Brand new silverado metal shavings

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checked the oil on my 2015 silverado tonight. Truck now has 1300 miles on it, Not yet done first oil change.

The dipstick when pulled out has some very small shavings on the end of it, when wiped off you cant even really see on the rag. Just enough little fuz of metal on the end when you pull the stick out. I guess this is normal on an brand new engine?

Maybe I should get the oil changed soon at like 2K miles! Thanks
 
Break in, but I would be uneasy knowing there is wear material in the oil large enough to be see with the naked eye. Others would pull the wasteful card, or OE recommends, but not I. Throw a magnet on your drain plug to see how much sticks. And be sure to share the oil filter cutting that I want you to do.
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did you follow the break in procedure in the Manuel? my 2015 has 3,900 and the oil is already very dark. i plan on changing it around 4,500-5,000 miles depending on how soon it gets cold. the break in procedure for my malibu was to drive the vehicle at different speeds for the first 500 miles and not to drive at a constant speed for the first 500 miles.
 
Brand new you say? Put the dipstick back in and drive it and then do first change according to the OLM or earlier if you do so choose.
 
Changing the oil now isnt going to stop the metal shavings from reappearing, it'll stop when the engine breaks in. The filter will capture the metal. Any oil in the sump hasnt been filtered yet... i bet that oil is plenty good once it goes thru the filter i bet it looks like new. Magic!
 
Yep the oil is pumped to the filter where the shavings are trapped and pure oil goes through the bearings.
 
Many here will disagree or say it is a "feel good" exercise, but I always dump the factory fill in my new vehicles between 1000 and 1500 miles to get the break-in garbage out. I typically follow that with one more 3000 to 4000 miles later and then begin normal OCIs. If it were mine, I would change it and install a Gold Plug drain plug at the same time. Will this make any difference in engine longevity? There is no proof either way, but it means something to me.
 
A UOA would be interesting, I'm wondering if this isn't air bubbles or something like a preassembly lube.
 
I've seen air bubbles before and thought "metal flake?" Then nothing shows up on the cloth.
 
Wipe the dipstick with a paper towel, then get a magnet and see if the paper will stick to the magnet.

If so you know your drain pan has shavings in it.
If not, their bubbles.
 
It's just from engine break in. As others have said, the filter will catch the metal shavings so do not worry. Go at least 3,000 miles on the factory fill before you change it, but I always go 4,500-5,000. This is nothing to worry about!
 
I've also seen this on a few different vehicles over the years. Consider this possibility. The dipstick is stiff, has sharp edges and is shoved through a curved tube. Could the dipstick be picking up the tiny shavings as it's being inserted into the engine?
 
Change the oil and filter immediately.

Could be contaminated by the oil filter thread cuttings.

Just like the Corvette Z06 that lunched an engine while being tested by Motor Trend.

Better safe than sorry.
 
Always good to cut open the factory oil filter to get an idea if the break-in went well. Don't want to see a bunch of crud or metal shavings in the filter, even on a new break-in. A little would be normal, but if it seems like a lot something might be going on.
 
Government Motors quality strikes again! lol...

I'd not worry with the magnetic drain plugs considering the majority of these engines are ALUMINUM. Think about it...
 
Originally Posted By: Realtech214
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Maybe I should get the oil changed soon at like 2K miles! Thanks


Sounds like a good plan....I am a fan of early changes.
 
Originally Posted By: stower17
Changing the oil now isnt going to stop the metal shavings from reappearing, it'll stop when the engine breaks in. The filter will capture the metal. Any oil in the sump hasnt been filtered yet... i bet that oil is plenty good once it goes thru the filter i bet it looks like new. Magic!


There's a problem with this thinking - not all oil goes through a filter. Yeah, sure it will eventually, but cylinders, piston skirts and cams are all lubed by "sling oil" and windage from the crankshaft. The sling oil may be filtered, but any windage oil thrown up is just what's laying in the pan .. It can throw metal up to embed in the piston skirts.

In addition, metal particles have to go through the oil pump to get to the filter. That's hard on the pump ...

IF I see little metal bits on the dip stick (it could have been slightly magnetized during forming...), I'd change the oil right now! I'd install a new filter (what if it has a tear internally...), and I'd install a magnetic drain plug. This could be a confluence of things ...

Then I'd watch all this again and see what happens?

Oil's cheap, motors not so much. And even if it is covered under warranty eventually, why go there when you may not have to? It will be time consuming if nothing else ...
 
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Doesnt the oil get picked by the sump and immediately goes thru the filter, then clean oil goes throughout the engine? At least all the engines ive ever dealt with operate this way.
 
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