Reassurance requested
Thread Starter
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,868
Likes: 4
From: San Diego, CA USA
Reassurance requested
Okay, so today I was outside, taking off the SC and the intake manifold to install new gaskets and fix my intake leak. Once I got the manifold off, I shined a flashlight down all the intake ports just to make sure I didn't get anything down in them.
And of course, when I look in the one on the passenger side, at the front of the motor, I see that there's a little piece of either plastic or rubber--either a piece of cracked wiring insulation or gasket--resting on the front valve, which of course is open. As gently as I tried with extended needle nose pliers and a mini hook tool, however, I was unable to extract it, and it dropped into the cylinder. It was between 1/4" and 1/2" long.
While I think it would have been desirable to have extracted it, my thought is that a tiny piece of rubber/plastic will quickly be burnt/melted/vaporized and blown out the exhaust side with no long-term ill effects. But before I put everything back together and try firing up the car, I thought I would seek some reassurance from other folks.
I am absolutely positive it was not metal.
TIA and Happy New Year,
B
And of course, when I look in the one on the passenger side, at the front of the motor, I see that there's a little piece of either plastic or rubber--either a piece of cracked wiring insulation or gasket--resting on the front valve, which of course is open. As gently as I tried with extended needle nose pliers and a mini hook tool, however, I was unable to extract it, and it dropped into the cylinder. It was between 1/4" and 1/2" long.
While I think it would have been desirable to have extracted it, my thought is that a tiny piece of rubber/plastic will quickly be burnt/melted/vaporized and blown out the exhaust side with no long-term ill effects. But before I put everything back together and try firing up the car, I thought I would seek some reassurance from other folks.
I am absolutely positive it was not metal.TIA and Happy New Year,
B
Rennlist Member
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 7,210
Likes: 17
From: Nova Scotia
Another trick that can work for this is to take a length of plastic tubing that fits through the plug hole, and to the outer end, cut a slot that allows a compressed air line nozzel to fit. Blowing out the tube, away from the engine, creates a 'vacuum' in the tube to lift out debris.
Of course, if air is available, cover up everything open - and blast out the cylinder via the plug hole.
The 'Frogs tongue' approach is to reverse wrap and secure a piece of duct tape around something like a strand of 14ga house wire: with this sticky tip, it can be amazing what will be retreived.
Of course, if air is available, cover up everything open - and blast out the cylinder via the plug hole.
The 'Frogs tongue' approach is to reverse wrap and secure a piece of duct tape around something like a strand of 14ga house wire: with this sticky tip, it can be amazing what will be retreived.
