Just drained oil, nice metal shard on sump plug magnet!

[AndyZ1R]

Hello all,

For those that have read my other post on oil pressure problems, i have just drained my oil and found a nice piece of metal stuck to the sump plug magnet, bugger. I`ll be taking the sump off and oil pump out tomorrow, but it sounds like a total strip down job. Here we go again!

[chrisNI]

Bugger!!

[Jeff Saunders]

Good chance it's part of the front cam chain guide if it's steel.

Once you pull the sump off you'll know better - if that doesn't help, pull the cam cover and with a small mirror and a bright torch you can see if the front guide is still in one piece.

[Ed Z1-R]

DRAT

[DogsbolloxofZ1B]

Oops.. As Jeff says, however, this tang usually snaps where it's screwed down and remains fixed firmly to the barrel block and the rest of this centre guide is a sort of strong plastic isn't it? So this defo needs further investigation.. Good luck.. Its not the bit that is stuck to the end of the camchain tensioner pad is it??

[debben1]

Hi Andy, remove the spark plugs and points cover and see if there is any play in the camchain, if there is then it could be the guide, also remove the clutch cover and check the clutch, with the hard launches from last year it may just be the remains of a broken clutch plate, Steve

[Pigford]

Hey Steve D, popped into your place Friday late am, but only Ray holding the fort! Wanted to take your bike out for a quick spin, but Ray reckoned you had the keys with you!
Coxy got the last couple of bottles of 'Kendalls' the other day, one each!
Mileage I doshould see me through to next spring!
See ya

[AndyZ1R]

Hello all, thanks for all your replies. This afternoon myself and a mate called Al (who did most of the work, cheers Al!) removed the sump and oil pump, checked all the gears visually as best as possible plus crankshaft, all looked ok, the sump had another thin slither of metal in it plus some very small pieces. We then took the alternator cover off, removed the clutch, cam cover, cam chain tensioner (APE one) everything all looked ok, nothing obviously amiss. So now it`s a bit of a mystery, i still need to check the oil pump clearances which i will do Monday. But i`m wondering a) Does the piece of metal have anything to do with the oil pressure problem? b) As everything else seems ok bar a full strip down should i run it and hope for the best? (I think we all know the asnwer to that one!) c) Bite the bullet and go for a full strip down?
I will try and post a pic of the piece of metal on here so that will give you a better idea of what it is. I may just be worrying about nothing, but i`m guessing that all pieces of metal inside an engine are there for a reason, and oil pressure lights aren`t just there to give you pretty coloured lights to keep you amused on long journeys!

[Iain marshall]

there you go Andy

[AndyZ1R]

Top man, thanks Iain. Those are pics of the piece of metal found on the sump plug magnet, it is 7mm long and 2mm wide, and as you can see kind of U shaped with a visible marking of lines in the middle. One theory is that it got those marks and that shape after going through the gears in the gearbox, so it may not have looked like that originally, any ideas anyone?

[Pigford]

Move over Mid Summer Night Murders! This is a real teaser? Sorry I can't help but bet there will be a few guesses coming up!
Gonna be an interesting one, bew sure to let us know what it is soon as you get to the route of the problem!

[debben1]

Hello Pigford, Sorry I miised you, keys where on my desk where I always keep them so you could have taken it out for a quick spin, with the state of the roads at the moment, spinning is all you would have been doing. Next time tell Ray to stick the kettle on Andy, is that slither magnetic ? Steve

[AndyZ1R]

Hello Steve, yes it is it was actually stuck to the magnet on the sump plug, definitely steel, even shows a bit of blueing. Was one other very thin steel slither about 5 - 6 mm and as thin as paper, then a few tiny pieces. The main bit in the pic though is still pretty small but a strange shape, it either started out that shape or ended up like that after going through the gears.
From the shiny straight side of it it almost looks like the edge of a gear tooth, but it`s U shaped. Confused? I am!

[Iain marshall]

Andy just a thought could it be a piece of bearing cage thats been reshaped going through a gear??might be worth a close look at the gearbox bearings

[Garn 1]

Andy, It looks to me, given that it is magnetic and considering the size and thickness, it could have been the remnants of a dowel, possible from the oil pump. I'll have a guess and say it's a previously drilled out dowel (bit off centre). Probably been floating around for ages.

Check out oil-pump retainer bolts and the sprocket-cover dowel, near the starter motor (they often get drilled thru into the engine area, then heli-coiled).
RegardZ.