Alright, so I examined this piece of metal and discovered several things. It was just barely lodged up into the thermostat between the spring and the internal rod. It is non-magnetic, brittle, and has the obvious signs of abrasive wear (ie. some of the edges were worn smooth. It almost looks like welding slag, although it is hard to tell from the gunk buildup and general wear and tear. I couldn't find any distinguishing features or obvious machining marks. Its just under 10cm long and at its thickest its only just over 1mm thick. It is rounded on one side (I imagine from being trapped inside the rounded thermostat). I tested the thermostat and it didn't move one bit even at 200 degrees Fahrenheit. I think I did the test right--I just placed it in a pot and brought the water to a boil... So I guess I'll just be getting a new thermostat, but I am very concerned and confused on the possible origins of this scrap of what seems to be either aluminum or magnesium.
Thermostat Test @ Boiling Point:
Metal Shard in Thermostat (Thermostat ID#s: X1.224.83.000)
Metal Shard Scale:
Thermostat Port Detail:
Any thoughts? If nothing else, it makes me think that I am probably going to have to split the case
