Can't make this up: taking odds on liklihood of engine destruction

[paanta]

The story goes: Valve cover leak->busted valve cover stud->busted Easy Out->LOTS of grinding with a carbide dremel bit->Helicoil+JB Weld->New Stud in hole...

I'm standing there trying to figure out how much of the stud should go into the hole, so I decided to compare it to one of the other studs already in place. I removed the carefully placed plastic wrap and masking tape that I'd put there to keep metal chips out. (See? I'm very cautious)

That exposes the front valve cover stud. I placed the new stud next to the other one to compare it to the exposed height and...dropped an M6x40 stud right down along the timing chain.

I know oil pump bolts back out all the time and collect in the oil pan. No harm seems to come of it. Lets now imagine what would happen to the aforementioned stud on its way down the timing chain casing....

Do I disassemble the front of the engine or just pray to god it made its way down to the oil pan? What would you do?

[paanta]

Update: I had some rye whiskey on the rocks, which helped me think very clearly and remember the powers of magnetism. I used a big frickin' 1" neodymium magnet disk to slide the stud up along the passenger side of the oil pan, near the intersection with the block. Got it about half way along there heading towards the subframe and the magnet lost it.

Is it safe there? Maybe I can find it and continue working it towards the drain plug...

[632 Regal]

maybe if you can work it below an oil drainback you can use one of them little magnets on a stick? (looks like an antenna)

[Ross]

Had you instead the wisdom imbued from a fine blended Canadian whisky you may have left said magnet in place on the oilpan hence retaining the wayward stud.
OR If it's in the pan you might try one of those magnets on a telescoping shaft to manuever it out.

[JD525IA]

The story goes: Valve cover leak->busted valve cover stud->busted Easy Out->LOTS of grinding with a carbide dremel bit->Helicoil+JB Weld->New Stud in hole...

I'm standing there trying to figure out how much of the stud should go into the hole, so I decided to compare it to one of the other studs already in place. I removed the carefully placed plastic wrap and masking tape that I'd put there to keep metal chips out. (See? I'm very cautious)

That exposes the front valve cover stud. I placed the new stud next to the other one to compare it to the exposed height and...dropped an M6x40 stud right down along the timing chain.

I know oil pump bolts back out all the time and collect in the oil pan. No harm seems to come of it. Lets now imagine what would happen to the aforementioned stud on its way down the timing chain casing....

Do I disassemble the front of the engine or just pray to god it made its way down to the oil pan? What would you do?


That's a bit of a nightmare senario. I have two broken studs on my valve cover, but I'm going to let the shop fix them when I take her in next week.

I did something similar when I was changing the plugs, and dropped a nut into the #5 cylinder. After about an hour, I managed to retrieve it with a flexible claw-type tool. I've got the magenet on a antena retrieval tool also, and it has saved my butt a dozen times.

If I were you, I would get a professional mechanic involved.

JD

[paanta]

What's a professional mechanic? :)

I thought about just leaving the magnet there, but it's an expensive magnet. If I can't work it out farther with my big magnet, I may try removing the oil level sender and the drain plug and then just blowing compressed air up in there to see if I can work it out. Anything to avoid renting an engine hoist and dropping the oil pan. The magnet on a stick is a bit to big to fit in there, sadly.

Might be a good excuse to get one of those fancy fiber optic cameras, though. ;)

I don't know what deity I've offended (probably most of them), but I'm starting to feel like maybe I've been cursed. The number of 15 minute jobs that have snowballed into 4 hour jobs is staggering.

[Mordan]

What's a professional mechanic? :)


I don't know what deity I've offended (probably most of them), but I'm starting to feel like maybe I've been cursed. The number of 15 minute jobs that have snowballed into 4 hour jobs is staggering.

don't worry you are not alone ;)

you got to pray the BMW Gods. it helps you know.

[paanta]

At this point I'm considering animal sacrifice. Do they like burnt lamb?

[whiskychaser]

Update: I had some rye whiskey on the rocks, which helped me think very clearly and remember the powers of magnetism. I used a big frickin' 1" neodymium magnet disk to slide the stud up along the passenger side of the oil pan, near the intersection with the block. Got it about half way along there heading towards the subframe and the magnet lost it.

Is it safe there? Maybe I can find it and continue working it towards the drain plug...
I recommend this:
http://www.bellswhisky.co.za/GuestLogin.aspx
But it doesnt enable me to see through the oil pan. How did you know you had snagged the bolt? I'm curious and impressed

[Mordan]

At this point I'm considering animal sacrifice. Do they like burnt lamb?

why not taking out the oil, jacking up the car and remove the oil sump? wouldn't you find the devil inside?

[632 Regal]

Try a magnetic drain plug?

[paanta]

My pleas were heard by someone. I dropped the oil level sensor and jammed a magnet on a wand up in there like some oil drenched proctologist. After about 10 minutes of fishing, I managed to retrieve it.

Car is buttoned back up finally. Smoking like mad from all the spilled cutting fluid, but hey, it's alive! Only hitch is the valve cover stud at the front of the engine was not supposed to be M6x40 like the rest, so when I helicoiled/JB Welded the new one in, it doesn't poke up through the valve cover. Oops. At least that doesn't seem like a leak-prone area.

Only chewed through about $100 worth of drill bits, taps and specialty dremel bits to fix the one-drop-per-day leak. heh.

Thanks again for the ideas and mostly for the moral support. Maybe tomorrow I'll have energy to tackle the driver's window regulator...stay tuned. ;)

[Jeff N.]

Ha...good story! A thirty cent set screw fell down the front timing belt cover on my 951. Did the same magnet thing but never found it.

Two weeks later there's this terrible screeching noise from the engine. Ya, right. The revenge of the set screw.

Chewed up the timing belt and the balance shaft belt and a couple rollers. $250 of parts later and a full belt job (my nickle otherwise about $1200) and it was all back together again.

Moral of the story. Don't drop sh*t down holes.

[Ross]

The magnet I have is cylindrical and maybe 8mm dia. It would fit through the drain plug hole. Not particularly strong but probably enough to retrieve that stud if it isn't wedged in somewhere.
It probably came from Harbor Freight.

[mikell]

Glad it finally worked out for you. Only a bunch of knuckle busters could fully appreciate the story.

At least there was no bodily injury involved - all you'd need to complete the curse of the loose object would be an emergency room bill.