2014 Stelvio 1200 8v - What is this thing?

[skimbrie]

I was replacing the oil pressure sensor when I noticed this thing towards the front of the block under the alternator. It looks like brass and it is roughly spherical and apparently hollow. It has a large opening towards the back of  the engine and small hole on the  top. At first I thought it was some loose part that fell down into that spot but it is quite solidly fixed in place and very greasy.

The reason I am changing the sensor is it seems to be the source of a nasty oil leak. But this thing looks like it could be some sort of breather fitting or something and might have something to do with the leak.

Here's one close up picture and another from further back showing the location.

Any help is appreciated.

-Scott K.

[Huzo]

Do you have a workshop manual?

[Kiwi_Roy]

Are you sure it hasn't corroded to the block?

[Chuck in Indiana]

<scratching head> Looks like a pecan to me.. :boozing:Maybe a hickory nut?

[skimbrie]

I have a shop manual and a parts catalog and I couldn't identify in any of the exploded views or photos.

I pried on it with a screw driver but it ain't moving - at least not with the force I was willing to apply.

When I first saw it, I too thought it was some kind of nut (as in tree, not as in "Guzzi Rider").

[beetle]

I declare it a foreign interloper. Sanction with extreme prejudice.

[Wayne Orwig]

Christmas candy melted on the block.

[Green1]

Looks like a brass fitting or hex nut from an old sensor,little bit of brake cleaner to clean it off may make it easier to identify

[Sasquatch Jim]

 It's the head of a thonorken bolt.  Absolutely vital that you not change the adjustment.

[Huzo]

It's the head of a thonorken bolt.  Absolutely vital that you not change the adjustment.

Sort of like the sacred screw.

[leafman60]

Be careful.  The motor may fall out if you remove it! The Italians may have improvised and chucked that in there to hold something important.

Or, maybe its something else that has vibrated loose and fallen down there.  Some time in the future on a dark and lonely road, miles away from civilization, you may discover the purpose for which the object was intended before vibrating out.

[Porterhouse]

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's the Fetzer valve.  You can have at it with some 3-in-1 oil and some gauze pads, but you're probably gonna need 'bout ten quarts of anti-freeze, preferably Prestone. No, no make that Quaker State.

That ought to do the trick. 

[gearman]

Grab it with a pair of pliers. Pull it out. looks like an interloper.