ahhh the distintive sound of tools dropping deep into the engine bay!!!

Beedub · 02-27-2012, 09:00 AM

Fuck my LIIFFEE!!! lol...

Now anyone thats enjoyed working on their own vehicle should know this pain, the moment you drop the tool/nut or whatever DEEP into the bowels of the engine bay, the distant thunk as it lands and rolls somewhere even more difficult to find!!! You then spend the next hour trying to find said parts before you realise you going to need to strip down the bottom of the car to retrieve your lost item...................

go on... give me your best engine bay lost item and how long did it take to fish it out!!! Wednesday this week is me having to take a day off work to strip down the car to find my lost tools, which are too big to just ignore and leave in the engine bay......

I guess ill use it as a chance to do some maintainance while im their and re-torque the boost pipe-work that i dont normally get to check....

ZStig · 02-27-2012, 09:16 AM

First and only time I installed new spark plugs, I wanted to do it right. So I got this big ass clicking torque wrench. Set it to the correct mark, and started twisting in the first plug. Funny how easy it is to twist in a spark plug with a 3 foot long torque wrench, that DOESN"T CLICK AT A LOW TORQUE RATING. Bam!

the spark plug twists in half, and the lower part is stuck deep in the engine block. Immediate reaction is to call in a mechanic. After a few minutes of thinking, I slide a thin flat screwdriver into the little hold of the stuck spark plug, and it twists out surprisingly easy. Then I stuck a strong magnet into the cylinder to pick up any stray metal shavings.

No more torque wrench for me

Beedub · 02-27-2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

First and only time I installed new spark plugs, I wanted to do it right. So I got this big ass clicking torque wrench. Set it to the correct mark, and started twisting in the first plug. Funny how easy it is to twist in a spark plug with a 3 foot long torque wrench, that DOESN"T CLICK AT A LOW TORQUE RATING. Bam!

the spark plug twists in half, and the lower part is stuck deep in the engine block. Immediate reaction is to call in a mechanic. After a few minutes of thinking, I slide a thin flat screwdriver into the little hold of the stuck spark plug, and it twists out surprisingly easy. Then I stuck a strong magnet into the cylinder to pick up any stray metal shavings.

No more torque wrench for me

you win......

holy shit... this scared the shit out of me just reading it!!!! bet you were seriously worried!!!! was this with the z4m!!!!???

mousitch · 02-27-2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

First and only time I installed new spark plugs, I wanted to do it right. So I got this big ass clicking torque wrench. Set it to the correct mark, and started twisting in the first plug. Funny how easy it is to twist in a spark plug with a 3 foot long torque wrench, that DOESN"T CLICK AT A LOW TORQUE RATING. Bam!

the spark plug twists in half, and the lower part is stuck deep in the engine block. Immediate reaction is to call in a mechanic. After a few minutes of thinking, I slide a thin flat screwdriver into the little hold of the stuck spark plug, and it twists out surprisingly easy. Then I stuck a strong magnet into the cylinder to pick up any stray metal shavings.

No more torque wrench for me

Wow. Bet that was one of those "shit yourself" moments. I did that on one of the valve cover bolts. Had to grind down the walls of a 10mm socket to get it thin enough to remove the broken bolt. Very bad feeling.

ZStig · 02-27-2012, 10:25 AM

Yeah, this was on the current car. I've also dropped a BLACK nut into the engine bay like Beedub, it ended up laying on the big metal underbody panel. Thank God for flashlights and magnets on sticks

ZStig · 02-27-2012, 10:28 AM

On a seperate note, this weekend, I was undoing the 16mm bolts that hold the brake calipers on, twisting in the WRONG direction. The socket wrench came off a few times, so my hands hit so hard into the fender that I drew blood in 2 places even though I had mechanics gloves on. Oh, and broke the wrench and half stripped the bolt. Oh, and I got it on video cause I was making a DIY. I believe I used the word "motherfucker" MANY TIMES hahahahahahaha

Beedub · 02-27-2012, 10:57 AM

ok ok ok ok roff...... you definatly win!!!! lol cars!!!! what a ballache!!

ZStig · 02-27-2012, 11:03 AM

can't be good for my resale value. rofl

Beedub · 02-27-2012, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roffle Waffle

Yeah, this was on the current car. I've also dropped a BLACK nut into the engine bay like Beedub, it ended up laying on the big metal underbody panel. Thank God for flashlights and magnets on sticks

Thats going to be me this wedneaday..... probably in the rain knowing my current luck!!! lol worse this is i can see this piece and cant retrieve it from up top... right now i cant look at the car for fear i may smash it up!!! lol!!!

:mad0259 :

zubydafa · 02-27-2012, 12:05 PM

what waffle said. magnets on sticks...or on a wire hanger in my case

Beedub · 02-27-2012, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zubydafa

what waffle said. magnets on sticks...or on a wire hanger in my case

i tried a wire and it got pushed even deeper into the bowels of death!!! lol...

the only way to retrieve this bugger now is to remove the undertray and scrape the crap out of my knuckles....lol i WILL not stop until i get it however... now ith all those exposed pulleys for the supercharger....

-c- · 02-27-2012, 01:23 PM

when i removed the alimunum undertray thats under the oil pan i found a whole slew of tools, two socket wrenches and a few sockets and a screw driver....... probably the dealers tools as they where snap-on.

the underbody tray is perfect to grab stuff and 90% of everything i lost had wound up their.

Use a big ass magnet on a pole and snoop around the area and you may snag it.

the worst oh shit moment was when i was removing an intake manifold and a nut fell off and fell into an intake port on the head and the valve was just closed enufe to keep it from falling in. went and bought the strongest magnet i could find, thank god the head is aluminum! got close and tractor beamed that bitch right out! whewww !

bignosejim · 02-27-2012, 03:46 PM

Tomorrow I'll be replacing my left front wheel hub and bearing because I really messed up one of my lug bolts the last time I put the wheel on. Apparently I didn't have the bolt started before I hit with an impact gun. I couldn't find any shop that would retap the hub and my tap set was too soft. I figured I better replace the hub to be safe. Next time the wheels come off, wheel studs will be going in before the wheels go back on.

esqu1re · 02-27-2012, 04:26 PM

I was trying to torque down something in the engine bay while I was bleeding my brakes, and the socket came of the wrench and fell into the abyss. As I tried to catch it, i accidentally knocked off the brake reservoir cap that I had lying on the fusebox. Both went into the abyss. I don't know how quickly brake fluid becomes stale when exposed to air, but I felt like I was working against the clock then!

Anyway, I sort of saw where they both went, and opened up the fender liner (first time) to fish them out. The whole time, I was grumbling in disbelief, and hating my luck.

ZStig · 02-27-2012, 04:36 PM

Try taking off the dash trim, i guarantee those clips will fall into the "abyss"

txz4 · 02-27-2012, 05:30 PM

Gotta love the the feeling when you have reinstalled everything after a big job but have one random screw left over LOL

Finnegan · 02-27-2012, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by txz4

Gotta love the the feeling when you have reinstalled everything after a big job but have one random screw left over LOL

Yeah, or MIA. Neither is a good feeling. I've already become more OCD about cataloging and tracking parts, screws, nuts, and bolts when working on the car. Now I'm going to be even more careful. -C-'s story about the valve/screw, Roffle's sparkplug, yikes.

The magnet on a pole is a great tool, as is the three-pronged grasping tool (which always reminds me of Total Recall, since it's what Arnold's character uses to extract the tracking device from his sinus). I've dropped few things in and fished them out that with both.

Can't wait to see that DIY Roffle! I feel your pain too, as while I went the right direction when removing the caliper on my friends M3, I still managed to bash up my hand. Not having the car on a lift limits the room to work in with a breaker bar, and it's easy to do. I discovered a nice cut on my forehead last weekend a few hours after after changing the pads/fluid. Hell if I know how I did it. Hey, it's not really working on the car unless you draw blood I guess.

ZStig · 02-27-2012, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finnegan

Yeah, or MIA. Neither is a good feeling. I've already become more OCD about cataloging and tracking parts, screws, nuts, and bolts when working on the car. Now I'm going to be even more careful. -C-'s story about the valve/screw, Roffle's sparkplug, yikes.

The magnet on a pole is a great tool, as is the three-pronged grasping tool (which always reminds me of Total Recall, since it's what Arnold's character uses to extract the tracking device from his sinus). I've dropped few things in and fished them out that with both.

Can't wait to see that DIY Roffle! I feel your pain too, as while I went the right direction when removing the caliper on my friends M3, I still managed to bash up my hand. Not having the car on a lift limits the room to work in with a breaker bar, and it's easy to do. I discovered a nice cut on my forehead last weekend a few hours after after changing the pads/fluid. Hell if I know how I did it. Hey, it's not really working on the car unless you draw blood I guess.

+1

gcochard · 02-27-2012, 09:22 PM

+2
I end up with a cut on top of my thumb every autocross, no idea where it comes from.

007MCoupe · 02-27-2012, 09:58 PM

THIS is my kind of thread! haha

I think Roffle's spark plug is the 'best' one yet.

I was in there trying to install the motorized hide-a-way license plate wiring around the bay. Well, somehow I dropped the fuse out of it. no worries, I got my handy dandy little magnet-on-a-stick...until i dropped that too! I just kind of stood there like, "WTF do I do now?!" luckily i was able to get the MoaS back since it got stuck on soemthing on the way down. proceeded to get my getter-claw-thing to grab it out...

yeah dropped that too. I gave up. HAHA i almost threw my flashlight. took a smoke break came back with another homemade magnetic stick and got them all out.

I don't think I ever felt so stupid. "No problem, I'll get it with this." "Shit." "Well, I guess that's why i have one of these." "What. The. Fuck."

:Lol:

ZStig · 02-27-2012, 10:06 PM

I could only find motorized licence plates for motorcycles on amazon...

elerner61 · 02-27-2012, 10:33 PM

Ok, I'll bite on this, but from the other direction..tears of joy.

I was 4 hours into the install of a coldside supercharger on my Miata (on the intake side, not the exhaust side) about 6 years ago, tearing off parts. I had started at about 6:00 in the evening and I was dog tired by about the time I got to the treacherous nuts on the blind underside of the intake manifold. Stories from guys who had stripped these nuts and the 5 hours to get one of those finally off, were dancing in my head. I was on the last nut, and the socket couldn't fully seat on it. I gave the socket a smooth tug and heard a nice "CRACK" of the nut breaking free. I started laughing and almost crying I think out of pure joy!

02-27-2012, 09:00 AM	#1
Beedub Major General 423 Rep 5,329 Posts Drives: 2007 Z4 M roadster vt2-500 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	ahhh the distintive sound of tools dropping deep into the engine bay!!! Fuck my LIIFFEE!!! lol... Now anyone thats enjoyed working on their own vehicle should know this pain, the moment you drop the tool/nut or whatever DEEP into the bowels of the engine bay, the distant thunk as it lands and rolls somewhere even more difficult to find!!! You then spend the next hour trying to find said parts before you realise you going to need to strip down the bottom of the car to retrieve your lost item................... go on... give me your best engine bay lost item and how long did it take to fish it out!!! Wednesday this week is me having to take a day off work to strip down the car to find my lost tools, which are too big to just ignore and leave in the engine bay...... I guess ill use it as a chance to do some maintainance while im their and re-torque the boost pipe-work that i dont normally get to check.... __________________ Z4MR VT2 - Clubsport build. Multi award winning Detailing \| Wrap \| PPF specialists UK based - www.topwrapz.com
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02-27-2012, 09:16 AM	#2
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	First and only time I installed new spark plugs, I wanted to do it right. So I got this big ass clicking torque wrench. Set it to the correct mark, and started twisting in the first plug. Funny how easy it is to twist in a spark plug with a 3 foot long torque wrench, that DOESN"T CLICK AT A LOW TORQUE RATING. Bam! the spark plug twists in half, and the lower part is stuck deep in the engine block. Immediate reaction is to call in a mechanic. After a few minutes of thinking, I slide a thin flat screwdriver into the little hold of the stuck spark plug, and it twists out surprisingly easy. Then I stuck a strong magnet into the cylinder to pick up any stray metal shavings. No more torque wrench for me __________________
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02-27-2012, 10:25 AM	#5
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	Yeah, this was on the current car. I've also dropped a BLACK nut into the engine bay like Beedub, it ended up laying on the big metal underbody panel. Thank God for flashlights and magnets on sticks __________________
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02-27-2012, 10:28 AM	#6
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	On a seperate note, this weekend, I was undoing the 16mm bolts that hold the brake calipers on, twisting in the WRONG direction. The socket wrench came off a few times, so my hands hit so hard into the fender that I drew blood in 2 places even though I had mechanics gloves on. Oh, and broke the wrench and half stripped the bolt. Oh, and I got it on video cause I was making a DIY. I believe I used the word "motherfucker" MANY TIMES hahahahahahaha __________________
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02-27-2012, 10:57 AM	#7
Beedub Major General 423 Rep 5,329 Posts Drives: 2007 Z4 M roadster vt2-500 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	ok ok ok ok roff...... you definatly win!!!! lol cars!!!! what a ballache!! __________________ Z4MR VT2 - Clubsport build. Multi award winning Detailing \| Wrap \| PPF specialists UK based - www.topwrapz.com
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02-27-2012, 11:03 AM	#8
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	can't be good for my resale value. rofl __________________
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02-27-2012, 12:05 PM	#10
zubydafa tosser 31 Rep 988 Posts Drives: '07 Z4MC Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Allentown, PA iTrader: (0)	what waffle said. magnets on sticks...or on a wire hanger in my case __________________ '07 MCoupe lots of mods
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02-27-2012, 01:23 PM	#12
-c- Colonel 888 Rep 2,736 Posts Drives: bmw Join Date: May 2010 Location: Chicago iTrader: (5)	when i removed the alimunum undertray thats under the oil pan i found a whole slew of tools, two socket wrenches and a few sockets and a screw driver....... probably the dealers tools as they where snap-on. the underbody tray is perfect to grab stuff and 90% of everything i lost had wound up their. Use a big ass magnet on a pole and snoop around the area and you may snag it. the worst oh shit moment was when i was removing an intake manifold and a nut fell off and fell into an intake port on the head and the valve was just closed enufe to keep it from falling in. went and bought the strongest magnet i could find, thank god the head is aluminum! got close and tractor beamed that bitch right out! whewww !
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02-27-2012, 03:46 PM	#13
bignosejim Lieutenant 43 Rep 400 Posts Drives: 2007 IB M Coupe Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: DFW iTrader: (0)	Tomorrow I'll be replacing my left front wheel hub and bearing because I really messed up one of my lug bolts the last time I put the wheel on. Apparently I didn't have the bolt started before I hit with an impact gun. I couldn't find any shop that would retap the hub and my tap set was too soft. I figured I better replace the hub to be safe. Next time the wheels come off, wheel studs will be going in before the wheels go back on.
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02-27-2012, 04:26 PM	#14
esqu1re Lieutenant Colonel 44 Rep 1,855 Posts Drives: M Coupe Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East Coast iTrader: (0)	I was trying to torque down something in the engine bay while I was bleeding my brakes, and the socket came of the wrench and fell into the abyss. As I tried to catch it, i accidentally knocked off the brake reservoir cap that I had lying on the fusebox. Both went into the abyss. I don't know how quickly brake fluid becomes stale when exposed to air, but I felt like I was working against the clock then! Anyway, I sort of saw where they both went, and opened up the fender liner (first time) to fish them out. The whole time, I was grumbling in disbelief, and hating my luck. __________________ ///M Coupe: RPI Scoop, OE Strut, CDV, Volk RE30, SS Brake Lines, Stromung Exhaust
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02-27-2012, 04:36 PM	#15
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	Try taking off the dash trim, i guarantee those clips will fall into the "abyss" __________________
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02-27-2012, 05:30 PM	#16
txz4 Major 59 Rep 1,097 Posts Drives: 2006 M coupe Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: san antonio, texas iTrader: (3)	Gotta love the the feeling when you have reinstalled everything after a big job but have one random screw left over LOL
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02-27-2012, 09:22 PM	#19
gcochard Captain 24 Rep 784 Posts Drives: 2011.5 E90 M3 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: South OC iTrader: (2) Garage List 2011 BMW M3 [0.00]	+2 I end up with a cut on top of my thumb every autocross, no idea where it comes from.
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02-27-2012, 09:58 PM	#20
007MCoupe Lieutenant Colonel 94 Rep 1,546 Posts Drives: '18 Sakhir M3 ZCP Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: ( ///// ) iTrader: (5)	THIS is my kind of thread! haha I think Roffle's spark plug is the 'best' one yet. I was in there trying to install the motorized hide-a-way license plate wiring around the bay. Well, somehow I dropped the fuse out of it. no worries, I got my handy dandy little magnet-on-a-stick...until i dropped that too! I just kind of stood there like, "WTF do I do now?!" luckily i was able to get the MoaS back since it got stuck on soemthing on the way down. proceeded to get my getter-claw-thing to grab it out... yeah dropped that too. I gave up. HAHA i almost threw my flashlight. took a smoke break came back with another homemade magnetic stick and got them all out. I don't think I ever felt so stupid. "No problem, I'll get it with this." "Shit." "Well, I guess that's why i have one of these." "What. The. Fuck." :Lol: __________________ Become a ///Member!
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02-27-2012, 10:06 PM	#21
ZStig instagram 997turbotom 279 Rep 7,377 Posts Drives: Interlagos Z4MR Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Delray Beach, FL iTrader: (4)	I could only find motorized licence plates for motorcycles on amazon... __________________
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02-27-2012, 10:33 PM	#22
elerner61 Major 157 Rep 1,107 Posts Drives: '07 Z4M Roadster Join Date: May 2011 Location: Mount Kisco, NY iTrader: (0)	Ok, I'll bite on this, but from the other direction..tears of joy. I was 4 hours into the install of a coldside supercharger on my Miata (on the intake side, not the exhaust side) about 6 years ago, tearing off parts. I had started at about 6:00 in the evening and I was dog tired by about the time I got to the treacherous nuts on the blind underside of the intake manifold. Stories from guys who had stripped these nuts and the 5 hours to get one of those finally off, were dancing in my head. I was on the last nut, and the socket couldn't fully seat on it. I gave the socket a smooth tug and heard a nice "CRACK" of the nut breaking free. I started laughing and almost crying I think out of pure joy!
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