confirmed today, its the pins for the 2 halves of the motor. the pins measure 8x17mm which is exactly the same as #8 in the diagram. This car over heated in the past and the case expanded and these must have slip out and fallen into the pan.

 

Are you sure thats a dowel pin? Why would there be a hole in the middle?
We have a car in the shop with that pin found and it looks like a oil restrictor

We have a codes for vanos inlet adaption stop and Vanos inlet actuator movement.
Both codes are either bad oil/ bad vanos solenoids/ or timing chain kit

We replaced oil - then solenoids- then timing chain kit with new cam gears
and still have this code after- we found this pin in the pan along with tons of broken plastic pieced from the guides.

 

Ordered all the dowels including # 8 and its solid-They are all solid does not have a hole going through it

Any other ideas??

 

Did you ever identify pin. I just found one in 2008 mini clubman after replacing timing chain and pulling oil pan to remove plastic peices that broke off guide. Car runs good, no codes or misfires and timing stable and advances as should with increasing RPMs per obd scanner live data view. Don't know history on car prior to 102,000 miles but it did overheat right before doing timing chain. I just did timing chain at same time I replaced leaking water pump as a preventative measure since I had car apart and their history with failures.

 

looks like part of a timing chain guide or the pivoting point of guide

 

Ok, I'm hopefully bumping this thread. I had this exact same pin fall off the top of my oil pump when I removed it today (2009, R56, Base cooper w/ N12). I found this thread with great joy but as I read I got sad. There's no consensus what it is!

• I've got my head off so I examined the old timing chain guides and see no place for a pin like this. The pivot point on those things is a pretty large plastic snap together circle and not a small hole pinned by a steel peg
• Furthermore I have a brand new, unopened timing chain set and there is no sign of a pin like this.
• I correctly removed the valvetronic servo by backing the allen key out and that work was done on a workbench any way and not over the engine block; so I don't think its that
• The old timing chain is in fine shape and definitely not missing a pin, so I don't think its that
• I really don't think its a guide pin from the engine block. I do believe this engine over heated, but I just can't imagine it opened itself that wide without something else terrible happening. Besides the block pins do not have the machined hole as previous posters noted.
• I pulled the car in to its current location myself; definitely no loud bangs or thunks to indicate a busted piston/rod
• The alignment dowels for the head to engine block are spring dowels and do not resemble the piece.

I wrote all that because those seem like the prevailing theories in the thread. I really hoped it was the timing guide, but alas.

This engine DID have its freeze/expansion cap blow off (with the resulting oil/coolant sludge.. what a mess) so I was hoping it was related to that, but it does not seem so.

I'm adding pics of the part here.

If ANYONE has any new info I'd sure like to hear it!

I'll be taking it to the automotive machinist who is checking my head and I'll let you know if we come up with anything

Mike

 

This was inside my oil pan. Found it duran routine oil change and noticed draining oil was blocked..investigated and removed oil pan and this was what i found...what is and where did it come from..car is a 2013 mini cooper base auto non turbo...