screwed up

[mack]

Since my compression numbers aren't great , I figured that after I run it for a while and they don't improve that I'd have to make up my mind if I wanted to tear the engine down again to do the rings this summer or run till the winter and do it then. I decided to see how long it would take me to pull the head and replace it. Well, in my haste I fumbl'd a washer and it fell into the engine. So I figured it might have fallen down onto the main chain so I pulled the pan and lay underneath and rotated the engine hoping it would roll around like a conveyor and drop out on the floor. No Luck. It seems to have vanished. I looked up inside and spun the engine several times but no luck, but everything is turning smoothly so it didn't drop into a gear anywhere (yet?) Anyway I found a replacement and reinstalled the head with no other problems and it turns like a dream. Whats the worst case scenareo for this mishap?

[DGXSER]

Hard to say, the most likely scenario is it will end up in the oil pan without harming much of anything.

Worst case possible (not the likely probable, but possible) would be is destroys the primary chain or your crank bearings by tunring into metal shavings that get into them, or locks up the gears while your going 80 MPH down the highway locking up the trans and rear wheel for you.

[motoman]

Maybe with being oily, it kinda hung/stuck somewhere. Eventually may end up in pan, which should'nt be an issue as the pump intake has a screen on it. Least if you need one that size, you know where it lives.

[WMarshy]

Now you have an answer to the "do you have a loose screw" question... Answer: No, I have a loose washer. Other members have lost hardware in their oil pan and never had any catastrophic failures. GL

[Big Daddy Funk]

Missing washer

Hey Mack,
I'm guessing it was a cam journal washer that dropped down inside. If the pan is still off, have a look and maybe drag a magnet under the crankshaft in the case. It's unlikely to cause any problems for you but the possibility is there.
BDF

[TADracer]

Get a new washer

Get a new washer and go on to your next problem.

Look down inside the cam chain galley and make sure it is not sitting on top of the crank near the cam chain or by the primary chain. If it is, try and fish it out with a magnet, if not, do not lose any sleep.

I had been having a cam cap nut in my motor for years with no problem. They migrate into a corner and stay there. Just got it out last year when I split the cases.

[cywelchjr]

And to top it off, you will have at least one part on the bike that's not going to get rusty, that is assuming you keep oil in the engine.