Need opinions on removing wrench from my engine

#41
kind of what i am leaning towards, except i think this magnet thing might work and im all for saving the time of pulling the engine.

did you leave your exhaust connected when jacking up the engine? i have some things from my cousin where you can lift from the header bolts. i figured i can just take out the 4 header bolts and lift it up a few inches and get it that way.
 

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#42
If it's lodged somewhere where it's interfering with engine rotation -- it's not in the bottom of the pan. So forget all the magnets-on-the-outside-of-the-pan stuff for the moment.

I'll step out on a limb here - if it's wedged in the rotating assembly - even pulling the pan is probably not gonna allow you access to it. I'd start making arrangements to borrow the hoist again - 'cause I think that engine's gonna have to come back out and be disassembled to get it out. If that's the case - this is like an exponential version of Murphy's law at work.
 
#43
It's definetly jamed into your rotating assembly after falling through that hole so It's not even close to hitting the floor of the pan. It's not coming out with the magnet, if you can no longer see it it's long gone.
 
#44
Maybe a coat hanger wire could be bent in many different ways to at least locate if the wrench is in the rotating assm or partially in the pan or just laying back out of sight. That really sux that you have to pull the motor or at a minimum, the pan but grab a good light and some wire and try fishing around. You could even bend a small hook on the end and make a few attempts at minimally locating the wrench before taking severe measures to rescue a $5 tool. You could also break off a piece of speaker magnet and duct tape it (or some kinda strong tape) to hold a magnet on the wire. Just dont lose the magnet, then you would have two pieces of FOD in the motor.

We'll stick by you and help as much as we can. Some have more experience in fixing f ups than others! :D :D
 
#45
I dont know if you have a Harbor Freight tools near you, but they sell a little telescopic magnet that is very strong for $2. They also have little mirrors on a telescopic rod with a bendable end that can help you look around in there from the top. I prolly would have pulled the lower intake by now if I couldnt find it or fish it out with one of my many gadget. HF sells alot of crap, but some of these little things are cheap and useful. Make sure the engine is in a "free" spot, so that the wrench is not wedged in there preventing it from moving or coming out.
 
#48
Like michael says putting a magnet down the hole is gonna be tough because everything in there is metal so getting it on the wrench would be next to impossible. What Hissin was saying about the magnet sounds good if it was in the pan, but if your engine is binding up it must be in the rotating assembly. May have to get your hands back on that engine lift you had. Your gonna get through it though 88SC. Alot of the guys that have been around here a while remeber the infamous "Surge Demon" thread. We won't let this turn into another one of them you will get it.
 
#50
Michael Yount said:
One of the challenges with the magnet down the hole is that the magnet is attracted to EVERYTHING down there.
Click to expand...


True!

The mirror idea is a good one. Like a little dental mirror, shine a light on it and look around the hole. I'm scared to put anything near engine orafaces such as the intake, carb or dizzy hole. This is actually making me want to think harder about being under the hood with tools.
 
#51
like im sure you can all imagine, you cant see crap, cant hear the wrench or know where its at anymore. the engine got a little tougher to turn so i stopped at that. tried it once more and got the same thing. so im just assuming its in the rotating assembly, nothing is for certain with this damn thing.

the little mirror would work well, but there is a few problems. it will get covered in oil (it is drained but lots around still), also it isint just straight down through the distributor. so shining a light wouldnt really get me any view of it. straight shot from the timing chain cover might work on the left side, but i can already see decent in there from the left.

so basically, im going to get the hoist back and jack it up as much as i can with everything still connected and drop the pan. im getting a one piece oil pan gasket so re-installing the gaskets and aligning it back up will be alot easier.

im hoping somehow its still in the pan, if not ill use some stuff to poke around the rotating assembly and knock it loose and get it.
 
#52
The magnet is tricky to use, it literally sticks to anything metal under the hood too. You have to be quick and stab it in near the tool you are removing. It takes me several tries sometimes. I spent 15 min. trying to locate a socket I dropped under the hood last week. I wont drive it till I find every last one.

The mirror should prove quite useful for looking around down that dist hole. Use it along with the light as someone stated and you can direct light around down there and see it. A small light on the end of a flex shaft may be even better. If all else fails, get some of Tmoss's robot spiders. :D
 
#53
i cant picture where this tool could be exactly, but it is too far down to use one of those spring loaded 'grabbers', right? (they have the claws that come out when the red handle is pressed)....

doubt it, but i have tossed out every other lame brain idea i can think of. :)

88SC, dont ever let it be said that no one likes ya - you got 3 pages of folks trying to help. :nice:
 
#55
Hi 88! Just read through your posts and I don't remember seeing that you drained the oil out. Stranger things have happened (I lost the socket to prime the pump down there once) while working on cars. If you drain the pan, at least you would be able to see the bottom. Do you know anyone with one of those mini-cameras? If not use a wire coat hanger through the drain plug opening. Once you find your wrench, you'll be able to figure out the best method for getting it out. Hope it works out for you!!
 
#56
yea, ive recieved alot more responces on this then i expected. nice to have some new motivation and suggestions.

by the way; the oil has been drained, ive tried speaker magnets, extendable claw (2 of them), 2 extendable magnets, using the end of stuff to poke around, tried using a coat hanger, tried looking at it, poking at it from the front, from the distributor hole, not sure what else i can do.

not to mention turning over the engine. i bought a one piece oil pan gasket tonight so it will be simple to install. going to jack the engine up as much as i can, and hopefully get it from there. if not, i guess i will pull the engine and that has to work, you'd think anyway :D
 
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