pjs.oregan

Let's say, hypothetically, somebody dropped some thing small and metallic down this hole and heard a tap as it landed on something....



It didn't come out with the oil and can't be retrieved by fishing around in the sump with a small magnet.

This diagram from Clark's seems to indicate it should go directly to the sump.






Is there any chance it has gotten to somewhere else where it could cause catastrophic damage? The motor and balance shafts spin freely with no noise/resistance.

Zirconocene

Take a look at this: https://newhillgarage.com/2013/06/25...tem-explained/

ETA: That is courtesy of @harveyf

Cheers

StoogeMoe

Somebody

ElRicardo

Years ago I dropped a bolt down one of these. later during an engine out tear down I got my bolt back! I could feel it trapped in the passage with a coat hanger wire, and so knew it didn’t go down into the engine. Stayed there for years and never hurt anything.

goblues38

get a camera wand and scope it

V2Rocket

The hole shrinks as it goes down and is semi blocked by the crank girdle at the bottom. I don’t think a bolt over M6 would fit through the hole.

931guru

It is a drain tube to the oil pan. As V2Rocket stated, the hole narrows as it gets closer to the pan. Most bolts and nuts will not make it all the way to the pan. Unless it is minuscule, it will not be picked up by the oil pickup, so nothing to worry about.

harveyf

I agree with the above. It sounds like a magnet retrieval tool ought inserted from above ought to be able to get it. I did buy an endoscope type camera recently. Priceless!

I bought the $55ish Depstech one on Amazon. It can switch between straight ahead and side view. It goes wireless to your cellphone so you aren't paying for another screen.

931guru

I spent a bit more and got this one, just to be able to look at valves, etc.

Nowanker

Without knowing what it was, we'll assume it's too big to go through the oil pickup screen?
If you can't find it with a magnet, it's probably all the way down into the oil pan. Well out of the way of all the whirling internals.
It will remain there, inert, until you drop the pan for whatever reason and retrieve it.

pjs.oregan

Thanks for the replies everyone. The offending item is in fact a valve collet; I've got a little endoscope but it doesn't fit past the point where the passage narrows. I've also fished down there and in the oil pan gingerly with a magnetised length of coathanger wire without any luck.

I guess as long as it isn't fully obstructing the oil passage, which seems unlikely, it will probably be alright. And it does get somewhere important, I get an excuse to do a full rebuild I guess...

Thanks again everyone. Very much appreciated

Nowanker

You're not the only one to have done that.

Shop manager insisted I drop the pan to retrieve it.
It was exactly where I told him it would be, lying benignly on the bottom of the pan.
Waste of half a day....