Took my oil pan off today and found this
 

I took off my oil pan to install an oil pan brace and I found this. Ive yet fully disassemble a rotary engine so I am at a loss on what it is :dunno:, and it has me scared that I will need an early rebuild.

Attachment 10719

Did you also find a small ball and spring to go with it?.

No, but thats not to say that the ball and spring did not fall out last time i changed my oil. shouldnt there be a hole in it if it was the oil jet?

That was my question too

This doesnt look like the pics of oil jets Ive seen

Looks like some of the actual oil jets that I've seen though. Not to mention there's nothing else in the engine that looks like that unless something fell down the oil fill.

It does look like an oil jet set screw...from the eccentric shaft?
Does it have a hole in the center of it?


-Ted

shoudnt there be a hole in it? or is it just microscopic.

Well I am pretty sure that it is the oil pump lock screw, but what is its purpose? Can i just take off the front cover to replace it?

Yes, there should be a little hole in it. No hole, not a jet.

Forgot about that oil pump screw..... how would that back out unless it was installed improperly?

And is it infact that?

If it's a jet from the e shaft you'll have to pull the whole engine apart anyway. Might as well start by just removing the front cover and inspect the oil pump. If you don't find anything there keep moving on with the tear down. Good old exploratory surgery......

Im not sure if it is or not. It will be a little while until I will be able to remove the front cover, but I will let you know when I find out.

Yea, thats what Ill do

Isn't that the retaining screw from the stat gear bearing? Or is there one on that engine? Dunno??

I was wondering the same thing.

I would do the exploratory surgery as well.
Take engine out, take front cover off, inspect things under there.
Then if not any problems found there its rebuild time. The least you'll need is new coolant seals.

But I wonder how the hell does an oil jet from the e-shaft even make its way to the oil pan?
Makes me think its got to be from something under the front cover.

It helps to put a known size object in the picture with the item your talking about so one can figure out the size of the screw.

That screw came out of the pump housing. It was SUPPOSED to be staked in after the install of the screw. Someone did not stake it. The result is it vibrated out and fell in the pan. See attached jpg.

Oil jets can come out and they fall out into the pan thru the opening in the intermediate housing. That's how they would get in the pan. But that screw is the oil pump screw.

I agree with FRED, it appears this is the oil pump drive chain lubrication jet which is installed in the oil pump. This is easily verified by removing the front cover and seeing if that jet is missing.