[08sesfocus]

i was checking my oil taday and i noticed there is metal shavings in my oil. my car has 8500 miles on it and im pretty sure its normal to have some metal shavings in the oil while the engine is breaking in, but i figured i have enough miles on it that there shouldn't be shavings in the oil still. if anyone can shed some light on this i would really appreciate it.

 

[mikebontoft]

uh..... I don't like the sound of that, I just don't. not much else I can say

 

[fhg959]

very informative Mike! very informative. You definitely own the night. LOL j/k j/k let's see... how often have you changed your oil and what kind of oil do you use?

 

[bluefront]

Did you save any drained oil? It can be analyzed for metal shavings,etc. I'd suggest changing to Motorcraft oil and filter...just to cover yourself.

Contact your dealer and ask for suggestions.....metal shavings in the oil, large enough to be visible is not a good sign. Power-train warranties should cover such problems however on an '08.

 

[penguin]

Have you changed the oil since the vehicle was new, or is it still on its original oil?


There should never be any metal shavings in the engine oil at any time, even during initial break-in.

 

[08sesfocus]

my first oil change was at 1,000 miles, 2nd at 7,000, i only run 3,000 on my oil, and i only use mobile 1 5w-20 w/ a wix filter. let me correct my original post, i cant see large shavings, but when i check my oil with a clean white rag i can see a silver deposit with the oil on the dipstick, ill take a pic when i get home so you can see what im talking about.

 

[levin.matthew]

metal shavings in the oil is def. not a good thing...especially metal shavings that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye.

I think you should bring it to the dealership and get it looked at.

 

[08sesfocus]

i just called the dealership and he said i was being " paranoid" and that it is normal, i f*#cking hate it when dealerships blow people off and try to make them feel stupid, well not me bud im taking it up there and im going to complain to the service manager, wish me luck. [boxface]

 

[Grumpy]

First lets clarify how/where you found the metal "shavings", how large are they, and what do they look like? You were "checking" the oil level and the shavings are on the dipstick only??.........or the metal "shavings" were in the oil pan and in the drained oil? We had another one of these on this forum a few months ago where the thread starter found metal shavings on the dipstick yet, and I don't know if we heard the final resolve on that one. Even a catastrophically failing car engine that is still running is unlikely to generate metal "shavings" that you would see in the oil. If the engine is running fine, making no "interesting" noises, and is not "throwing" oil out the tailpipe, then I guess it's possible that a post machining cleaning step got missed during the manufacture of the block or head. To protect yourself, get the car to a dealer, and with you present, they should drain the oil through a milk filter, save an oil sample and the "shavings", and check if there is metal shavings in the oil filter which means the oil pump swallowed this metal and should be replaced at least. We need more info.

 

[08sesfocus]

i found the shaving on the dipstick i havn't drained the oil to check the pan. the shavings had the consistency of oil but was silver and when i rubbed some of it between my thumb and index finger it felt rough like metal. im taking the car to the dealer on my lunch break and im going to try to have them check it, but from the way the guy talked to me on the phone it sounds like they dont really care, so we will see what happens ill keep you guys posted thanks for all of the help.

 

[whitefox]

I wonder what happened at the dealer??

 

[SVT_BMXer]

Shavings on the dipstick is not normal and sounds like you have a crappy dealership. Anyway you can take it to another dealership or possibly have another mechanic look for a second opinion.

 

[1stTimeFocus00]

oka so we all agree its not normal... cause its a new car and its gets broken in, some metal shavings are common. But if there is an excessive amount, it def means there is internal engine problems. How does your car drive?

 

[08sesfocus]

its been awhile since i updated this post. first of all i took the car to ford and they saw the shavings on the dipstick and instructed me to leave the car with them. they ran an oil anaylsis on the engine first and advised me of what it found. the analysis found an very high amount of aluminum and iron in the oil along with the usual elements. and was told to bring up my records and receipts of my oil changes and we went from there. after confirmation that my oil had been changed at the correct intervals and that the oil and filter i was using were acceptable according to the warranty my engine was replaced. its been a little about a month since i got the car back and ive put about 1500 miles on it with no problems.

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

Wow, I'd be screwed. I have changed my own oil since I bought the car. I just don't trust the people at oil change shops, and the right grade of oil is very important to these engines.

 

[Weldman0730]

^^^thats why you should keep all your receipts. The receipts for 4 quarts of 5W-20 or whatever you use, and especially the oil filter with the model number on it would probably count. The model number would tell them it was for the focus.

 

[08sesfocus]

i was really suprised how easy they made it for me, i was expecting a long drawn out process but it was nice to see that they wanted to get it fixed other than giving me the run around. +++ for customer service.

 

[burkej62]

Hmm.. I'd dissect that oil filter and see what else you find.

 

[mikebontoft]

damn...... so their oil was sh1t.....

(slightly better answer now, lol)

 

[H.I.svt]

or any new engine i would only suggest conventional oil, not synthetic or syn/blend. ts good that they replaced ur engine, but u should not drive it hard til after 5k miles. plus the conventional oil is thicker and should lubricate your bearings well enough til you reach those 5k and then i'd switch to syn/blend or full synthetic if you haven't got it in already. otherwise just take it easy on the gas pedal as ur breaking it in