Item found in sump??

[REPLIC8]

Took the sump off today to replace a leaky gasket and found a small metal dowel in the bottom. It's about 11mm long and 6mm diameter. The only thing I can think of is the locating dowel for the jackshaft sprocket. Is it possible this has fell out or is more likely it got dropped when someone was fiddling with the timing chain. The engine was running smoothly and I assume if there's no dowel the sprocket would shift and knacker the engine.
How much grief will it be to remove the front cover etc to make sure.

[img][IMG]http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/rr92/REPLIC8-2008/DSCN0579_zps3c60320e.jpg[/img][/img]



Andy
1981 TR7 FHC

[DNK]

Agreed Andy, not a lot of locating dowels on that block.
One thing I can say.

<font color="red"><font size="5">JESUS you need a better MACRO on your camera</font id="size5"></font id="red">

Don
Stick a Wedge In It
80 TR7 V8 Kick in the pants

[Hasbeen]

Bet someone spent hours looking for that, after they dropped it.

Hasbeen

[john 215]

Hi Andy,

Front cover comes of easy enough, you will need a 1 1/2" socket or ring spanner to undo the crankshaft bolt, they normally come undone easy enough, I have a electric impact wrench at work and that wizzed it out. Alternator out of the way, fan and mounting off, row of bolts each side, two nuts and bolts at the top ( between the cylinder head and front cover )a couple of sump bolts ( already removed in your case ) and gently ease it off and there you have it !

Interesting enough the cover is located by two dowels similar to that in your picture, but the only way one could fall out was when the engine was built ! Or a 'spare one ' [:0] Always remember this was built by BL so anything possible !!

Cheers John


LIVE LIFE A QUARTER OF A MILE AT A TIME!

1976 Speke FHC BEAUTY FITTED WITH OVERDRIVE GEARBOX

1979 3.5 FHC CURRENTLY GARDEN ART !

1982 2.0 DHC NOW A 4.6, BUILT NOT BROUGHT !!!!

[Dave Dyer]

Hi,

I removed the sump from a TR7 many years ago and found a whole dipstick! It looked like the handle had snapped off and the rest had slipped into the sump!

Dave

[Hasbeen]

A mate of mine was fitting stronger valve springs to his TR3, using the old Indian rope trick. You know, where you stuff the cylinder with light rope, through the plug hole, then push the piston up against it to hold the valve up, while you remove the spring cap.

He dropped a collet down into the thing, got another, & drove the car for a while. He couldn't stop worrying about that collet in the sump, so pulled it off.

He found 3 collets, 2 rocker shaft post nuts, & something else, I can't remember what, all sitting happily in the silt in the sump. In those days before oil filters, the silt could get quite deep in the sump.

Hasbeen

[Bobbieslandy]

That post did make me laugh Hasbeen. By the way, i never knew there was such a time before oil filters!

Rob.

[Hasbeen]

Lots of things didn't have oil filters Rob.

TR3s were one, although my TR3 engine came in my Morgan +4 in 62.

That was the main reason we had 1000 mile oil changes. Not so much because the oil was no longer any good, but because it was full of all the carbon & other muck that filters take out.

In the 60s I was averaging 500 miles a week, so the grease & oil change happened every second Friday. It was amazing how often that 000 would roll up on every second Friday.

As I recall my Simca Aronde had 16 grease nipples to grease as well. We have it so good today, with clean burning petrol, & slippery oil. That Simca was the first car I'd owned that got to 80,000 miles without a decoke & valve grind.

Hasbeen

[Bobbieslandy]

And to think some of us moan when the family runabout comes up for its 18k mile / two year service. I had no idea cars were that labour intensive, thanks!