Nut fell down in one of the head's oil drain hole. What to do??

[ELORTO]

Hello.

After fitting the head and tighten all bolts, fit camshafts, rocker arms stopper, etc, one little aluminium piece has fell in the bottom of the head (engine back) with the bad luck it has felt through one of the holes that drain oil from the head to the block-sump.

What can I do to solve this shit? Is it possible that this aluminium nut (0.4mm wide) would get trapped in the oil filter before it ****s any other part in the engine?

Thanks.

[s13silvia]

is it a straight hole down or a bendy one? might be worth sticking a bendy extendable magnet pen down there?

[Nathsx]

Defiantly don't even consider turning it on before finding it..

Could have fell into the sump if it's a wide enough drain

[CMR]

is it a straight hole down or a bendy one? might be worth sticking a bendy extendable magnet pen down there?

Aluminium isn't magnetic

[Jon]

I'm confident the oil filter will catch any 0.4mm objects whatever they are, but....
a 0.4mm nut ?
an aluminium nut ?

I've never taken an engine to pieces, but I cannot imagine which engine part has fallen

[sxowner]

try flushing the engine out, from the top, with the cam covers off. should fall thro to the sump and out.

[ELORTO]

hi, it is a aluminium nut about 4mm wide and 10 mm long. I was using it to fix a thread in the head. It is aluminium so magnets doesn't work.

It dropped in the right-back hole so I believe it could have been retained in this hole at the block:




So the only way is to pull the head out again

But what if the nut has dropped through the block down? Does it reach the sump?

Thx.

[Jon]

If it HAS reached the sump, then you will be OK. If it has partially/blocked the tube then you will not be OK.
Needs an engine expert.

Do not run the engine until you find it

[s13silvia]

Sorry didnt spot it was alu ... well sh*t luck

[JC SX]

try getting the dipstick and pushing it down the hole it fell into, you may feel it stuck or you may knock it through into the sump, the bottom of the sump comes off easily to find out

[merijndj]

Is the engine still in the car or on a engine stand? if its on the stand just turn the engine
You want to make sure the oil return are clear, objects larger then aprox. 0.5mm will not get sucked into the oil pump so that should be fine.

@Jon: i would be more worried about the oil pump then the filter, because the oil pump has to pump all the oil towards the filter first

[sideways14a]

Yeah if it some how made its way to the oil pump then you can expect things to be pretty bad.

Def take the sump off, if its still stuck then maybe tape a small pipe to a hoover and try and suck it out

[ELORTO]

I have pulled the head off and the nut is not stuck in the oil hole, and neither seems to be held in the head itself, so I believe it has reached the sump. That hole points directly to the sump, I can see the floor.

So I believe the only way is to take the sump off and find the f... piece. Is there any chance that the piece could reach the oil pump? it measures 5mm x 10mm.

Thanks for your tips.

[sideways14a]

Not likely to have got to the pump as its not been running.
It will be in the sump, should have taken that off first !

[Clint]

I have pulled the head off and the nut is not stuck in the oil hole, and neither seems to be held in the head itself, so I believe it has reached the sump. That hole points directly to the sump, I can see the floor.

So I believe the only way is to take the sump off and find the f... piece. Is there any chance that the piece could reach the oil pump? it measures 5mm x 10mm.

If it's in the sump then you can just take off the sump from below and remove it. It's not going to go up into the oil pump unless the engine was turned on, it should be just sitting there.

[snops]

I would try pooring oil down the hole first. It might come out of the sump plug.

[ANDY black s13]

I snapped a rocker and a shim went down the back drain hole, I tried every thing to get it out,Got the sump off and jacked engine up,then got my hand in the lower cast alloy sump part and still nothing, I ran it for 3k and at change oil time it was on my sump magnet , The oil strainer gauze will stop any thing like that bit of alli getting drawn up into the oil pump as that's what the strainer gauze is for,I would run it and drop sump later on

[diamondsink]

It will never get any further than the sump. The pickup has a mesh of about 1mm sq. Just pull the sump off. you may have to take some of the baffle plates out too. All very simple with a 10mm socket.

[ELORTO]

So, i have just installed all engine parts after a head gasket replacement, just need to refill fluids. I wonder whether it would be better trying to start the engine and later take the sump off to pick uo this metal piece, or should I try to pick the piece off before starting the engine?. I am affraid that the piece still hasn't reached the sump and it may lye in the back bottom of the engine (back fixed sump or floor), so it would be hard reaching it by taking the sump off.

[Mark]

There is no way I would be starting the engine until i knew i had all the bits out