I am assembling an 86.5 engine and when I took the oil pan off to replace the gasket, I found this in the oil pan.

 

Jeff,
looks like part of the oil thermostat / pressure bypass.

Myles

 

Is there a schematic I can look at to determine this? Have a reference page in the WSM?

 

Is it the spring in the e-brake?

 

Why would the ebrake spring be in the oil pan?

 

You sir have obviously never watched me build an engine.

 

Ah, I understand now. Very nicely done.

 

Jeff,
possibly parts 42 & 43, PET page / diagram 104-00.

Myles

 

What would a thermostat part be doing in the oilpan...

 

it's not a thermostat spring, way too small of a diameter and too long. I've never seen a spring like that on the engine anywhere. Probably something was dropped in at the factory when it was assembled. Was the other metal piece in there too?

 

Looks to be part of the chain tensioner from the cylinder head.

 

Greg Brown got back to me and said he believes it is part of the early tensioner system for the cam chains. The heads were taken off this engine and the tensioners are in plastic bags dumped in a box. This is going to be a joy to assemble. I literally got a block, heads and bags of unlabeled parts. Oil pan was full of "mud", engine had been sitting uncovered in shop for 8 months. Lifters are in a box, loose. Cams sitting on bottom of box. Cam gear have two nicks in them. Gonna take a while to put this together figuring out what each bolt goes to, etc. Not happy at all with the shop that did this and I am doing this to help someone out who is in a bind. Don't even have a crank bolt so I can't turn the engine over by hand with the heads off so I can put assembly lube in there. What a **** show. Oh well. Just one step at a time and follow the WSM.

 

Thank goodness we have a knowledgeable and well experienced person to go to. Thank you Greg!

 

Yep Big Dave called it!
I's the spring and plunger inside the 1st gen of the 32v (S3) tensioners, replace them w/ S4 tensioners and move on

Dave K

 

i replaced my oil pan gasket a while back....i found some spare parts in the pan as well...