Help!! Oil change and found weird spring in old oil.

Changed my oil tonight on my XB9s. When I was pouring the oil out of the pan into waste pails, I found a weird spring probably an inch and a half with a rubber end. Can anyone tell me what this is?

Attachment 10688

Would it even fit through the drain plug hole in a Buell? You'd know right away if your oil pump fell apart and it was the pressure relief valve spring (and I think the check valve is a metal ball...).

It doesn't look like any part I can think of, probably from a previous job, or you might have friends like me who drop random bolts under peoples unfinished projects:angel:

Okay, so after your response, I did some further research and digging. It turns out it is the oil check valve! When removing the old filter, the threads it attaches to came out with it and it looks like the valve just sits right on top of the part of the threads that go up into the bike. I’m going to put it back and hopefully it goes back to normal. When I saw the spring, I decided to wait to start the motor until I figured out if I dropped something in the oil pan or if it was actually a part of the bike. Here’s the diagram.Attachment 10690

And if anyone else who knows more reads this, please tell me if I’m wrong.

How were you able to install the new filter with part #4 missing?
You didn’t mention anything coming apart during your oil change?
I’ve done dozens of oil changes on my Buell and never had that come apart during one.

Now that's a new one. so the double thread stud bolt backed out with the filter and the check valve spring fell into the oil pan. You would not have been able to install a new filter without first removing the double thread bolt from the old filter right? Find the torque spec on that DTB and problem solved. Very interesting post sir! Never happened to me but if it does i'm ready for it now.

Haha yeah, new one for me too. When I pulled the old filter, the double threaded bolt came out in the old filter and I had to reinstall it once I finagled it out of the old filter. Seemed a little odd but I didn’t think too much about it. Once I reinstalled it, I installed the new filter. After all that is when I found the valve laying in the oil pan. I called a Harley shop locally today and they actually said it’s not too unfamiliar. Once I reinstall the valve, I’m going to torque it back to spec and apply more locktite to it. My guess is someone who had the bike before me had taken it out for some reason and didn’t torque it back and probably didn’t use any locktite. Fun and weird moment!

Weird for sure!
Glad you figured it out, learned a little, and taught some of us something new!

Wow! Thanks for posting up what you found. New to me as well! Something to keep in the back of the files...:)

Good info , thx