How bad is this and what am I looking at for repairs? I'm guessing I shouldn't even fire the car up until it's fixed.

I know the pictures suck, my stupid camera wouldn't focus at all.

High Resolution Photo

 

I really don't think your the first to ever find some metal on your drain plug. Unless your gonna pull the entire engine and tear it down to figure out where it came from I wouldn't stress over it too much. I had a brand new HD 2500 that was 5 times worse than that on about the first 3 oil changes it is still alive and well.

 

i would be scared sh!tless if i found that in my drain plug
it looks like a shaving or sliver of something

 

It's not exactly a shaving, it's a very tiny coil of wire it looks like. The pictures dont really show it clearly. I'm thinking maybe needle bearing from a rocker arm?

 

if it looks like a tiny coil, immediately remove your valvecovers and inspect the valve seals. one of those little coil fasteners for the seal prolly cam loose or mayb a few.
get to it

 

maybe its just a thread out of the pan. drain plug could have been put on to tight.

 

http://www.camsurge.com/photos/wth/ouch5.jpg

This pic is huge, but high resolution. It shows exactly what the part is.

 

x2

Good eye, NemeSS.

 

I've shown a few others and they agree, it looks more like a thread than anything else. I'll pull the valve covers tonight, but I'm not sure I'll even be able to see anything.

 

thats def. not a thread. It looks exactly like the coil/spring off of a valve seal. Ide check them out, bet money your missing a coil off one of them.

 

The high def picture shows it very well.

Here is a pic of a valve seal. See the spring used to retain it? (note: these aren't LS1 seals, just best closeup I could find of a seal)

 

thats exactly what it is. ur probably in luck by not messing anything up. just replace all them asap

 

good call id say BINGO you found the part

 

Thanks for the help guys. Looks like it's time to get a valvespring tool and some new seals. Anybody ever heard of new seals doing this? These only have about 1200 miles on them. They were the seals in the PRC dual kit.

 

I've heard of maybe twice in the last 8 years, you make 3 that had that same part come out in the oil change.

 

Got it narrowed down to 3 seals by painfully using a mirror and light. I'll probably just end up pulling those 3 to figure out which one it is. I may crank it tomorrow and see exactly how bad it burns oil, anybody have experience with that? It doesn't seem like that spring does too much. (Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely going to replace it ASAP)