Featured Magnetic drain plug is worth it's weight in gold!

[digi2t]

Two seasons ago, one of my winter works was to install a magnetic oil drain plug. Having worked on helicopters for a few years, I always thought that they were a good idea. An excellent indicator of premature wear, or maybe just a window into quick detection of an internal problem.

Last season, I had to replace my rack and pinion. Seeing as how I was already going that far into the disassembly, I opted for a 10% underdrive balancer as well. I also decided to pin it as well.

Today was oil change time. I don't really do a lot of mileage during the season (maybe 3000 max), so an oil change is really good for the season. I'll change it early into the winter, and then drop it again next winter. Anyway, get set up, get the pan in place, and pulling the drain plug, I see this...

Yup. The pin I installed for the balancer. How the heck it ended up in the pan? Beats me, but there it is. That drain plug is the best $25 I ever invested.

 

[nascar03]

Yikes!!
Good catch..

Graham

 

[frankmp]

wowwwww good thing the piece was'nt made of non-metallic stainless! Any comments for plugs made for C7?

 

[ddgermann]

My drain plug is carbon fibre.

Ok kidding...

Magnetic drain plugs are usually found on transmissions and differentials and definitely show you when you have mashed some gears. In your engine they would definitely give you an indication but likely much too late.
I’d say you definitely made a very clever decision putting one in your engine oil pan. That’s fantastic it grabbed the pin. Saved your engine. But ya... how the heck did the balancer pin get in there?
Agreed best $25 mod I’ve seen

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Baffled as to how that pin would end up in the motor. What am I missing?

That mag plug certainly would be cheap insurance. I have one in mine.

If the next thing you haul out is a horseshoe go and buy a lottery ticket.

 

[nascar03]

I once put a magnetic drain plug in my ‘70 Chevelle back in ‘72.
The next oil change I removed the plug and the magnet was no longer on the end of the plug!,!!!,! WTH. !!! I’m guessing it was stuck somewhere inside of the pan forever.
Been a little gun-shy of those things ever since.
Maybe they are made better now?

I do put some small heavy duty round magnets on the outside of the oil filter.
Can’t hurt.

Graham

 

[digi2t]

I'm very perplexed about the pin as well. Looking at where the end of balancer meets the crank, it looks to me that there is a step on the crank. That in itself should have stopped the pin there. Besides, I only drilled just deep enough for the pin. Very bizarre. Unless.... the engine had some tuning work done before I took possession of it (cam, lifters, springs), so, could it be from that? No idea.

 

[digi2t]

OK, further investigation has perhaps revealed where that pin came from....

Firstly, it's impossible for the balancer pin to get into the pan. Like I said, I only drilled deep enough for the pin, and there's also a step on the crank where the balancer bottoms out on, so no way out for the pin. Besides, I just remembered that the pin kit I bought came with 5 pins, and after a quick comparison, this one doesn't match those.

There is however a guide pin for the cam sprocket. Either the pin has come out, or, they dropped the original pin when they changed the cam. So, who knows how long that pin's been rolling around in the bottom of the pan.
Here's a close up of the pin;

 

[Riley P]

Wow. Glad it was able to catch that pin! Quite surprising what one can find in their engine!

 

[C SEVEN GS Bob]

wowwwww good thing the piece was'nt made of non-metallic stainless! Any comments for plugs made for C7?

I have two in my GS and also had 2 in my 2015 Z51. I see them as cheap insurance and have noticed very fine metallic "fuzz" on them the first couple oil changes on both cars. Not enough to worry about but I'm comfortable that the stuff is not floating around in the oil system.

 

[XFIRE82]

The 76 Vette we worked on last week has a magnetic drain plug from new I presume as it is a fairly low mile car untouched. Mag plugs were always a good idea where ever there is oil. When I first read this post I could not understand where the pin came from. It can't float and too big to get sucked in the pump so really can't do no damage. So I just guessed it was there all the time from engine assembly, but the cam gear guide pin may be another posibility as stated. If that is the cam pin that flew out then I would not trust the bolts holding the gear on to stay in place as the gear can move just abit on the bolt hole and thus affect timing.
Listen to this true story. As said we worked on my friends 76 StingRay last week. It had a strange engine noise off and on. In short , we took off the timing cover on the 350 and one bolt on the timing gear is lose, one bolt is mostly unturned and bent from hitting the cover, and one bolt is missing. Well where is the third bolt as it was not in the oil pan. Took those 2 bolts off, popped off the wobbly cam gear and chain and wow, no wonder no third bolt ---- there are no threads in the camshaft , the factory never threaded the 3rd hole. So it was put together with only 2 bolts and the guide pin in place. I never heard of such a thing. The man putting the gear and chain on probably just said the heck with it, pitched the bolt across the assembly line and said let warranty fix it later when the owner blows it up. Well it made 68,000 miles and 42 years. So we simply tapped the hole, new gear / chain and it is with 3 bolts now like it should of been. So as I say, if that pin you found in the pan is the cam gear guide pin, I would check it out as the bolts are not precise fit and the gear can move on those holes thus affecting timing.

 

[digi2t]

I'm getting geared up to open it up. Gasket kit is here, and a locking plate a new bolts are on their way. I also found a bolt merchant in the States that sells drilled head 10.9 grade bolts. If the bolts are loose, I'll be lock wiring them. The lock plate will be orientated so as to go over the pin. That will cover all the bases. Might throw in a new chain/sprocket set in, along with a new Melling oil pump. I'll see.

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Hope you will keep us up to date on how this project goes. Good luck.

 

[digi2t]

Yup, no worries. I'll take some pics when I get into it.

 

[GMJim]

I've done a bunch of small and big block Chevy engines over the years but I must confess I haven't been into the LS engines often enough to identify that "pin" as you call it right off but I can say it's way too small to be a balancer pin (and there's no way it could migrate into the engine from it's intended location anyway) and it's too big to be a rocker fulcrum needle bearing. If you've had engine mods done I'd take this "pin" back to whom ever worked on the engine to identify it. Parts like this floating around in the pan could be potentially lethal to the motor. My guess would be what xfire82 said, it's a cam shaft pin that locates the cam gear. It's doubtful that it would come out of the cam without scoring up the timing chain cover but who knows. It may also be something that fell into the engine by accident. Sometimes parts fly in a shop.

 

[digi2t]

Well, sure enough, it's the cam sprocket pin. Opened it up yesterday, and it's MIA.

Since the damper was not installed either, I ordered one. The bolt spacing is LS2, so no need to buy an adapter. There's a fair amount of slop in the chain, so I've ordered a Cloyes billet set with a Z chain. Going to swap out the oil pump for a Melling 10295 as well. I'll be installing new bolts on the cam sprocket, with a retainer plate. I'll orient the plate to cover the dowel pin hole, that will prevent the pin from ever coming out again.

 

[Black 03 Z06]

So many times folks post with an issue and then are never heard from again. I appreciate that you not only gave us the story but pictures as well. Well done.

 

[digi2t]

No worries. Once I get the parts together, I'll post some more on this issue until completion. I've learned a ton about these cars from forums like this one, so only fair that I put something back into it.

 

[YFCvii]

Yet another thread reaching awesome status. I can’t take an engine apart nor put one back together .... this just feels like, with the time it takes aside, a good thing coming from something very bad ... like a blood clot racing through the heart and finding somewhere safe to park (and not return to the heart) until it is realized and removed.
Ya I’m not a doctor too but I am big on Physics when you fix something that breaks and with intent for it to not break again ... OMG

 

[turbozig]

I run them on all my vehicles. Great insurance and piece of mind. Also have a filter mag that I use on the 15 Z51. It can't hurt I figure.