I had an extremely bad day yesterday and I dropped a bolt down the oil filler on the intermediate iron. Where would this end up? Note: I had taken off the Filler elbow and noticed the original bolts were cross threaded and was test fitting a new bolt so it is actually down inside the engine. Please help.

 

it would end up in the oil pan if its not there then i would be stuck at the opening, let me take a pic to show you where.

 

Thanks for the assistance. Will keep checking oil pan with magnet and fish line.

 

 

I tap the bottom of the empty oil pan, can't hear or see anything on the oil pan. The picture is exaclty the point where the bolt fell in. Is it possiable that it is on top of the baffle in the oil pan?

 

Find a small magnet and tie a string to it . Then go fishing. That's what I'd do. FWIW

 

Yeah, where ever it is, I wouldn't want it in my engine.

 

if its not stuck on top then it has to be in the oil pan (stock pan has no baffle) jack up the right side of the car so the bolt can slide to the left side of the pan and make it easier to fish out.

 

It may be easier to get it out if you remove the oil level sensor (its on the oil pan, on thedrivers side of the car). The opening for it is much larger. Go to Sears and buy one of those telescoping magnets (I bought one for $5 and I can safely say its the best investment I've ever made).

-Charlie

 

If you find it is in the pan...

• Tap the pan to locate it
• Get a strong magnet
• Place the magnet under the pan at the bolt
• Drag the magnet to the filler hole
• pull the bolt out

 

Or - just leave it.
It's not going anywhere unless you turn the car upside down.
There's no connecting rod caps to kick it around in there. Rotaries are cool.

 

sounds like a good idea
but just hope the spring doesnt break

 

Oil pump chain?

Sure it is unlikely it will get into it, but you hammer the brakes hard and it becomes unsettled and is tossed in the chain and gear it wouldn't be pretty. The magnet on the string or the magnet on the oil pan are the two best options; how hard it it to drop the pan on an FD?

 

Dropping the oil pan isn't fun, the subframe has to come down.

 

No baffels, but there are two trays that are flush with the top of the pan. There are some areas that are open, but most of it is closed up. More than likely it could be setting on top of one of these trays. I think your best bet is removing the low oil sensor and working through there. Here are a couple of pics. One good one not so good. The blurry one is a straight shot up from the bottom where the oil filler empties into the pan.

 

Thanks for the help gent's! I have my weekend planned out for me.

 

Did anybody else think that he meant we should bolt down the oil filler cap? Just from reading the subject on the thread that is.

 

Hind site is 20/20 but for most of you novices out there a piece of cardboard over the hole, tape, even a rag crammed into the opening can save you so much time and grief.

 

I just spend the last 2 years, or at least it feels like 2 years, fishing out the bolt from the oil filler neck out of my engine (yeah, I got distracted and forgot to remove the bolt after it was completely loose and of course, it falls into the filler hole).

So what I would suggest is: Buy a couple of magnetic pickups (magnet at the end of a telescoping pole), I kept breaking them, because I had to bend them to get to the bolt. I would keep one straight, so that when you catch the bolt with the bent one, you can then pull it out with the straight one and towards the end hook them both up to the bolt.

Before using the magnetic pickup, straighten a coat hanger and bend it slightly at the end so you can sweep the oil pan the bolt.

I would not worry about taking out the oil level sensor (I don't think that hole easily goes into where the bolt went...but I could be wrong). So here's what worked for me (this took me literally 7 minutes from the time I bent the coat hanger... after spending the last 10 hours trying with just the magnetic pickup and one of those claw things):

1) Use the straightened coat hanger (with the slight bend at the end) to sweep the bolt towards the back of the car on the drivers side (sweeping to the right if you are stanging on the drivers side of the car). You should be able to feel and hear the bolt when you touch it with the coat hanger.

2) Slightly bend one of the magnetic pickups and tape it up so it won't shorten and it will let you turn the whole thing instead of just the handle. Stick the mag pickup in the oil filler hole and direct it towards where you swept the bolt.

3) shine a flashlight down the hole (holding it right next to the eye you're looking with worked best for met) so you can see if you picked up the bolt as you pull out the mag pickup.

4) If you see the bolt use the straight mag pickup to hold on to the bolt (or both at the same time if you can). Then pull the bolt out to almost at the top (just before the passage gets small), stop there and use both mag pickups to hold the bolt because it is very easy to knock it off at this point (before I thought to use a coat hanger to move the bolt, I caught it using just a mag pickup and then I got to the end of pulling it out, it caught on the lip towards the end and fell back in...which then turned into 4 more hours). After both mag pickups are holding the bolt, CAREFULLY pull the bolt out the rest of the way.

5) Cover up the hole with something (so it won't happen again) and then go get stupid drunk in celebration.

 

what a crappy situation. i would have been like "**** **** ****!!!" when it happened. good luck it looks like a lot of people have already suggested good ideas.

 

It just happened to me and I was literally sick to my stomach when it happened.

Spent an hour trying to fish it out but I think its on top of the trays. Luckily my engine is out of the car so Im going to put it on the lift and shake it around to get the bolt in the bottom of the pan then do the coat hanger trick.

 

I would support the engine from and engine hoist and remove the drain plug for the oil pan. Stick a strong pickup magnet in there and you can rotate and shake the motor around on the chain on the hoist. Hopefully it will drop down to the hole and get stuck to the magnet.

Worst case you have to remove the oil pan and re-seal it but that's MUCH easier to do now than in the car.

If this was in the car I don't know how worried I would be about it. It can't get sucked into the oil pickup, it will just stay at the bottom of the pan. Might eventually come out with an oil change. Or, you could get a magnetic drain plug and drive the car around some, it will probably slosh over to the drain plug and get stuck to it.

Dale

 

Hey Dale.. you got me over here...lol

I was going to update my thread AFTER this situation was resolved. Yes I already took out the oil level sensor and the drain plug (apparently there was still some oil and it stained my wood stand) and used a magnetic extension already.

I think its on top of the baffle so the plan is to lift it up on the hoist and shake the **** out of it then go fishing for it again.

Thanks for the support.

 

well....

bolt was on top off the shield and i had to drop the pan...its on the hoist off loaded onto an big old couch pillow so i dont bend the studs since i have the banzai racing oil pan brace kit.

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generati...et-not-887326/

ill seal it up tomorrow - what a horrible experience

Im sorry for whoever else has to go through this - TAPE UP THE OIL FILLER NECK HOLE WHEN WORKING AROUND IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!