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dropped 1/4" size of alum thru lifter opening will I be ok?
So I was taking out the lifter bracket bolt on my ls1 and a 1/4 inch long very thin piece of aluminum came out of the thread and fell into the lifter opening that goes to the camshaft, I could not see it so I'm wondering if it fell to the oil pan and will the motor be fine if I just leave it and drain the oil?
Personally, I would absolutely find that piece of metal. Not only that, I would find where it came from, and why it isn't part of that anymore. It's time to drop the pan and hope the metal is there, or disassemble the block and get it hot tanked.
Or, just leave it in there and hope for the best... I guess that is an option, too, just not an option I would ever entertain.
Well I stripped an m8 bolt so it was just a little thead shaving that fell in there,im wondering if it fell in the pan of oil or what
Do you have a magnetic drain plug?
Perhaps you can dump a bunch of oil down there (where you think it is) and hopefully it gets dragged into the pan and then on to the drain plug magnet.
Might be wishful thinking though, oil pan baffles will let a lot of stuff like that "cling" to it a lot of times.
Perhaps you can dump a bunch of oil down there (where you think it is) and hopefully it gets dragged into the pan and then on to the drain plug magnet.
Might be wishful thinking though, oil pan baffles will let a lot of stuff like that "cling" to it a lot of times.
Well the shaving was aluminum so it won't get attached to anything,i wonder if it's light enough to float.
First, magnet won't work with aluminum. Second, you have to find it. It may be in the oil gallery for the lifters. If you are doing a cam, pull the cam plate and look down the gallery to see if you can find it. If you have a small mirror you can also look down where the lifter is and look on each side in the gallery for the piece.
I took out the lifter bracket and the little shaving fell in the opening between the two lifters,my question is does that opening lead to a closed chamber full of oil or is it dry? and can i stick a hose in there and try to vacum it out?
I used one of my photos to try and clarify where the chip went. The oil gallery would be a major concern and you should be able to look in there from the front with the cam cover off or possibly where the lifter is with a small dental mirror.
The second location I marked is the hole between the lifters and the piece will go down into the pan. Depending on size it may not get picked up by the oil pump.
I used one of my photos to try and clarify where the chip went. The oil gallery would be a major concern and you should be able to look in there from the front with the cam cover off or possibly where the lifter is with a small dental mirror.
The second location I marked is the hole between the lifters and the piece will go down into the pan. Depending on size it may not get picked up by the oil pump.
Yes the piece fell in the second location because the lifters were in place so it wouldn't have fell into the oil gallery. The piece was about 1/4 inch long and about 3 human hairs thick so I guess I'll be good just drain the oil?
The crank is directly below and it will likely fall onto it and remain there until the engine is started. Use a mirror and light and see if you can find it first. If that doesn't work, you could put a long funnel into that hole and buy a few quarts a super cheap oil. Pull the drain plug and then pour in the oil through the funnel into where the piece went and see if it will flush out.
I broke the tip of a drill bit once and it fell down into the engine ( I didn't know this.) It was about 1/8" long and less than 1/8" in diameter. I fired my engine up and it started knocking like hell.
Turns out it landed on top my piston and rode around till it destroyed head gasket. I found it stuck into the piston when I was replacing the head gasket.
Not sure where you are located, but you could see if you can rent a borescope from Autozone or elsewhere. You may be able to find it with that. I have used mine countless times when I get into situations like you find yourself in right now.
Not sure where you are located, but you could see if you can rent a borescope from Autozone or elsewhere. You may be able to find it with that. I have used mine countless times when I get into situations like you find yourself in right now.
Well I bought the borescope but the Camera tube wasn't very bendable so I couldn't see past the bottom of the camshaft so I'm just gona drain the oil and hope that it falls out the bottom if not I'm hoping it will get caught up by the oil filter or pump filter? Someone mentioned it would get caught up in the crank but it can't go into thw combustion chamber and the bearings on the crank are sealed so other than that I don't see a problem
I don't think the crank bearings are sealed. they are fit in tightly but there is still small gaps. Also, even though it is unlikely it may be able to find its way up onto/into the wrist pin for the piston. I would do everything I could to get it out. flush with oil and sift through what comes out looking for it. a fishnet from a local petshop would probably work to pull small debris out of the drained oil
The piece was about 1/4 inch long and about 3 human hairs thick.
There is probably more casting flash pieces in a new mass produced engine than that. I wouldn't worry about it. It will come out with the first oil change. And comparing that to a drill bit piece dropped into a combustion chamber is even dumber.
The piece was about 1/4 inch long and about 3 human hairs thick.
There is probably more casting flash pieces in a new mass produced engine than that. I wouldn't worry about it. It will come out with the first oil change. And comparing that to a drill bit piece dropped into a combustion chamber is even dumber.
Yeah that's why I thought,either way I tried but there's no way, I'm sure there is more carbon buildup and chunks that have either dropped down or are swimming around over the years, I will drain the oil and hope that it drops like an unwanted pregnancy,but if it doesn't I doubt it will break the motor.
03-21-2016, 05:57 PM
dropped 1/4" size of alum thru lifter opening will I be ok? 
