Found two large(ish) metal flakes in oil drain pan doing a change, problem? (pics)

[JEL]

So I was doing my oil today and found two fairly large metallic flakes in the bottom of the drain pan. They didn't appear to be from the oil pan or the threads on the drain bolt, but I suppose it's possible. To me they looked to be of different materials that those found in the pan or drain bolt. They are about the side of a grain of rice and extremely thin and flaked apart when I touched them.

I only have 75k and have been religious about maintenance, the truck runs like a top and I didn't notice any kind of sparkly stuff at the bottom of the oil catch pan, which I would suspect I would have if there was an issue in the engine internally. What do you guys think?


Sorry for the poor quality, I took about 20 pics and these were the two best ones. Thanks

 

[chitown40]

Best way to diagnose an issue is to send off a used oil analysis. Blackstone labs does good work.

 

[Sungod]

Flakes wouldn't be a concern. Metal shavings on the other hand, you would need to be worried. Those look more like paint flakes from what I can see anyway. Probably something fell in when you were draining the oil.

 

[ThorInc]

They don't look like metal from the pics, are you sure they were metal?

 

[JEL]

Thanks guys. They were definitely metal, but extremely light and thin, so they could just be paint or something afterall. I plan on sending a sample of my recent oil change to Blackstone when my interval is up, unless of course something changes rapidly. The truck is still quite and smooth as ever, but since I'm worried I'll probably only run this Pennzoil Platinum out to 5k or so then send a sample in.

 

[RPS13]

Is it magnetic?

It looks like aluminum casting flash, which is common and ALL over cast engine blocks/heads. Where the casting molds meet, there is sometimes a small seam that can form a little flake of flash. Engines commonly shed them throughout their life, or just hold onto that and sand (if it's an older engine, can't remember if the 1GR is sand or die cast).

It's amazing how much of that flash is really in an engine until you go cleaning one out.