thanks to you all sorted now
And the answer IS?
not all parts books show the part and not all engines have the hole there no one i have asked knows why it is there what i have found via this site and google is the part is a plastic blank.
Seems all quite bizarre to me, never seen the like before.
Just upgraded the wine bottle cork on the timing cover for a much smarter stopper from an empty bottle of Welsh whiskey that l found .
Cheers.
Just checked my V50 (1989 Mkiii) and found I do have said hole. It has a steel tubular plug in it which is parallel sided at the top and then tapers to a point. Total depth is about 50mm. It can be seen in the photos in the workshop manual where it illustrates removing the clutch - it passes down behind the clutch, pointing toward the crankshaft. Unfortunately there is not a picture with the clutch removed completely so the end cannot be seen. It is quite easy to miss (I hadn’t noticed it before) as it is directly underneath the carburettor stub from most viewing angles. Since it does not seem to exist on earlier engines I wonder if it may have been intended for a crankshaft position sensor for ignition? The inside of the tube on mine is mildly corroded, with the open end at the top it obviously fills up with water. I think I feel a spray with WD40 and a plug to seal up the top is in order.
David.
Did anybody find out what this hole / tube is for?