Found this in the oil pan
 

So i finally got my oil pan out to check the internals of my new truck. This is what I found. The material seems to be plastic or phenolic.
Does anyone know what this derbis is from? Looking at it now I should have placed somthing in the pic for scale, the large pieces measure 1/8"-1/4", fairly large.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

Looks like old gasket materiel, or bits of timing chain, the plastic teeth

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

I'd guess really old gasket material from the pan and the bead on the edge is where it squished out. Maybe it's petrified cork!

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

I had stuff like that in my pan and it was the teeth off of my timing chain sprocket. No wonder nothing happened when I rotated my dizzy...

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

I'd have to agree with jaros, looks like that plastic crap they were putting on timing gears back then.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

Yeah! Plastic timing gear teeth! When I replaced the chain on my wagon ('68 327) I had 3 intact teeth left. I replaced the chain/gear with a double roller unit, and took all the bits out when I inspected the main bearings. No damage, the bits just fell into the pan and were drained over the years. Hope you're that luck!

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

never seen that. Were they just doing that on the small blocks? I've only seen my fastback with nylon type sprockets.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

That stuff is from the large timing gear.

Since you have the pan off, then pull the timing chain cover and change out the gears & chain set.

If you feel the timing chain set is fine, then it just meens that the original was changed out and the junk from it was never cleaned out from the pan.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

Were they just doing that on the small blocks?

My 454 was like that when I tore it down to build for my 72

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

they did it on a lot of vehicles for sound.
thats what i was told back then.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

I have never heard of plastic timing gears on older V8's. Was this on all engines of this vintage? I have had my hands in a lot of small blocks aged from 1967-present and they all had steel timing gears. Does that mean someone replaced them at some point?

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

Early to mid 70's the top timing gear had "nylon" (plastic) teeth.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

Sounds like a pretty good consenseus on the timing gear. This is what my local expert (my neighbor (he is almost as good as this site)) also said. and he recomended the same theing vctroit said although I didnt want to hear it. I pulled it all apart and this is what I found.

New metal double roller timing gear. I suppose It was replaced and they didnt clean all the derbis out and that is what was left over.

OK so while I had it torn apart my neighbor recommended check the bearings and put in a high volume oil pump. Done and done, I pulled a few rod bearings and they looked great. Is there anyting else I should check now that i got it torn all apart?

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

Been there, done that. Definately timing chain (the big gear).

A lot of it usually ends up lodged in the oil pump pickup screen.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

Found the same in my pan when I pulled it. It was from the timing gear, and the guy I bought it from had told me the timing chain broke at some point. I also found a few bent pushrods..

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

The gear and teeth were metal but had plastic coating on the teeth, to make it quieter. Very common to chip off when it got old and brittle.

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

lean up the oil pick up!!!
The 1/2 of the pickup that is covered like in the can (for lack of a betterr description) is probably PACKED with the nylon.


This was done on small and big blocks

Re: Found this in the oil pan
 

I got it all cleand out and back together. she is running great. thanks all