Changed the oil yesterday and noticed some flakes in it. They did not stick to a magnet so I know the particles are aluminum. They are very, very fine particles. Any idea what they could be from? Something to worry about? Motor only has about 32k miles on it so it seems strange to me that it could piston wear already.

 

whats your driving habit like? what oil/oil filter are you using?
you may consider switching oils to something that has a thicker film since it appears to be making more metal to metal contact than usual.

 

Most likely it is from the main or rod bearings. Bearing material in your oil is a very bad sign. Any history on the car? You might be looking at an engine rebuild/replacement in the near future.

 

you know the metal is not steel. you however can not be certain of much else

as stated it's usually bearings. copper flakes, aluminum flakes etc.

now, trace amounts are present in each oil change. even a healthy engine will experience very minor flaking at each change. most of us never see it but with a bright light you can at the bottom of your drain pan after you drain

if you had debris at the bottom of the pan when you drained it, that's different. if you still have the oil it may be worth $25 to send it to blackstone for analysis. they can tell you if the bearing wear is excessive by the condition and metal content of the oil

 

I'm definitely going to keep an eye on it. It just seems odd to me since it is such a low mileage motor. Hopefully the next oil change doesn't have much or any at all. Thanks for the help.

 

has this motor been sitting for a long long period of time? if so there is more start up wear than usual since there is literally no oil anywhere. i always prime jdm engines first before starting. if you don't there's that second long dry start condition until oil moves everywhere. if you did this the next change shouldn't have anywhere near as much flaking in it

if it does, google blackstone labs and send them a sample. they can tell you exactly what's going on in your oil

 

I've had the motor for about a year now and never noticed it before. If there is still a lot in it when I change the oil next time I'll definitely have it analyzed. Thanks a lot for all your help, Racebum. I appreciate it a lot.