Some type of pin, for some sort of motor perhaps.

Not a pin. But you are getting warmer. Just as this thing will at some point in its life.

Nope, not nearly that technical. It is a very simple piece with a very simple task. Heat is actually this things enemy.

What do fried chicken and John Travolta have in common? The answer is your hint.

Maybe a small piston. You're talking heat, so it must be friction, maybe, or possibly something that current passes through, like a resistor on a circuit board.

the connection i see is "grease".