Mystery Part in Oil Pan
 

Changed my oil, filter, oil pan gasket and found this little guy at the bottom. Its not metal. Its either plastic or nylon. What is this?

Valve stem seal?

Not sure how the valve stem seal could get there...

It's a dime - legal tender for all debts, public and private...and some little rubber looking thing.

SORRY -- couldn't resist!!

lol, funny.

The bottom part of a valve stem seal

if there a re any rough edges along the outer perimeter, it is most likely part of a chain guide. Somewhere along the line, the guide would have had to been installed improperly.

Valve stem seals are much thinner and would flex between the forces of your fingers.

the part is hard. There is wear on the outer part of it, as if it had been used as some kind of rolling guide. So you think it could be part of the timing chain assembly? maybe the tensioner? the car runs fine otherwise.

http://img.eautopartscatalog.com/hir...300&height=300

not the tensioner, but one of the chain guides.

The more I look at it, the more it looks like a throttle bushing from on top of the valve cover. It is used as a bearing surface as you suggest.

It does look like one of the nylon/plastic roller bearings on the throttle assembly on the valve cover. Perhaps it fell off and a careless mechanic did not notice it fall into the valve area....and then it got flushed down to the pan by the oil flow.

I think its the culprit. This pic shows the piece I found and the roller bearing on the valve cover. Are there supposed to be any other pieces like this on the valve cover or is this the only one?

I think that is the only one....

My guess: Looks like the retainer ring for the oil seperator return check valve.

I'm having a difficult time imagining how a throttle linkage bushing makes it all the way into the oil pan. Are there oil passages large enough for it to pass through intact? :confused:

Mystery Part
 

With the age of the car, it could just be part of the evolutionary process :D, but I agree it sure looks like a valve stem seal. Fastlane lists the inside diameter of both intake and exhaust seals as 10mm. -Reid