Glitter in Oil

I have a 2007 Tacoma 2.7l with 78xxx miles and changed my oil the other day and saw glitter in my oil drain pan. It is Gold Color im not sure what it would be from the truck runs great. I also cut the filter open and didn't find anything. any input or advice would be awesome thanks.

 

The best thing to do is capture a sample of your used oil and send it off to Blackstone or another lab for a used oil analysis. Costs a few bucks, but it will give you a definite answer. Better than web forum speculation.

 

Gold = brass = main or connecting rod bearings. Or the off chance cam bushings if this engine uses cam bushings not sure.

How much "glitter" is in the oil. Kind of weird there was nothing in the filter. How big of a section did you cut out of the filter paper?

Oil sample would for sure help. But since the oil change was done and the oil is most likely in la la land, I'm not sure id wait until next oil change to get a sample.

Wish Toyota had an accurate oil pressure sender. If you're so inclined hook up a mechanical gauge and verify oil pressure and compare it to factory specs in the fsm. If bearings are going bad you'll have lower readings than you should.

 

^^ Agreed, but it might even just be aeration of the oil that you are seeing - that is to say very minute air bubbles in the oil. If cutting the filter open showed nothing, thats a very good sign, but I'd send in an oil sample for peace of mind. Don't send oil from your drain pan though, as drain pans are never clean enough for an accurate test result unless it happened to be brand new. Which means oil sample at next OCI.

 

I looked at all the filter paper. I will send in a oil sample next oil change I wouldn't think bearing would go bad at 78 thousand miles these engines seem to be bought bullet proof. thanks for the input

 

^^^ This.

Just an FYI, there are no cam bearings or bushings on these engines. These engines use the aluminum casting of the head journals for the camshafts. Seems to work for them. Now the counter-balance shafts do use brass/alloy bearing/bushings.

I do agree that an actual oil pressure sensor with a gauge would have been a better design.