Gents,

I am wondering if any of you know the function of this steel ball ?
I think it is steel, soon I will check with magnet.


Above is engine oil cooler location.


It is indicated as a part we can buy.
I am sure the installation of this ball would be from somewhere and not at the oil cooler oil path/gallery.

Maybe install the ball from here, below in green arrow ?



Such ball reminds me of flow meter using a ball as value marker.
Afterall this P/N description is : Oil pump indicator channel


Thanks

In the old days it used to be cups. The round ball is always perfect lined up.

The diameter of the gallery matches with that of the soft-steel ball.

The ball is used as a fancy channel PLUG.

There is 2 more oil plug Cali....and uses o-ring . M276 has them, yours too.


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I will replace these two when I tear down my engine. I never paid attention to EPC, I thought its those steel cap push fit type of plug.
Anything with o-ring, will be a disaster. I wonder why no thread at all. What if oil pressure push it out and we loose oil pressure ?
If at timing chain region, you will never know this plug leaking....because this is oil bath region. If the plug flew out and damage timing chain...How ????



If the rear azz plug leak of pops out, the bell housing will leak lots of oil and on may mistake crankshaft seal.

is the ball fixed or does it move? if it moves I would assume check valve if it is fixed I would assume plug.

I will test soon. Now oil cooler is still there blocking access, as engine mount is back re-installed, so that I can work on top of my engine without the engine support bar.
I was cleaning my intake valves and I was thread chasing my spark plug threads witha DIY chaser .

This.

Could be a check valve - fluid into ball and not out.
OR a machined gallery hole plug - but these tend to be done any more as they make cylindrical plugs for these
or it would be a SLEEVED ball plug that is a cup like sleeve from thin metal with a ball inside so when pressed in the ball holds the plug in via friction.

Push in Ball plug
McMaster-Carr

Pull thru plugs
McMaster-Carr

article from my hydraulic world:
Permanently sealing hydraulic fluid passages - Fluid Power World

Wow.... I never seen this type...so awesome, thanks YGMN