944 loss of oil pressure

Our race at AMP was cut short due to a sudden loss of oil pressure.  We tried to diagnose at the track, but the crack pulley was tight and the oil level was correct so we knew a removal and disassembly was next on the diagnostic list.

Back in the shop, I pulled the engine and dropped the oil pan.  Inside, where it should not be, was part of the oil pick up tube.  The remainder was still bolted to the block.  

I realized we have had several failures lately that seemed to be caused by vibrations.  So, I decided to take a close look at the balance shaft timing. Sure enough, one of the balance shafts was off a couple of teeth.  This likely happened when I was rushing to change the water pump before the Road Atlanta race.  

I am going to change the seals on both balance shafts while the motor is out so I will make sure the timing is correct before I reinstall the engine,  

We also discovered that the rotor button had failed, However the engine was running fine with no evidence of lack of spark.  This will be replaced with a Bosh unit.

The inspection of the rod bearings shows very minor wear.  Looks like we got lucky and shut it down in time to avoid major failure.  I will have the replacement bearing Calico coated before installing them.