oh crap I dropped a screw in the engine bay

Turn the car upside down and shake really hard.



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Just kidding. Personally (and I'll get flamed for this) I wouldn't worry too much.

1. It didn't magically fly all the way to your timing belts and through the covers,

2. It didn't magically fly into the gearbox, past all the casing,

3. It didn't magically fly into the oil tank,

4. It didn't magically seat itself inside the brake caliper,

5. It didn't magically glue itself to the throttle cable,

6. It didn't shred a CV boot and swim through the grease and stick inside a bearing.

If you heard it hit the cat, then odds are it's on the floor, or resting on one of the frame pieces, or resting on the gearbox, or maybe, just maybe, resting on the inside lip of your wheel.

Keep looking. You'll find it.

More importantly, how's the cat feeling? Probably pretty neglected, huh?

 

I've done this many times.

Get some compressed air and blast all over the engine bay (preferable an air gun attached to a compressed air line).

Obviously make sure the oil filler cap, etc, are closed first.

If it doesn't drop out the bottom, poke around with an extendable magnet.

 

What diagnostic code did you get?

Back in the day, I was dumb and stupid enough to ride British motorcycles. This meant, of course, that I had to learn how to fix British motorcycles (Bad joke: What does BSA stand for? Bastard Stopped Again.)

We never worried about dropping a screw into the case. Who needs stinkin bearings anyway?

But the cat? Well, that might have cause problems...for the cat.


Dale

 

There are many nuts, bolts and screws that live out the rest of there lives trapped in some obscure nook or cranny in the bowels of many cars. It may not be found until someone restores it. It's highly unlikely it will have found its way into something where it would do damage. The compressed air idea is your best bet. The magnet will also be of big help. I just wouldn't go as far as pulling the motor over a drop screw.

 

I once found a rusty old ring spanner that had been left suspended on a car's RHF brake bleeder nipple for 2 years...

 

The telescoping magnet has saved me many, many times...

Carl

 

I once dropped a screw in a Weber carb I put on a bug-eye Sprite. Never seemed to be a problem.

 

Daniel, you left out were it will magically end up, in your front tire, causing a flat the morning
you had a big drive planned. Whats that called "Murphy's Law"

 

I dropped a small flanged spacer from one of the webers and I didn't even hear it hit. I checked the inside of the carbs with a mirror and then looked all around telling myself that I will not quit until I find it. After about 30 minutes of looking, I gave up and said "what the heck". 3 weeks later, I found it resting on a small shelf when I removed a shroud for some other work (major glee and a "there you are you little s....".

The magnet works real good but it will stick to lots of things. I tried it on a string too, but that sticks to everything. I also tried compressed air. The spacer was very low in the engine compartment and I thought "sure, gravity did the work".

Good luck

-Rjay

 

The screw is stainless and a magnet will not get it. It is laying in the belly pan somewhere and if the car is on a rack you can undo the front belly pan bolts and pull it down to have a look. Otherwise get another screw.

 

I dropped a spacer a few months ago in the intake of my 308 and spent 5 days searching. I have a couple fiber optic lights that are flexible and they help in searching as well as a few telescopic magnets if you need help. Just email me.

Terry

 

Floor pan is not that hard to undo. Just last week my race mechanic dropped a screw while working on the 360C and instead of just getting another screw he pulled the floor pan and retrieved the sucker fairly quickly.

Maybe that's why I like him, because that's what I would have done myself. A loose screw on the floor pan is no big deal, but it sure will bug the hell out of me knowing it's there.

 

If gravity applies in your garage, the thing is at or below the level of the object it hit. Just a guess.

 

i had a friend work on his car and upon removing a piece (forgot which, an airbox or something) found a 12mm wrench sitting down there still on the bolt. interesting......... i'd say someone was short a 12mm

 

I dropped a carb hold down nut onto the engine and it never hit the floor. spent 2 hours looking for it. then i dropped a similar nut from the same location on purpose to see where it would go, and whala!, i found them both hiding in an obscure location and pulled them out with a magnet.
john
78 308 euro GTS