Routine oil change, this on magnet
 

88 911 Carrera daily driver and track car. 250,000 miles, motor rebuild 20,000 miles ago. No symptoms. What is this circlip from. Bad feeling, please help.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1439675154.jpg

Thinking maybe a locking clip for link in timing chain

Looks like from the snap link chain, the keeper for one pin. Most of the keepers for the snap link chain is a piece that covers both pins which is my disclaimer
Bruce

Could it be from the oil level sensor?

when I look at a photo in pelican of the the oil level sensor I do not see this clicp. Do u recall seeing it on a sensor

Wish I could offer some advice and I hope someone has a definitive answer soon. I would lose sleep over that discovery.

I agree with Bruce, looks like a circlip from the timing chain. I don't like the style of master link that uses E clips. Case in point, I did my friends engine last winter and found both E clips were no longer on one of the chains. And that was on a running engine! I still can't believe it held together but it did. In my opinion, you had better pull the chain case covers and make sure there isn't a time bomb waiting to destruct your engine.

I put timing chains on this past year. That looks exactly like the c-clip used on the links. They are easy to drop while putting on. I dropped one and had to fish through the oil strainer pickup tube hole to find it.
It is not too hard to remove the chain covers to inspect. Also they have to be installed so that the open end is NOT in the direction of travel.
If you can't find out if this was dropped and another one was used them you have to inspect the chains

Pelican has a picture of a link with its timing chain and the locking clip looks like my picture. The chain covers will be removed. My mechanic says there is a different way to lock the link. Will post what we find. I may have been .close to a catastrophic failure. Still have to drive it one half mile to shop! Thank you all.

Bad memories. I had the same issue with my rebuilt 2002Tii. I had two however, and they were from the timing chain master link. I had just finished a two day HPDE.

Yup, timing chain! Found mine following an all weekend track event. Lucky me.
Good luck
Johan

These seem to be a problem, some other chain locks encompass both pins and are longer.
Has anyone else had problems with these?

This is a common problem. One theory is that they are not inserted on the timing chain master link in correct orientation (open end pointing opposite the direction the chain moves). I now think they are crap, especially if your car is going to see the track. Such a small clip to protect the engine from destroying itself.

The m benz guys have issues with this and their v8's. There are special tools out there that crimp the master link shafts to essentially make them a solid chain. It is a permenant thing, although my mechanic trusts nothing short of a continuos timing chain.

Definitely a t-chain link circlip. We never use that style as supplied with the chain. We order an additional master link as a separate part and it always comes as a single clip style like motorcycle chain. :cool:

One clip was missing, the three remaining spin much to easily for me to feel secure. Can I use the one big clip on the master link made for the two small eclips? Do not want to change master link, just want to pop on the one big link and crimp it in place instead of the two single clips. Are these clip ilocking clips nterchangeable on the original link? Thanks

Now it gets ugly. Changed one clip no prob on driver side. Mechanic felt and heard a shift on passenger side. Now we are retiming but previous build changed one camshaft and there its no 930 or mark indicating proper position when crank is TDC at Z1. At one crank 360 from TDC we get comp at cyl #4, and it turns 720 degrees without contact. Is there a way to confirm unmarked cam is straight up?Then when we put the gauge on it and it appears off. Not sure about how to fully sink the two cams with the gauge after basic cam adj to TDC. Would love step by step instructions, have read 101 Projects, Bently, manuals.