Very fine metal shavings and powder on dipstick

Hey everyone

So I went to check my oil yesterday morning and found the very tip of my dipstick had some very fine ribbons (thinner than human hair) of metal and what looked like fine metal powder (can't feel it between my fingers but I can see it). I'd wipe it off, check again, and their would be more. I had 2000 miles on that oil so I said screw that and changed the oil and filter immediately. For backstory, I decided to try that Valvoline restore and protect and this was my first go with it. I'm curious about a few things, are their any acceptable form of metal deposits in oil? Is this normal wear and tear or something really bad? Could the restore and protect just freed up some crud with some shavings in it and so I found it? Also, does the oil get filtered before it hits the pan? Or after it gets drawn up from the pan? I was concerned that even if there was crud being freed, I shouldnt see it on the dipstick because of the filter. I was afraid the filter got clogged so more reason as to why I changed it. Any thoughts?

 

Did you cut the oil filter apart yet to
Examine it?

 

Not yet, I still have it though. I can cut it open this week when I'm free next.

 

There is no acceptable amount of metal in engine oil. Are you positive it was metal? I'm gonna bet this is because of the restore and protect releasing some built up deposits of some kind. These engines rarely eat themselves, maintained or not. In fact, I can't recall a single instance of overt engine failure due to wear, such as a main bearing, rod, cam or otherwise.

 

The shavings were definitely metal. The powder, hard to say I guess. The shavings were like 6 at a time, 1-2 mm long and extremely thin. Yeah thats what I was thinking. From my research, the only posts I found with identical metal deposits were from people who had brand new cars still breaking in. This truck has 180k, so not new. I know the restore and protect is working to an extent. I've noticed the sludge around the oil filter completely dissolved just the residual oil from the last oil change. The oil filter mounting area is squeaky clean, which to me demonstrates it's capable of dissolving simple gunk. I was hoping that those shavings were petrified in some far flung crud somewhere and got freed up but that's my wishful thinking.

 

https://www.blackstone-labs.com/

 

As @w666 has suggested, the only definitive answer is going to be oil analysis.