I finally got to finishing up the cam chain adjuster upgrade but I've run into a bit of a problem. while taking off the left side cam cover the gasket stuck for a moment and when I pulled it off 3 of the bolts popped out. 2 of them I found right away on the garage floor but the last one is gone. I searched for a couple of hours even putting the Jag up on stands and feeling around anywhere I could get my hands but no luck. My fear is the bold dropped in to the cam chain area. I'm not sure what to do next, should I drop the oil pan? I'm afraid to proceed thinking that the bold would work itself into the cam chain and destroy the motor. There are 1000 places the bolt could have lodged itself I'm just thinking worst case. Ideas?

 

Jeff
I don't know what to tell you but you got my deepest sympathy. Good Luck

 

I am no mechanic but I would fish around with one of those little magnets on the end of a telescoping rod first. You may get lucky. I have found bolts a few times that way. Good luck.

 

Kevin D has the best idea, use a magnet on a flexible shaft. Be gentle!
Regards,
White Bear

 

Agreed. The ol' magnet-on-a-stick caper has saved my butt numerous times over the decades....

 

I've tried to find the source of an oil leak (which turned out to be cooling fluid, classic mistake) with an endoscope; Hospitals have very advanced ones, but with a small pen camera and a led light on a string of electricity wire you can go places the eye cannot.

Or invest in something like Voltcraft BS-25 Endoscoop met Transportkoffer in de Conrad online shop

 

If the magnet on a stick doesn't work, go ahead and drop the pan. It just takes a few minutes and you can probably reuse the gasket. If the bolt is in there, it won't hurt anything but you will have peace of mind if you find it.

Before that, search the engine compartment thoroughly. Errant bolts get stuck in the darnedest places.

If you still don't find it, rotate the engine by hand a few times to see if you hear anything or if anything falls out.

I've done way worse things when working on cars. You'll get through this.

 

Sounds exactly like the kind of stuff that happens to me all the time when fooling around with anything under the hood. From the spring clip on the throttle adjustment cable that shoots off into never-never land to a socket or bolt that lands inside the compartment in sight but just out of reach.

Your best friends will be the telescoping magnet tool as well as one of those long flexible grabber thingies.

Doug

 

Solved! I dropped the oil pan and found nothing. well that's good. Got about 1/2 quart of oil in my ear. Then I pulled off everything that comes off in the engine bay. All the while poking around with the magnet on a stick. Then to my surprise I heard a faint clink. Somehow the bolt got under the intake manifold down in the valley. Not where I suspected it would go but I found it!! yeah, now I can put the whole darn thing back together. I think I will have a beer and do it next Saturday.

 

And thank you guys for your support!

 

That's why they are so hard to find, because they hit something and then bounce off into somewhere where you don't even think to look. I know the sound of that "click", and it is very comforting. Of course, sometimes it is a nut or bolt that has nothing to do with what you were working on!

 

Sometimes a nice Snap-On tool!
While that pan is off, just check your oil pick-up tube in case your primary guides have shed a couple of pieces.

Barley and Hops cures everyting, mon!

 

sometimes experience helps you predict which way the bounce was likely to happen.

when that fails, a LED flashlight shining close to parallel to surfaces is very useful.

 

WHEW......Big sigh of relief I'll bet!

 

Glad it worked out for you!

I had one of these moments yesterday, but I dropped a 7mm ratchet spanner down the back of the engine while changing the throttle body, couldn't see it anywhere through all the hoses, & there is no way you can get your hand in there.

I bought a digital borescope off ebay for $80 a few months back for work, cheap & nasty but it's usable, good things is it comes with a little clip-on magnet for fishing out stuff like this.

2 4" Video Inspection Borescope 1M Endoscope Pipe 10mm Camera Snake Scope 99D | eBay



After a bit of poking around with the borescope, I found the spanner (still couldn't see it from the outside) the magnet wasn't strong enough to pick up the spanner completely, but it was just enough to get it upright, and then I hooked the ring end with it and fished it out.

For $80 it's a must have in your tool kit.

 

I dropped an EGR bolt once and it ended up under the bracket that is attached to the top of the bell housing... Looked for HOURS before I found it, followed by a great deal of swearing trying to dislodge it.

Glad to hear all of your pieces are now accounted for!

 

I don't know if I already posted this little dropping episode from one of the stupidest moments of my life but here goes. When I was in my early 20s I was fooling around with my 1970 Roadrunner doing some carburetor adjustment that required using a drill bit to measure the butterfly opening with the engine off. I did the adjustment but naturally dropped the bit down the carburetor. I looked down and could see the bit resting in the intake manifold but couldn't quite reach it. I realized I would need a magnetic probe which I didn't have so I figured I would drive to the nearby KMart to pick one up. It didn't look to me like the bit was going to go anywhere and the KMart was only a mile or so away so off I go. After a couple of blocks I hear a funny noise and then some rattling followed by the engine dying. Had the car towed to the local mechanic and, long story short, drill bit had moved, was shattered by a valve, and the pieces blew holes in at least one piston.

Luckily the mechanic was very fair in terms of price and I got the car back after a few days good as new. But I hardly think that anyone has done something as dumb as what I did--can laugh about it now though

Doug

 

Around 1974 I bought one of the first Honda Civics new, it was a pretty thing with custom paint). I decided it wasn't hot enough and removed the carburetor and replaced it with a bolt on throttle body injection unit that was unfortunately not jetted properly. Performance AND gas mileage was crap. The screw holding the air cleaner on came lose, fell through into the engine and chewed up the heads. A few hundred dollars later the car was stock again. Strangely I still sold it for more than I paid for it even though I spent much of the summer driving it off road. Still wonder if the girl that bought it appreciated the roll of wishful prophylactics I'd forgotten under the dash mounted ashtray (that I'd never used).