Can anyone identify this please?

[VanguardontheLav]

Hi all,

Changing the oil on my RGA Sprint today, as always I checked the contents of the old oil. Today I found this unknown part. Can anyone identify what it is (and let me know what impending doom I have to look forward to...)

Many thanks in advance.

--
Dick

 

[lawrence]

It appears to be the tip of the blade that tensions the cam chain.

 

[Grant]

Yes, looks like that to me too.

 

[VanguardontheLav]

In which case, is it "simply" replacing the cam chain tensioner, or is it forget it. (It looks to me like a piece out of my electric razor!)

I presume just this can't be replaced - needs the whole tensioner blade?

--
Dick

 

[Grant]

Remove the old blade, check the 2 parts add up to the length of the new one.
If so, fit it and re-tension the chain.
As you have changed the oil, job done.

The tensioner blade is (should be!!!) one piece so I don't really understand your question.

 

[sfcpiet]

Seems a bit thin and narrow to be the tensioner blade.

How wide is it?  Looks like only 4-5mm, and less than 0.5mm thick... a bit of contact breaker spring?  Can't imagine where that would come from though, dropped inside during servicing?

Looks too narrow to be the starter freewheel gear retainer.

piet

 

[cbertozz]

 

[Dellortoman]

I reckon Piet's detective work is heading in the right direction. It's only about 5mm wide and the cam chain tensioner is at least twice that. I can't think of anything in the engine that it would have come from.  I can imagine someone bending a piece of steel like that into a hook to pick up a dropped end of the cam chain. I can also imagine it being rather brittle and breaking where it was bent, leaving the end of the hook to drop into the sump.

 

[AndyW]

.  I can imagine someone bending a piece of steel like that into a hook to pick up a dropped end of the cam chain. I can also imagine it being rather brittle and breaking where it was bent, leaving the end of the hook to drop into the sump.

Yep: looks like one of those pieces of stainless steel strips you find in replacement windscreen wiper blades

 

[VanguardontheLav]

I like all these later answers. 10mm wide, 4mm long, less than 0.5mm thick. Slightly sprung steel. Just like a wiper blade strip, it has a tiny notch in the longer end, the end away from the bend.

I'm sure I've seen one of these somewhere before but can't place it. I seem to remember placing it very carefully while assembling something. I'm now pretty convinced it didn't come from the engine.

Thanks guys!

--
Dick

 

[chrisk]

Looks like a hacksaw blade without teeth, cut off halfway through the hole, heated and bent at an angle. But used for what? Good head scratcher this....

 

[LJ-2]

thank heavens for Lavs big sumps.

 

[Dellortoman]

Good head scratcher this....

Aha. Points to Chris. He has identified the thing as a head scratcher. But how did it get into the sump? It must have fallen out of some bloke's quiff as he was servicing the engine.

 

[Lee87H]

It does look like the tensioner blade but it should have some rubber or marks from the chain on it here are some pics of an old blade I have