The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Unknown object found in oilpan

I was cleaning my oilpan yesterday, and shaking it about and such to get all the oil out that I could, and out from the dark depths came out a piece of metal. It is about 1/8" thick, cast iron, machined, one side black, the other side silver with marks as if it has rubbed against something spinning. It is also marked "GM 8P" The two side curved edges look original, but every other side looks like it was snapped from a larger piece. I looked everywhere in the crankcase with a flashlight to try and find where it came from, but there is nothing! And it came from such a deep place under the second level (you can see in the photo)of the oil pan, I dont know where it came from.

The engine is a L6 230 from a 65 chevy, anyone recognize this piece or know where it could have come from??

Here are some photos.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w128/dougboys/Other%20Crap/IMG_6228.jpg?t=1175891336
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w128/dougboys/Other%20Crap/IMG_6229.jpg?t=1175891380
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w128/dougboys/Other%20Crap/IMG_6230.jpg?t=1175891394

The links aren't any good. They ask for an e-mail account log-in. You'd find it informative to visit the glove box manual (there's a link on the forum home page) to see how to post links to pics.

It's a Gonkulator

Ok, sorry about that, links are fixed.

No, it's the tip of a Fribulator! F**k if I know.

Part of a piston skirt??????

Is it aluminum or iron?

It looks like part of a retainer, maybe from the camshaft. I'm not real familiar with the 6 cyl cam gears. I know that the later V8's use a retainer on the cams and have 2 bolts at the front of the block. The small half moon in the first pic looks like a portion of bolt hole, the wear pattern maybe from the timing gear. Just a thought, good luck.

Good guese Tuts but they use a retainer plate in back of the cam gear but it doesn,t look like that. Iv,e been in plenty of them & can,t ID it. If it,s aluminum its probably off a piston but iv,e never seen one marked like that. The 230-250,s were bad about breaking pistons.

Its Cast Iron. I have just checked over the the bottom end again, checking every piston and such, but still nothing. There is evidence that the engine has been apart before, maybe the piece was dropped in accidently? Or from the factory??? I had the engine running good before I took it out, so if it is missing that piece, it cant be anything too bad...

what about camshaft thrust plate?

Wrenchbender: First Congrats on your retirement. I knew I came here to learn. I have seen the lower portion of the cylinder break loose and not effect the engine, but those wouldn't have ID #'s on them.

Sounds like a complete teardown as we say in the jet engine industry. How ever you have a number, complete teardown may not be warrented. Your'er not falling out of the sky at 35,000 feet.

Interesting. - Would scare the hell out of me, at first sight.
The first thought would be, how the engine ran lately...

I think this piece could be some shop debris that landed in the oil pan when it was open last time, as you say.

The way the piece broke off, there should be other pieces along with it.
Very unlikely to have a piece that size and with those edges break off somewhere, but no other pieces with it.

If the engine ran good without any change before this discovery, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I bet its the bottom of a old oil pump, they used cast iron caps on some of them. I can't think of anything else with cast iron parts that need a part number. Joe

I agree with tuts and greg. When I rebuilt my 292 a couple of years ago, I found the thrust plate in three pieces. The screw was still tight against the piece that would have been above the "GM 8P" in your photo. A piece similar to what you have was trapped between the cam and the screw and the other pieces and nothing fell out.

Come now Beaver.... You know as do I.... that a "complete teardown" equalls a "D"-check.... and we both know what's involved in a "D" check per the FAR's..lolol :hammering: :hammering:
Michael

Here is what a complete retainer looks like.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pre68bowtie/CamRetainer/photo#5051530704482368034

Bingo!

Wow! Thats it! I checked the manual, and its located right behind the larger timing gear, I havent taken them off yet, but I can tell through the holes in the gear that that retainer has been replaced. Im guessing sometime in this truck's history it blew a timing gear and the retainer too? and a part fell deep into the oilpan. Would it be possible for the retainer to break causing the gear to break, or would it have broken because the gear broke??
Oh well, I feel better now knowing what that piece is, now I Just gotta figure out how to take the timing gears off and put new ones on...

Thanks alot!

You have to pull the cam out to change the gear.

Do I really have to? I searched "timing gears" on the forum and found some posts of people doing it without taking the cam out. I dont care if the gears are destroyed during removal, but is it possible to take them off and put new ones on without taking the cam out?

Do I get a prize or asomething for coming up with the right answer? I would settle for a BEER, just don't know how you would get it over here. Not bad for someone who's into V8's. :p