HELP!!! 7.3 Turbo Bolt Trouble HELP!!!

[premierautohandling]

One of the bolts from the air intake cover fell into the large turbocharger oil return galley hole. The pedestal was removed so it went directly into engine compartment. Can anyone tell me if that hole empties directly into the oil pan, bypassing the pistons? I want to make sure that bolt will not find its way into moving parts causing major engine failure. Does anyone know the route of that galley? Will it cause low oil pressure as well?

Can anybody give some help!?

[Tim Martin]

Sit tight. Don't over react to a situation like this. Many of us have done similar things like this.

It is my understanding that the oil drain simply drains into the oil pan. Let me ask my men when they show up in the morning. I am thinking one of them will know. We do a fair amount of work on these engines.

Hearing of other's experiences like this is a reminder for me to put plastic caps on all openings as I open up an engine. I'll tape the intake runners, plug spark plug holes, cover any openings and the likes. I have a drawer with literally hundreds of various size caps and covers. Has saved my day many a time. Thanks for another reminder.

[premierautohandling]

I too am good at covering or filling holes to prevent this very thing, but this time i let one go!

Well, I went and dropped $100 bucks on a small snake camera from Home Depot that allowed me to see down inside. I see the bolt. It does not appear to be jammed or wedge tight. This new tool comes with a magnet that attaches to the end. I will test the magnet on an existing bolt to see if it can hold the weight. If not, then I'll just use my other skinny magnet to fish it out.

Wish me luck!

[steven kiser]

I've called Jasper Engines and gotten answers to questions like this. Doesn't matter to them if you purchase from them or not, they'll answer your question if they can. When i reach through holes with a magnet i will take wire solder (the real skinny stuff) and wind it around the magnet and wrap a piece of tape around it. I've found this to be the best magnet block to keep it from sticking to anything except what the magnet face touches.

[Tim Martin]

I too am good at covering or filling holes to prevent this very thing, but this time i let one go!

Well, I went and dropped $100 bucks on a small snake camera from Home Depot that allowed me to see down inside. I see the bolt. It does not appear to be jammed or wedge tight. This new tool comes with a magnet that attaches to the end. I will test the magnet on an existing bolt to see if it can hold the weight. If not, then I'll just use my other skinny magnet to fish it out.

Wish me luck!

I am really curious pal, were you able to get the bolt out with a magnet?

I feel for the situation and am so thankful when the issue can be resolved without major teardown, time, or anything else involved. I had a Chevy Venture one time where I was replacing the intake manifold gaskets that were leaking and in the process somehow a small bolt, 6mm by 25mm got into the combustion chamber. I knew nothing about it until I went to start the engine and bang rattle !@#$%^&*(). The scan tool identified which cylinder had an issue. My boroscope saw the bolt imbedded in the top of the piston after bending both valves. I was one very unhappy and frustrated mechanic. Not only that but I had to call the customer and tell him what happened.

[steven kiser]

I use my blow gun and blow every area possibly can clean before i start to open anything up. I have a shop vac right next to me so i can catch any and all coolant, gasket pieces etc as i go. Before i lift the intake i vacuum along the edges and especially the cowl that supports the wipers. I have two meat loaf pans i picked up at a yard sale for 20 cents a piece and use them to drop the nuts and bolts into keeping the sides separated. There are a lot of times when a washer or lock washer either falls or isn't there. I make note of it and when i get up to stretch will replace them as necessary. The last thing i need to do is obsess about a missing washer or something along those lines. I clean them so they're not slippery and have a pencil magnet fully extended hanging from the inside of the hood. Way to many times i get a finger on and see a bolt or washer i've dropped and if i had a magnet right there i would've been able to retrieve it.

I've dropped keepers, lock washers and an array of other things and a few have made it into the engine. Sometimes a quick spin by hand will tell the tale. I've caught myself and saved a major melt down by doing this and removed the screw through the spark plug hole. I remember years and years ago when Ford big blocks had issues with the distributors dropping opil pans and finding two or three oil pump drive rods in the pan.

[Tim Martin]

Speaking of years ago. This goes back to about 1970 or so. I was working in my Dad's shop and he had me doing a head gasket replacement on a jeep. It was an ex military one so it was kinda unique. My Dad was one of those fellows that would check and recheck as he was assembling an engine. He left for several hours and told me to put the head gasket on this 4 cylinder engine and clamp it down. Well, I did that and as soon as I was finished torquing the head bolts I did what I saw him do. Rotate the engine several times by hand. Or should I say I tried to rotate the engine. I got only part of a turn and the engine stopped. I backed it up almost a whole revolution and it stopped again. I peered into the spark plug holes to determine if I could see what the issue was and sure enough - a 9/16 socket on top of the piston. Well, ya'all know what I had to do. Undo what I had just done and do it over. I was just about finished and my Dad gets back. He wonders if I was slow or what and so I had to tell him the story. He reminded me to learn from that experience.

And the rest is history as they say.

[liljoe]

I use my blow gun and blow every area possibly can

I have a blow gun i made out of a cheap full pressure gun with an 18" peice of brake tubing attached to it and it makes a great blow gun. The tubing bends nicely and gets into small places real nicely. I use it blow bolt holes out too to prevent bolts from bottoming out on junk.

[steven kiser]

I made a blow gun like that as well lil joe. It's powerful and i need to be careful of how i use it. I blew a wing nut that someone "lost" off of an engine and it flew like the jupiter 2 chipping the windshield. I use it a lot and it's great for chipping away loose rust and will even peel those pesky dried gaskets that are loose but you can't get a scraper to. I added a pressure regulator i took off of an old air gun i had kicking around for parts.

It's powerful enough that caution needs to be used. I've accidentally blown wheel cylinder boots off, blown sludge (the stuff that when you try to clean it you just spread it) all over me and co workers and one time was blowing dust off of me and a piece of ice that formed pierced my skin. . If i put a bend in it i need to use two hands or it climbs and does it's own thing. I use this with respect and caution. I've seen the evil side .

[liljoe]

I made a blow gun like that as well lil joe. It's powerful and i need to be careful of how i use it. I blew a wing nut that someone "lost" off of an engine and it flew like the jupiter 2 chipping the windshield. I use it a lot and it's great for chipping away loose rust and will even peel those pesky dried gaskets that are loose but you can't get a scraper to. I added a pressure regulator i took off of an old air gun i had kicking around for parts.

It's powerful enough that caution needs to be used. I've accidentally blown wheel cylinder boots off, blown sludge (the stuff that when you try to clean it you just spread it) all over me and co workers and one time was blowing dust off of me and a piece of ice that formed pierced my skin. . If i put a bend in it i need to use two hands or it climbs and does it's own thing. I use this with respect and caution. I've seen the evil side .

Been there done that, I run 175psi on my air system so it is one heck of a blower....