of that. Truthfully though, I have never in my life dissected an oil filter. On the few occasions when I’ve had metallic debris in the drain oil, I’ve just pulled the engine apart. I’ve never been surprised with good news.

I pulled it out but there wasn't really any glitter at all, much much less than was in the drain pan. Maybe it was some debris or something in a dirty drain bucket, I didn't inspect it before I started draining oil.

Used to do it when I was buying old cars to fix up. This and checking the oil pan very closely were good indicators on if I had to tear into the engine or just get it running. I found some nasty stuff in oil filters!

Another good article on the subject:
https://www.blackstone-labs.com/wp-c...wsletter-2.pdf

if you squish the oil out and post a good, well lit pic some of us could probably provide input. Anything more than a couple outlier metal flecks and I'd be concerned. But more so, I'd want to know why there was a bunch in the oil you drained, but not very much in the oil filer...(?)

So... has it started knocking? or...you think it's good?