What am I?

[Croc]

• I was fitted somewhere near the top (outside?) of a Ford Type 9 5 speed gearbox mounted in a Caterham Seven SV
  
• I make a very loud crack crack bang bang noise in the bellhousing when the car is being driven at speed.
  
• I must be illegitimate of underdetermined parentage based on my car's owner calling me a bastard - several times over too - along with lots of other exciting expletive deleted words :cuss:.
  
• I can stall a revving Zetec in less than 20 seconds
  
• I leave great big gouges on the inside of the bellhousing, flywheel, starter gear, etc
  
• I am made of hardened steel but that did not stop me from transforming like a butterfly into multiple pieces of lovely abstract art
  
• I can take blood from my owner via scrapes, knuckles bashed and general mechanical incompetence (and get more owner expletives deleted).
  
• I am the cause of a recent engine and gearbox removal to find me (and more cursing from the owner).
  

However, I really do not know, what am I?

 

Some pictures of two pieces to help you out:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/DSC_2814.jpg

 

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/mjohnson555/seats/DSC_2815.jpg

 

My guess is a bleed nipple but heaven knows how it got in there. Little banged up to be really certain and multiple fragments as it broke up on impact. It left some really nice gouges around the place.

 

Car is mostly back together and runs smooth again - just need to finish tidying up tomorrow.

Edited April 17, 2010 by Croc

[S1Steve]

Hi Mike,

Nice chunks you found, but you fixed it , so , "Well Done".

If air travel is still down by thurs., and no London, maybe I see you next weekend for the LEO event.

[slomove]

Last year Mopho found pretty much the same part in the bellhousing that had jammed the flywheel and I don't think he identified what it was. Funny enough he took the same picture with a coin.

[MHKflyer52]

Almost looks like a chunk of a tooth from the starters drive gear. Some starter drive gears are not tappered and are almost square but if miss engaged with the engine running they will break the leading edge of the teeth of either the ring gear on the flywheel or the starter drive gear. I would be looking at the starter drive gear to see if it shows any sign of tooth rounding as that drive gear is usually softer than the ring gear on the flywheel.

Just my guess.

[Croc]

Almost looks like a chunk of a tooth from the starters drive gear. Some starter drive gears are not tappered and are almost square but if miss engaged with the engine running they will break the leading edge of the teeth of either the ring gear on the flywheel or the starter drive gear. I would be looking at the starter drive gear to see if it shows any sign of tooth rounding as that drive gear is usually softer than the ring gear on the flywheel.

Just my guess.

 

 

Martin - A very good guess too as this was my initial thought - either a tooth from the flywheel or starter gear. However, apart from some gouges across the face, the starter gear is whole and looks in pretty good condition.

 

 

Last year Mopho found pretty much the same part in the bellhousing that had jammed the flywheel and I don't think he identified what it was. Funny enough he took the same picture with a coin.

 

Gert - I had forgotten all about that incident until just now - thanks for the lead. I think I will go and search the back posts to see. Either way I think it got in through the little opening on the top of the bellhousing - now it is covered up to prevent future surprises.

[Croc]

Gert - As you noted, it is identical to what happened with MoPho - same symptoms, description of offending object and damage - even to the point where I also unfolded the object to try and recognize it. Very curious.

[DeanG]

That shard looks too familiar. Good luck.

[bsimon]

I am made of hardened steel but that did not stop me from transforming like a butterfly into multiple pieces of lovely abstract art

 

Run a mill bastard across it. If it sings and doesn't cut, it's something rather hard. There are very few hardened steel parts in the bell housing area. The only ones I can think of are part of the clutch cover and/or clutch disk. Not good things to have free range. :ack:

 

One other thought; The bits might be flotsam scooped up off the road into the bell housing. Are there any openings that might comprise the clutch's security? I once found a 20P nail in the bell housing of my Mustang. There was only 3/4" opening in the front sheet metal enclosure.

[Croc]

It is hardened steel - that was confirmed.

 

I think it came from outside the bellhousing - there is a small access hole at the top - I think something fell in - nothing inside the bell housing was missing or damaged (other than by flying bits). I suspect a clutch bleed nipple or something similar that would be located in the vicinity of the access hole.

 

Hole is now covered up so it will not happen again.