# Did you have metal shavings/bits on the first oil change?



## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

I have read on the net that when you change the oil for the first time, you should get metal shavings/bits in the oil, from the engine, but I didn't get any. Now I am slightly worried that they could still be in the oil, because I didn't warm the engine up to make the oil run out quick/freely and Im thinking that the metal shavings got left behind?


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

When I got my Honda 2000eu and companion, I got one of the oil filler plugs that has a magnet. Put the oil in, then that plug and ran it for a few minutes. It did pick up some metal particles, not a lot and probably just that left over from the manufacturing process, in my opinion.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

speedy2019 said:


> ...metal shavings/bits in the oil, from the engine, but I didn't get any...


 1. It's usually just a "sparkle", not big bits.
2. Did you run the original oil 20 hours before changing? It really takes about 12-20 hours for a small engine to complete the break-in process properly. Going too short on the break-in can be worse than leaving the oil in too long. I always do what the engineers specified in the owners manual. See here:  New Engine Break-in Procedure


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## speedy2019 (Jan 29, 2019)

tabora said:


> 1. It's usually just a "sparkle", not big bits.
> 2. Did you run the original oil 20 hours before changing? It really takes about 12-20 hours for a small engine to complete the break-in process properly. Going too short on the break-in can be worse than leaving the oil in too long. I always do what the engineers specified in the owners manual. See here:  New Engine Break-in Procedure


I have had the generator running for roughly 8-10 hours, 20-30mins a month with a light load to keep it running well since feb-march time. I would of left it longer but I put summer oil in that only goes down to 6c and thats no good for the winter months, so I had to change it as its getting colder here now...... Where are you from, as I was quite impressed you saying you have put 400hrs on yours?In my 40 years of being alive I havent had anymore then 200hrs worth of powercuts.


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## tabora (Sep 6, 2018)

speedy2019 said:


> Where are you from, as I was quite impressed you saying you have put 400hrs on yours?In my 40 years of being alive I havent had anymore then 200hrs worth of powercuts.


 Maine, USA. I don't know where you got the 400 hours from; but between my 4 generators, I have 1000's of hours of runtime since the early 1980s. Power cuts are not the only reason to run a generator, although I ran my big Powermate over 50 hours last week after a Nor'Easter cut power to about a quarter-million homes & businesses in Maine. 

I have a cottage on an island where all our power comes from an Onan Microlite 2.8 (and formerly a PowerMate PM1500) and we run it 4-6 hours a day when we're there. I also have a portable Generac on a cart that we take into the woods when building structures or doing wood cutting/splitting where there's no utility power.


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