Normal. New engines are coated with all kinds of stuff during the build process. This is why they say to change the oil after about 10 hrs of use the first change. 99% you are fine. Now remember to keep changing it often, my estimate is every 25hrs if you are serious about your equipment.

Zoulas is very wise to recommend oil changes early. Why? you LT rarely in normal conditions. The manual recommends it to be changed early if you have extreme conditions? To me that summer heat or dusty conditions when it dry, fine dust does make it way into the oil IMO that's why it gets black and gooey on the dipstick.

I agree that's why they tell you to change oil and filter in 5 hours. after that you can run the filter for a year IMO. I change the oil out when it starts to turn black and gooey. But, I usually don't change the filter untill the full 50 hours is reached.

The reason oil turns black is due to hydrocarbons,acid,moisture and some but very little dirt.
Incomplete combustion produces HC.
The reason that people believe that dusty conditions produce black oil is mainly because the air filter is getting restricted from the dust and causing a rich mixture in the combustion chamber ,which results in incomplete combustion.
Your filter removes some HC and upgrading the grade of fuel you use will help.

Thanks for comebacks on dirty oil. I agree that oil should be changed regularly,from experience with first job as mechanic helper. Naturally it was my job to clean all the oil pans and heads with a wire brush and a scrapper. My bosses told me all the sludge was caused by not changing oil regularly.(back then it was every 1000 miles.)

Well in my neck of the woods where the dust bowl lies it don't have time to foam hydrocarbons,acid. It's plain old micropic dust, I can feel it in the oil. even when hydrocarbons,acid causes the oil to turn black it still dirty and needs changed at 10 hours or hundred.

Ollieduke you've had first hand experience of oil left in an engine too long, systems have improved some since the 1000 mile oil change haven't they.

Rcmoser,you are right,things have changed. Am sure a lot of people are not aware that new cars in the early 50s and back didn't come with oil filters,as my Dad had to add one on our new 50 Pontiac,also a week of city driving would cause a engine to run a little ragged at hi way speeds,till you blew them out on the week ends,(sorry a bit off subject)