Cam sprocket timing pin took a swan dive into the case
 

I made the mistake of working on the right side bank with it pointing up in the air. Pulled the sprocket and the pin dropped right out and into the case. (Insert profound and heartfelt cursing here).

Looks like it's binding the sprockets or the intermediate shaft gear when I rotate the entire engine such that the left bank is pointing up. When I point the right bank up, the crank rotates freely.

I've examined a spare cases, and the chain and sprocket are pretty well compartmentalized away from the rest of the crankcase. The pin can't really get anywhere really funky...other than where it is stuck right now. I've tried a magnetic wand, I've tried violently rotating and shaking the case, I've tried compressed air through the distributor hole...nothing yet.

Somebody throw me a bone here - if I have to split this case open I'm going to lose my sanity.

Dang! I don't think I can help but just wanted to wish you luck...persistance may be the key...with a little patience!

Good luck Dave.

Chain ramps often find their way into the bottom sump of the engine - keep shaking...

-Wayne

well crap. I can get my fingers in through the sump plate to the chain sproket area. Can you get it/see anything there?

You can try what I did when I dropped a chain ramp in mine, enlist the help of a 7 year old, they have small hands.

Second option, get a magnet and secure it to the end of a semi flexible cable, or a piece of coat hanger you can bend around, then go fishing. The pin is a small piece, so you should just need a small magnet.

These are handy for just this purpose:

http://www.drivewerks.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/DW_search.cgi?command=DWsearch&description=boresco pe

-Wayne

That's a neat-o tool. I had to use other means of perception to figure out where it was- I don't think that scope would have worked. It was buried in a relief in the case, and would fall forward onto the gear when I rotated the engine into the correct position. Then it would lodge against the gear.

Notice I'm using the past tense here. It's amazing what a 265 pound engine builder can do when fueled with rage and 19mm sockets. The little shyte is out. I had just finished a session of tumbling the engine through 360 degrees (don't ask 'cause I'm not tellin'), pausing every 90 to diddle with the intermediate shaft, when I gave up. I tossed the engine around one more time on the stand to get it ready for disassembly, when "plink plink" and out it came.

Whoever said that a vengeful God went away with the Old Testament was just dead wrong.

When I regain my objectivity (probably tomorrow sometime; I'll know when the twitching, tics, and subvocalized "muhaha"'s subside) I'm going to have to evaluate the damage to the intermediate shaft gear to see if the engine has to come apart again anyway.

If anyone says "Last I checked, your engine was timed and clearance and final assembled...why were you tearing things apart?", there will be dire consequences.