OK so I have a problem that I think I would have better luck winning the lotto then the odds of this happening so here goes. I removed the mechanical fuel pump from BBC and when I pulled it out there was no SPRING under the lever arm. I looked and looked and looked again for it but my fear is that it went down the oil return hole in the fuel pump boss. So now I am kinda perplexed as to do what next. Obviously I do not want to have to lift the engine and R&R the oil pan if I do not have to. My thoughts are 1- stick a LARGE magnet on the oil pan near the oil drain plug and hope it gets drawn to it so that when i remove the oil drain plug i can fish it out with some wire or needle nose pliers. 2-Maybe it really couldn't defy all odds and end up down the hole but somehow if it weren't for bad luck I would have none at all SOOOO I am guessing it did. 3- I know its not safe to just leave it in there as someone has already suggested to me using the logic that it would never get past the oil pickup screen so why bother just leave it be but somehow I just can't stomach that one.4- That's where I will let your suggestions roll in and maybe I am overlooking something.

Thanks

Chris

What spring? The arm is spring loaded internal to the fuel pump. Only thing that can fall down is the pushrod.

I was thinking like Hank,what spring? I have a new pump in the garage, made me courious, went and looked, no exposed spring..

That is the spring I am referring to the one that is under the lever arm that the rod to the camshaft rides on it is part of the fuel pump assembly. I cannot figure out how to post a picture here so ill post this link http://www.428cobrajet.org/how-to-fuel-pump.html and if you scroll down to step 5 they show a picture of the pump and the spring that I am referring to.

Anyone else have any suggestions? The spring had to have been there as the pump would not have worked for 22 years without it. It is a marine motor and its pretty limited where it could have gone. I have searched the bilge high and low and cannot locate it. So my only assumption is it went into the oil drain-back hole. I have tried a small flexible magnet to retrieve it but I am just not sure if its possible or not that the spring could make it through the hole and then I assume it would drop into the oil pan? Does anyone have a big block engine with the pan off that might me able to fish a piece of wire through and let me know if the opening would be big enough to allow the spring to pass through and end up in the pan?

So your Mech fuel pump was a carter?
I would think that if you drag a big magnet around the bottom of an empty oil pan you might get lucky and drag it to the drain
Good luck
Michael