N54: Found in oil pan
 

While cleaning out my oil pan during a gasket replacement, I found the following mysterious bit of plastic. When I retrieved it, it was one piece but it broke along the ribs when I put it down.

Does anyone recognize the source of this? I am hoping it's from the oil level sensor or the pickup tube.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/5series...21a531d7e.jpeg

I flipped through all my photos of my N54 with the valve cover, heads, oil pan off, couldn't see anything that resembles your mystery plastic bit. What did it look like before it broke? Can you put the parts together the way they looked before it broke and take another photo or two from different perspectives?

Thanks for having a look!

When I discovered it, it appeared as if it was part of a circular element. If you ignore the break in the middle, this picture shows how it was oriented.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/5series...ef69c38b5.jpeg

I wonder if it could be foreign debris that made it's way into the engine via the oil fill port. An oil bottle cap retaining ring? It looks very thin - too thin to be an engine component? Only other thing I can think of is a bit of plastic that came through from the PCV passages at the top of the valve cover. There are some thin PCV hose clips / retaining clips that look similar. How many miles on the engine, and has the plastic valve cover ever been replaced, or the valve cover gasket replaced?

I am thinking the same thing! It sure looks like the clip for the PVC hose, and I've found that those are prone to break on removal. Maybe one broke and found its way into the valve cover last time (I did not do that particular repair).