Changed my oil today at 15% on the MM; just over 50k miles on the clock on my GE.

And in the pan, I saw .. this. There were a few other noticeable crumbs but they were aggregated grit and could easily be rubbed apart; this is solid. Oil was very dark, more or less as you’d expect, and not creamy.

This is bigger than anything I’d like to find in my oil, so I’ve ordered a test kit from blackstone. Curious how concerned ppl would be if you found the same.

My 2012 is a bit weak because it pulls timing in the 2k rpm range; I suspect valves need adjustment as they are loud especially in sub freezing temps. And the auto transmission grinds going 1-2 on slow hills ... but otherwise engine’s been running good. No problems noted in

the OBDLINK app.

 

Just to clarify, is that 50,000 miles the total mileage on the car or is it the mileage since the last oil change?

 

Is it possible that stuff was in the drain pan before you changed the oil and you just didn't notice? Can you dump the oil from the filter into a separate container or cut open the filter to see what it looks like inside?

 

Lol. The 50k miles is total mileage ... otherwise yes you'd expect some issues

I cleaned the drain pan ahead of time. I could cut the old filter open and see what's up - although they tend to be sturdy.

I think I have concluded that that most likely explanation is that while this hard bit was NOT in the pan to begin with, I could easily have knocked a piece of rust off the body somewhere while breaking the drain plug free. It was not super hard but didn't come off easily, there was some kicking involved. That, to me, is a more likely explanation than I would have one large and zero other noticeable contaminants in the oil.
But! I will see what the oil analysis says once I get that done

 

That's a little nothing. I wouldn't worry about it. Can't hurt to get the oil analyzed though

 

There's about zero chance that came from inside the motor. There's just not anything like that inside the motor. If you had a bearing issue, the oil would look glittery.

As you said, that likely came from under the car somewhere and fell into the pan.

As for the timing being pulled, that is normal if you are running 87 octane fuel. If you're running better gas and it's pulling timing, I suggest a new set of iridium ngk or denso spark plugs gapped at around .040.

At 50k miles, it shouldn't need a valve adjustment yet, but every car is different.