Tie Wrap in Engine
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,472
Likes: 18
From: Lake Ozark, MO
Tie Wrap in Engine
OK - went a made a big mistake. I had the intake off my 454 doing some work..I got lazy and didn't cover up the valley cause I wasn't going to drop anything down in there. Well I dropped a small black plastic tie wrap right in on top of the cam..and it fell down in the slots above the cam where I can't see it.
Question, Can I assume it will fall in the oil pan..and all will be ok - since it is small and plastic - it won't hurt anything??
Do I need to get it out?
Advice.
Question, Can I assume it will fall in the oil pan..and all will be ok - since it is small and plastic - it won't hurt anything??
Do I need to get it out?
Advice.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
I dropped a speedo driven gear in a Muncie 4-sp. What can it hurt? It will get ground up right? WRONG!! Ended up jamming a syncro and having to have it rebuilt. I'd get it out if it was me.
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Bloomington IL
I would crack the engine by hand in hopes that it drops into the pan then drain oil and see if it comes out. If it doesn't I'd take the pan off and hope it's in there. In short i would make sure i got it out.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,987
Likes: 3
From: Manchester, Dead Center in the Middle of TN 25 miles to Jack Daniels,10 miles to Geo Dickle, and .8 mile from the Liquor Store at I-24 Exit 114
St. Jude Donor '05
I agree with Norval, if you lost it through a lifter valley hole it has to go to go to the oil pan. I see no damage that could result from it. It isn't large enough to obstruct the oil pick-up.
But, I would probably worry myself to death about it so I guess I would pull the oil pan to retrieve the lost tie................. sorry about your luck, jim
But, I would probably worry myself to death about it so I guess I would pull the oil pan to retrieve the lost tie................. sorry about your luck, jim
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Originally Posted by markdtn
I dropped a speedo driven gear in a Muncie 4-sp. What can it hurt? It will get ground up right? WRONG!! Ended up jamming a syncro and having to have it rebuilt. I'd get it out if it was me.
What possiblely could the twist tie do?? What is the worst that could happen?? Can't get in the oil pump. If the crank picks it up and spits it into a piston so what? They are very fagile, deforms easy. Nothing it can drop into.
This is your 4 x 4 truck, they are hardy and see alot more abuse then a little twist tie.
I still would leave it, forget it until you change oil and hope for piece of mind that it comes out with the oil.
It can't hurt anything.
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,472
Likes: 18
From: Lake Ozark, MO
Well - I feel better and will sleep a little easier tonight knowing I don't have to pull th engine apart. Stupid mistake on my part for not covering the open engine while working on it........ Thanks!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,720
Likes: 12
From: Chattanooga TN
Originally Posted by norvalwilhelm
What possiblely could the twist tie do?? What is the worst that could happen?? Can't get in the oil pump. If the crank picks it up and spits it into a piston so what? They are very fagile, deforms easy. Nothing it can drop into.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,608
Likes: 3
From: Canberra AUSTRALIA
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Hows this for an idea to fish it back out.
If you haven't started the engine, get your vaccum cleaner out.
Rig up a thin piece of tube and tape it to the end of the vaccum and make a high pressure suction tube. (A sippy cup lid coud also work as the interface between the vaccum hose and the tube). See if you can suck that tie out of where it fell.
Don't use the wifes good vaccum as you might end up sucking a a little oil in.
Good luck.
If you haven't started the engine, get your vaccum cleaner out.
Rig up a thin piece of tube and tape it to the end of the vaccum and make a high pressure suction tube. (A sippy cup lid coud also work as the interface between the vaccum hose and the tube). See if you can suck that tie out of where it fell.
Don't use the wifes good vaccum as you might end up sucking a a little oil in.
Good luck.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,987
Likes: 3
From: Manchester, Dead Center in the Middle of TN 25 miles to Jack Daniels,10 miles to Geo Dickle, and .8 mile from the Liquor Store at I-24 Exit 114
St. Jude Donor '05
Originally Posted by Hvymtlc5
Well - I feel better and will sleep a little easier tonight knowing I don't have to pull th engine apart. Stupid mistake on my part for not covering the open engine while working on it........ Thanks!!
As for the statement of being stupid for not covering up the lifter valley, I'm afraid my friend holds that title already. He covered up his lifter valley while working on a real DZ 302 '69 Z/28 s engine many years ago, only problem was the shop towels he so precisely positioned to keep any particle out of the engine were left in the lifter valley upon re-installation of the intake manifold. You just think you had problems........................lol jim
Forgot to mention that was how I owned a '69 Z/28, I bought it after the meltdown. j
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 12,065
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From: Smalltownville Michigan
Cruise-In 5, 6 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
Originally Posted by comp
turn by hand, then with starting( ign. off) then run short time and drain oil, see if you can peice together the remain's,,, you don't want it in the OIL PUMP
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 10,362
Likes: 5
From: San Diego - Deep Within The State of CONFUSION!
Originally Posted by Hvymtlc5
Well - I feel better and will sleep a little easier tonight knowing I don't have to pull th engine apart. Stupid mistake on my part for not covering the open engine while working on it........ Thanks!!
When he got it all in, painted up all nice and pretty, it came down to installing the carburetor and starting it up to break in the cam. Well, he left the rag off the carburetor hole in the middle of the intake manifold, and went to lunch. When he came back from lunch, he put the carb on it and was missing one of the 1/2 inch nuts for the carb
Drove him nuts for about an hour, because he thought he was so careful in knowing where all his stuff was. Anyway, he eventually pulled a generic nut off the top of his tool box and fired the engine up. You guessed it
that was a very expensive lesson for him. Had to pull the heads back off, replace a piston too. Heads were OK lucky him....We never did figure out how that carb nut went down into the intake, but it planted itself in the dome of #3 just fine so we could find it later! :o
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
Likes: 46
From: Huntersville NC
What is the melting point of a plastic zip tie? Won't it just disappear in there?
This discussion reminds me of what to do if your dog swallows a penny. Advice will vary:
1. Take him to the vet immediately for surgery!!
2. Monitor carefully, strain his poop until you find it.
3. Don't worry about it. He will pass it!
This discussion reminds me of what to do if your dog swallows a penny. Advice will vary:
1. Take him to the vet immediately for surgery!!
2. Monitor carefully, strain his poop until you find it.
3. Don't worry about it. He will pass it!
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,951
Likes: 1
From: Shore NJ
Originally Posted by stingry
Hows this for an idea to fish it back out.
If you haven't started the engine, get your vaccum cleaner out.
Rig up a thin piece of tube and tape it to the end of the vaccum and make a high pressure suction tube. (A sippy cup lid coud also work as the interface between the vaccum hose and the tube). See if you can suck that tie out of where it fell.
Don't use the wifes good vaccum as you might end up sucking a a little oil in.
Good luck.
If you haven't started the engine, get your vaccum cleaner out.
Rig up a thin piece of tube and tape it to the end of the vaccum and make a high pressure suction tube. (A sippy cup lid coud also work as the interface between the vaccum hose and the tube). See if you can suck that tie out of where it fell.
Don't use the wifes good vaccum as you might end up sucking a a little oil in.
Good luck.
Been there and lots of us have done that, like Stingry has suggested use some small tubing to a small vacuum and suck it out...works great...