Okay, I know the flames are going to be coming with this one.

The story is this: I was working on my engine trying to piece it back together with the cleaned injectors and new vac lines. I had just put the spiderweb and all the rats nest back in, and was about to install my primaries when I noticed my hand only held one (the larger of the two) bolts. I remember hearing a muffled thud of sorts and just assumed the smaller of the two bolts fell into the 6PI front (Don't worry, they're not wired open so I'm pretty sure if the bolt did fall in there it is only in the runner and not in the engine). Here's where I start to lose my mind:

I've spent the past 2 hours trying to fish a bolt out of the 6PI. However the magnets keep picking up the actuator rod, so I thought that if I just push along the rod it'll pick up the bolt, and I'll be able to drag it back. No bolt came out. Now i'm shoving the magnet in there while it's duct taped to a large zip tie. Still nothing comes out. I then tried connecting two zip ties together (w/o mag) and shoving it down the 6PI to try and rattle the bolt to make sure it is in there, and i'm not being schitzo... I don't hear any rattling...

I've checked all along the vehicle and in the engine bay, I don't see the bolt. Would I be insane to remove the LIM with all the hoses still attached to see if I can see a bolt in there? Or is there a mechanics mirror I could purchase on the cheap that would fit in there and I could see what the heck is in there (if anything)... Or should I just cough up the 2-300 bucks to pick up a fiber-optic scope from summit? (Borrow scope?)

I'd prefer not removing the LIM because I don't have a replacement gasket for the connective components, so I'm not quite sure what else to do... I don't mind buying a new bolt to replace the one that's lost, but I also don't want to have a bolt sucked into the engine and destroy it, ya dig?

Options? Things I haven't tried? Ideas? Jokes? Flames? And the engine is still in the car so I can't rotate it.

 

I would remove it.

Oh, and YOU SUCK!!! LOL!! *points and laughs*

Joke man, that really sucks. Seriously, if it were me, I would remove it just to be sure.

Spec.

 

Well, the mantra "better safe then sorry" comes into play here.

In my mind, tools are always useful and are never a waste of money. Buy a boroscope and check it out for yourself. Hell, with the b-scope you could probably find it in the engine if its made it that far and you haven't turned it over.

Do whatever it take to make sure that its NOT inside the engine. That means buying a tool, removing the LIM, or building a sci-fi shrink-machine and walking in the intake ports and out the exhaust. I've seen what a nut can do to the inside of a wankel. I wouldn't want to imagine a bolt.

 

Have you tried using a vaccum cleaner? I removed a washer from the cooling system with a shop-vac.

EDIT: NM, that wouldn't work, the chamber is pressurized...

Spec.

 

actually that's not a bad idea...

nvm, unless there's a battery operated shop vac... it's too far away from a power source.

 

I just bought a boroscope, and it should be here in 4-8 days. We shall see.

 

damn bro... ild have bought the scope too. good luck man.

 

so you're gonna wait 4-8 days for the scope to arrive, when you could just pull off the LIM in an hour or so to check? If you're going to do so, put a pan underneath the car to catch fallen bolts and nuts and whatnot, you'll thank yourself later

 

I don't have a LIM gasket. I'd have to wait anyways to get a gasket if I took it off, where as if the bolt isn't in there, I don't have to get another gasket. Get it?

 

you can either use a high-temp RTV, or try to save the gasket when you take it off, either way its a lot quicker

 

I would remove the LIM or whatever else you need to to find that bolt, DO NOT ever try to rotate the motor to expel a lost nut or bolt. Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

Very strange, cuz when I bought my intake gasket kit from autozone, It came with gaskets for engine to LIM, and LIM to UIM.

 

If parts stores don't have the gasket, you can get it from mazda for about $10. Better $10 than $300 for the scope. The question is, will you (or can you) return it after using it on your LIM?

 

I'm well aware, and will do.

The nearest shops to me would have to order them and they're way over priced. So I'd have to wait for them to get it in, pay extra for it, and then remove the LIM for a possibility that it's there. I'm not sure about you, but I'd just rather look in there, make sure the bolts there or not before teearing apart the LIM to get it. This is a 6PI, so if you think it's just a simple case of popping off the LIM, you're sorely mistaken.
Yeah, I'd probably order it from Malloy if I had the time, or if I knew the bolt was in there for sure. Unfortunatly I do not know it's in there for sure, and it would take 3 or 4 days to get it from Malloy. As for the scope, I didn't spend $300 for it, and even if I did it's a tool. I'm sure I can find uses for it after this ordeal.

 

I know what it takes to remove the LIM. I've done it before. But I didn't know your parts store didn't carry both of them.

 

Borescope came in today. Already confirmed that the bolt is in the 6PI, time to get it out (Made it all the way to the end of the sleeve)

 

I've removed LIM for lesser things, hopefully you can get it though

 

Yeah, now i'm trying to remove the LIM because nothing I have will get it. I've removed the bolts holding the lim on but it's super tight and my hands have lost feeling. So... I'm a little miffed on how to actually remove the LIM right now... I'm going to go out and venture a guess: A BFH? ugh...

 

Man that sucks. ive had things like this happen and it slow down the whole build

 

I'm not being stupid am I? It's just four bolts that hold the LIM on then you just pry it apart and pull the 6PI with the LIM right?

 

Its 7 bolts.

3 top, 4 bottom.

Tehn tap it out with a rubber hammer.


Are you sure you would'nt rather step away from the car?

Spec.

 

...Alright, I'll double check, but I do not see a 3rd bolt up top on the LIM and there's no way I could have seen all 4 bolts on the bottom. So I still have two bolts on there... ugh... Back out into the rain. The FSM only shows four connective bolts on the LIM so I'll just go back over it. And make sure I'm not forgetting any.
...Bastard... I deserve that don't I?

 

There you go.

Check out the gasket.

Spec.

 

With the bolts indcated.

Spec.

 

Well, I got it off. I only had two up top. Should have had four on the bottom but only had three. It became apparent that someone had taken this off (especially with the double gasket they left on) prior to me doing this. Long story short I got the bolt out. It was teetering on the edge of falling into the rotor housing, but I got it with the help of the Borescope and the little $5 flex claw they sell at advanced.

I figured I'd check the ports while I was there and guess what? Whoever removed the LIM prior to me also removed the sleeves. So now I gotta find some sleeves to put in it--might as well order the inserts as well as the new gasket. SOB!...