Yogii

When I was putting my 968 away for the winter, the 1/2 inch wrench I use for the negative battery terminal ran away.
Or more precisely, I placed it on the "flat" plastic piece right next to the battery, toward the front. Well it slipped under the fender lip.

I have put it out of my mind until now. If I remove the black plastic engine surround should I be able to get at it? Could it slip down the wheel well liner?
Can I just drive it any hope that it works its way out? Only a $5 wrench? Still a few months away, just trying to get prepared for the inevitable.

-Yogii
AKA 968 Novice

PS My garage space is very cramped and dark.

LM964

Not sure precisely where you mean as my battery is in the rear boot. But, if it's fallen down enough can you access or fumble around for it from underneath - if you remove the engine undertray?

Retro

Are you thinking the wrong car? The 968 definitely has the battery in the front.
From BaT:

• 94 968: https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/1994-Porsche-968-RS820596-108-33276-scaled.jpeg?fit=2048%2C1366
• 938 968: https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/16253224102571b8f9754c2d1b68IMG_5577-scaled.jpg?fit=2048%2C1536
• 92 968 (peek-a-boo at upper left): https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content...it=2048%2C1365
• My 92 968 (also peek-a-boo upper left; horror stories there and here): https://bringatrailer.com/wp-content...it=2048%2C1367

Yogii

The last picture of your 968 is the best one. Seems that the plastic engine cover is one piece. I'm afraid I have to remove the whole thing? Hope it does not crack...

-Yogii

LM964

Right hand drive cars have batteries in the rear

Yogii

OK, well that does not really apply to my situation...

-Yogii

JimmyB

I don't have the rear engine cover (and the front one is in my basement ...) but if I were you I'd pull the cover and fish out the wrench. Shouldn't be too difficult, and avoids the small but non-zero chance that it gets caught in the front hub / brake area and does something nasty. Of course it'll probably just fall out harmlessly onto the belly pan - in fact in might already be there, so maybe jack the car up and pull the pan?

spark1

once you remove it you will be appalled at the number of hours you will spend cleaning the nastiness that lurks underneath.

oz968

Heehe aint that the truth. pulling my car apart to convert it to a manual and I cannot believe how dirty n oily the whole thing is.
Peter

Yogii

Fortunately, this endeavour is still months away.
This is NOT something that I am looking forward too.

-Yogii

Zirconocene

Can you fish a bendy magnet thing down where it fell and see if you can pick it up?

I'm having some trouble visualizing how it could get into the wheel well. I second the vote for looking on top of the belly pan. There are not too many moving parts near the back of the engine but I don't think that you want it rattling around, and you certainly don't want it rattling around near the front of the engine, that seems like a recipe for disaster.

There's a lot of aluminum in the engine bay; hopefully a good magnet can help you fish it out selectively.

Good luck

Yogii

Yes, I guess first step is removing the engine surround carefully. Try the fish a magnet.
Then pull the bottom belly pan.

-Yogii

Yogii

Well I did get a 40inch long bend thing with both a magnet and claw at the end.
Once, I got set-up, I could see the wrench. Took 3 tries to fish it out. Out of the 40 inches, I needed about 6 of them!
Took all of 5 minutes.
I wish all worries were so easily solved.

-Yogii
AKA 968 Novice