[headshrink]

etiainen: I know you may be discouraged right now, but you are learning a lot of valuable lessons. Don't give up and you'll be more confident, and competent the next time you do your valves...

If you need to open the engine to look for the part down low, I think the clutch cover is all you need to remove (and oil). Take your time, but you will need a new clutch cover gasket. The FIRST thing I would do before opening it further, is to turn the engine upside down and shake it. Hopefully it will just fall out... Seriously though, if you have a small flashlight and telescoping magnet (or other small part grabber), you may get lucky. ALSO, search the garage floor very carefully, as it may have fallen outside the engine. I once lost a shim, and to this day don't know where it went.... but everything was fine. I got lucky.