engine and drivetrain I might have just dropped something in the bell housing. What now?!

[jmp]

I'm not 100% positive, but close to it. I dropped a 5mm allen wrench above the engine, and I can't find it anywhere. My best guess is that, however improbable, it fell into the little timing hole on the top of the bell housing. I tried searching the FAQ, but surprisingly this doesn't seem to be a problem for other, (apparently luckier) people.

 

My question is: what now?! Is there an easy way to find out if it's in there? How difficult is it to open that thing up just a tiny bit to get an allen key out? Do I need to totally drop the transmission?

 

What a frustrating end to an otherwise great wrenching session! I hate that feeling when you set yourself back way further than the place you started.

 

Thanks for any helpful advice, encouragement, or condolences!

[jmp]

Oh, also. If there's any way I can turn this misadventure into something useful, let me know if there's something worthwhile to check or replace while I'm in there.

[Son of Marty]

Look between the pedal box and the left side of the frame rail it's not real accessible so most things dropped on that side tend to slide down there, if it's not there you should be able to remove the sheet metal cover on the front of the bell housing and retrieve it from there 

[Mike87]

You can take the inspection plate off the bottom and see if it went all the way thru.

[jmp]

Well, what'd ya know! What a clever feature!!

 

Turns out it wasn't in there after all  -- but at least I didn't drop the whole freakin transmission to find that out! It turned out to be stuck behind the starter.

 

Thank you both for the help!

 

-Jonathan

[jimk]

13 hours ago, jmp said:

the little timing hole on the top of the bell housing

The car came from the factory with a plug in there.  See now, what the plug is for? Buy a rubber plug.  Maybe nothing fell in there this time, but there is always a next time.

[Zorac]

12 hours ago, jmp said:

 It turned out to be stuck behind the starter.

 

 

haha, ive lost stuff when it gets stuck between the starter and the block too.

[Henning]

18 hours ago, Son of Marty said:

Look between the pedal box and the left side of the frame rail it's not real accessible so most things dropped on that side tend to slide down there.

 

Yep.

 

That's what we call the Bermuda Triangle. Magnetic to everything, even non-metal items.

 

Hen

 

['76mintgrün'02]

I found a stubby snap-on screwdriver and the cap for my washer fluid bottle down there