So where did my 16v cam sprocket's tooth go?
 

When my cam chain snagged on the tensioner this spring in my 16 valve head, it obviously broke, and seems to have taken a small piece of a tooth from the exhaust cam with it. I know this is pretty common in this type of failure, and rebuilding is underway, but I have a really basic question:

Where did the missing tooth go, and is it going to cause trouble wherever it went?

Thanks in advance,

Charlie.

If it's not still somewhere inside the cylinder head, it has probably worked its way to the bottom of the oil pan. You could drain the oil and see if it drops out or if it's stuck to the magnet at the end of the plug, or fish for it with a magnet wand.

What if I don't find it?

you keep looking until you find it. good luck and happy fishing.

this may not be the answer you were hoping for. i am sorry.

No, I had a feeling that was the necessary course of action. What would it likely do in there?

chew shizzit up. maybe nothing. do you really want to drive that car around wondering?

i am starting to feel old, conservative, and filled with common sense.....

Of course, what I really wanted was an answer like, "The missing tooth will weld itself inexorably to the bottom of the oil pan, and never cause any trouble" rather than, "the missing tooth will lie in wait for you to get a little too confident in the mechanical integrity of your car." ;)

yeah, i know the feeling. you need to find the tooth. sorry.

Not at all -- thanks for the help.

C.

You must find the tooth. If you don't, the laws of freakdom will come crashing upon your head and toast your engine with a psychedelic boom just as you are going around a corner with the suspension fully loaded .....

Death vs Finding the Tooth

Easy choice?

... and I'd add to this statement "...after you have spent thousands of dollars, countless weeks, and miles of determination and will to get it back on the road"

You're right on the money, rm, and it's been down for over two months.

How hard to you all reckon it will be to find it? Is the oil filter magnetic? The car has never run with its tooth broken, that I know of -- does this mean that it is more likely to be lying somewhere in the bottom of the crank case than in the filter?

Sorry for all the questions, but this is obviously uncharted territory for me.

Edit: I just noticed what KrazyKarl mentioned about the magnetic drain plug. Is my drain plug magnetic?

Thanks for all your help.

Drop to oil pan and check there, it's already down to fix the head. The oil should drain from the head to to oil pan. If it was not sitting in the top of the head on dis assembly, it should be in a drain to to pan or the pan.

your plug should be magnetic. if it isn't sitting on the plug, you might try fishing in the oil drain hole with an extensible magnet. (is extensible the right word?)

there's also the chance it may be resting in the bottom of the front engine cover.

i am trying to figure out how it could be resting in the front engine cover and cannot picture it. how would it get there?

Remember Murphy's Law!!!!!! Either you find it or it will find something to screwup.
Happy Hunting,
Larry

It's not the cam belt sprocket, but the chain sprocket on the camshaft inside the valve cover for the chain that connects the two cams together.

Seems like it'll literally be a shot in the dark. It could be hung up in the baffling, or up on the high part of the oil pan. You could risk it and count on the fact that the oil pickup has a screen that would prevent it from sucking up any large pieces and it will eventially wash into the bottom of the pan, or just drop the oil pan to try to find it.

The question is...did you drain the oil yet? If yes and you didn't look for the tooth...life really sucks because you don't know if it came out with the oil or not. If the oil is still in there, then put an old white t shirt in the bucket you drain the oil in so the tooth will be caught in the shirt and if you don't see it, then put some type flush fluid through the top of the engine to see if you can wash the tooth out but remember to strain it through the tshirt as well. If still nothing, then use a magnet to try to find it and lastly pull the oil pan to look for it. Good luck.

Isnt there a screen on the pickup tube. I know my 911 doesnt have one, but thats a whole different bread. If it has a screen i would drive and wait for it to find the magnetic plug on its own