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Horror- dropped a piece down the oil tube

808 views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  Gone in 60 
#1 ·
Doing a valve adjustment and didn’t notice one of the camshaft cap hollow alignment dowels was in the rag I was using to cover the holes. I was adjusting the rags and the dowel popped down the chrome oil tube.

I’ve gone at it with a magnet and a claw tool. Also tried flushing it out by draining the oil and funneling it down the oil hole.

Might try a vacuum necked down to fit the oil hole.

Wondering what the next move is. Pull the sump pan? If so, looks like the lower frame and exhaust need to come out too? Ugh.
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
I read everyone else's posts about doing this, including someone who did exactly as I did - drop a dowel into the same hole. I have some time to kill as I'll be waiting for my new shims and other little parts to arrive. This would have added insult to injury - one of my telescoping magnet tools came apart right over the head, and two little pieces that hold the thing together popped out and fell on either side of the hole.

I made a flexible tool by taking the magnet off of a telescoping stick and attaching it very securely to some 1/4" vinyl fuel hose. This can snake around curves, and might do a better job.

So, thinking that the dowel fell past the balancer shaft, it would have landed somewhere in front of or below the timing chain, or bounced to one side and ended up in the sump. I'm looking at all of the pictures I can of the "landing area" to see what the most logical place would be.

Going to keep at it, not panicking yet. Other guys have had luck with this.
 
#4 ·
Well, slow and steady wins the race. My many thanks to all of the other poor souls to which this has happened.

Studying photos of the inner casting of the lower crank case, as posted by forum members who have tried to help others in this position, I observed the curved path the steel dowel most likely took after falling down the breather tube.

I bent a coat hangar to this curvature and slid it inside my home made fuel hose magnet tool. Fifteen minutes of fishing and I heard the magical click of steel on magnet. Up she came.

A huge worry is lifted. Thanks again to all who have gone before, leaving a detailed trail to follow in previous posts.

Now, just waiting for shims and seals, and I will never let this happen again!
 
#8 ·
Good Job man! perseverance pays up

A Similar thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago, a screw fell from my frame into the hole where the timing chain goes down into the engine.....


luckily it got wedged midway down, and I manage to very delicately (a lot of sweating involved like if I was defusing a bomb) bring it back up with nonother than a pair of scissors this could easily have ended in a similar predicament as you.
 
#9 ·
I was praying that maybe, just maybe mine bounced and went down the cam gear hole, and that it was possibly wedged like yours. Shined the brightest lights I had down there, but no such luck. But I can imagine the surgical nature of your operation and the tension you must have been feeling.
 
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