HELP! Small piece fell into engine oil passage

[Fengzheng1223]

I have a 2013 x5 xdrive35i. So changed the VCG and about to put cover on, doing last round check to see if anything left. There was a small piece (looks like a narrow cap with clamps maybe about half an inch long) sitting in the oil between the last two spark plug insert housing (between cyl 4 and 5). Couldn't figure out where it was from. So thought I'd take it out and take a picture but it dropped After I picked it up. It bounced and then fell deeper into the engine below the camshaft housing on the exhaust side. Would that piece drain back to the oil pan? This site seems to suggest so
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/15...page=31#manual

What can I do next? The piece doesn't feel like metal when I picked it up. So magnetic snakes unlike to work. Maybe need to remove the oil pan but that's major work.

Also need to figure out where did that piece come from. Don't think I dropped it in while changing the gasket

Thanks in advance.

[nodemgr]

Is this the part you mean? Circled in red.

I'm not familiar enough with the bottom end of the engine to know if it went to the oil pan. You could try draining the oil in that case. That piece may fit through the drain hole. I just don't know if there is too much in between stopping it from getting that far.

[Fengzheng1223]

Originally Posted by nodemgr

Is this the part you mean? Circled in red.

I'm not familiar enough with the bottom end of the engine to know if it went to the oil pan. You could try draining the oil in that case. That piece may fit through the drain hole. I just don't know if there is too much in between stopping it from getting that far.

Thanks for the reply. That piece is still on there, do you have anything sticking out from the red circled area I marked underneath the cover? Reason I ask was the piece in the green circle fell off when I took the cover off and underneath just looks like what red circle is now. I checked a few YouTube videos and their covers don't seem to have anything else in the red circle though.

Plan to get a borescope with some hook on it to try fish it out.

[nodemgr]

Sorry I took my pic from the web, I don't have my old valve cover anymore and the new one is installed. I do remember the piece in your green circle falling off and reattaching it, but I don't recall if there was a detachable piece from your red circle.

[Fengzheng1223]

Originally Posted by nodemgr

Sorry I took my pic from the web, I don't have my old valve cover anymore and the new one is installed. I do remember the piece in your green circle falling off and reattaching it, but I don't recall if there was a detachable piece from your red circle.

Hey thanks for checking.
(Update) I was able to get the piece out. Drained the oil and inserted a borescope in between cylinder 4 and 5. The piece was initially stuck in the duct but freed it and it fell right into the oil pan. It was too small to lift out so had to push it through the drain hole (showing in the picture between the piece and the hook on the borescope) . Not the easiest to maneuver so took a few hours. Attached pics inside the oil pan and the piece itself. Still don't know what it is though...

[nodemgr]

Wow nice work. I don't recognize the piece either.