Found in oil drain pan. What is it?

[TedStryker]

This is probaby nothing and you'll likely laugh at me for even posting this. I changed my oil yesterday and found this in my oil drain pan. It looks like a piece of a drill bit that might have randomly fallen into the pan and initially I dismissed it as such. Then it started to bother me a bit, so I took a closer look. All of my drill bits are accounted for, and I don't remember ever breaking one like this. (Maybe in half once, yes. But not on both ends.) And on closer inspection, this piece seems to have some wear on the outter edges that my drill bits do not.

Is there anything like this that might break off inside of a 4.0L V6 (1993)? Engine seems to run ok. Idles a little rough sometimes, but overall runs pretty good. Has 210K miles.

I've never taken an engine apart so this question probably seems extremely amateur. Again, if this is just a stray piece of metal that somehow fell into my drain pan, you're welcome for the giggle. Thanks in advance for any thoughtful replys!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Certainly looks like a drill bit. Is it hardened?

 

[MrQ]

The only reason a drill bit would be there is if someone was drilling and tapping a hole at some point and broke the bit off. It could end up in the oil pan is if someone dropped it in the oil galley while working on the lower intake or somebody was fixing threads in the block where the timing cover bolts to as it could drop in the oil pan there.

 

[Roadrunner777]

Well, it's small, about 1/8" diameter. If you really zoom in, the flutes are concave. I'll give a guess. I think this is a tool that was used to finish the block at the engine plant, a ream or something to clear an oil gallery from casting sand and defects, and it broke, and the worker just left it in there...until time, heat cycles and vibration finally worked it into the oil pan... saddly, that's my guess.

 

[TedStryker]

Certainly looks like a drill bit. Is it hardened?

I'm not sure how to tell...

 

[TedStryker]

The only reason a drill bit would be there is if someone was drilling and tapping a hole at some point and broke the bit off. It could end up in the oil pan is if someone dropped it in the oil galley while working on the lower intake or somebody was fixing threads in the block where the timing cover bolts to as it could drop in the oil pan there.

There hasn't been any engine work in 5 years. I wonder if it's been sitting in the pan for that long? Thanks for the info!

 

[Mbrooks420]

I'm not sure how to tell...

A file won’t easily scratch a drill bit.

 

[JCat]

Don't dismiss that it might be leftover from the engines manufacturing process.

I have found coke bottles and all kinds of garbage behind door and interior panels.

 

[TedStryker]

Don't dismiss that it might be leftover from the engines manufacturing process.

I have found coke bottles and all kinds of garbage behind door and interior panels.

Reminds me of all the garbage I found behind my drywall when I remodeled!

Noted. In any case, the engine seems to run ok. Guess I'll just keep driving until it doesn't!

 

[Dustin7]

Reminds me of all the garbage I found behind my drywall when I remodeled!

Noted. In any case, the engine seems to run ok. Guess I'll just keep driving until it doesn't!

Or....a person put it in there. Probably drilled some other holes as well.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Or....a person put it in there. Probably drilled some other holes as well.

So you think a vandal randomly drilled a bunch of holes, and nothing has gone wrong or been noticed? Seems highly unlikely.

 

[410Fortune]

My guess is timing cover repair broken bit fell into pan

Does the timing cover look like it has been re sealed?

Is it the original engine?

1993 was a long time ago, many things happen in the life of an engine that old.