I did something monumentally daft

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rosssavage

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Refitting MD2B injection pump, I have managed to knock the little barrel that connects the rack to the governor rod off and into the guts of the engine.
Has anyone managed to retrieve one before? Any idea on the best way to attack this? No, I can’t see it, it fell under the camshaft and I suspect is sitting in the bottom of the timing case.
 
Clancy Moped said:
Magnet on a fishing line? Good luck.
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Unfortunately that will stick to everything else on the way down!
I could do with one of those snake things with the grabby bit on the end, but even then it’s not straight down - I have to get past the camshaft, crankshaft, timing gears and internal webs / castings.
Might just be easiest to take the engine out, turn it upside down and give it a shake!
 
rosssavage said:
Unfortunately that will stick to everything else on the way down!
I could do with one of those snake things with the grabby bit on the end, but even then it’s not straight down - I have to get past the camshaft, crankshaft, timing gears and internal webs / castings.
Might just be easiest to take the engine out, turn it upside down and give it a shake!
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I had a pencil one, so just the tip was magnetic, but, I see your problem, and again good luck.
 
Borescopes with the bendy arm come with little attachments including a magnet....whether you can maneuver around the engine I don’t know...but seeing where you go helps....do you know exactly how many parts fell in (including fasteners and washers etc)?
 
Bouba said:
Borescopes with the bendy arm come with little attachments including a magnet....whether you can maneuver around the engine I don’t know...but seeing where you go helps....do you know exactly how many parts fell in (including fasteners and washers etc)?
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+1. Some have grabbing tweezer things, too. But a borescope won't help if it's immersed in oil.

Sympathy - I once dropped a washer down the hole a pushrod worked in. Turned a 10 minute job into a several hours job; I think I eventually made a hook out of a wire coathanger. After that I got a magnet on a telescopic stick!
 
At least it's not a (non-magnetic...) stainless bolt!
I'd try a cheap telescopic magnet thing first, you could always bend it if that would help it reach.
Also try seeing if there are any side covers, breather covers etc that you could remove to make it easier to reach in
 
Refueler said:
Reminds me of the old days when Ford cars had a ball bearing in the carb ... any DIY person who didn't know usually ended up with it in the manifold !!
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Oh I knew! That’s why is soooo stupid - I’d clocked the fact it wasn’t captive and identified the risk of it dropping off and falling into the timing case.
Still did it though….
 
CM74 said:
At least it's not a (non-magnetic...) stainless bolt!
I'd try a cheap telescopic magnet thing first, you could always bend it if that would help it reach.
Also try seeing if there are any side covers, breather covers etc that you could remove to make it easier to reach in
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Yeah, plan a for tomorrow.
Drain oil and remove side access covers. The problem is that the bit is in the timing case, and I don’t know if you can access the bottom of the timing case from the crankcase. There must be some gap as they share sump oil, but how big I don’t know.
Might have to remove the timing case cover, which means removing the gear box.
 
Refueler said:
Reminds me of the old days when Ford cars had a ball bearing in the carb ... any DIY person who didn't know usually ended up with it in the manifold !!
Click to expand...
I managed to lose a nut refitting the carb to my Wolesley 4/44 after a valve regrind. Oh. well. got one that'll fit.

The engine started fine, then stopped and wouldn't turn over. Off with its head again, and there was the nut, sitting on no 3 piston. Fortunately no obvious damage, so put it all back together and it ran fine until the tinworm got the car. I can't see a modern engine surviving that!
 
Stemar said:
I managed to lose a nut refitting the carb to my Wolesley 4/44 after a valve regrind. Oh. well. got one that'll fit.

The engine started fine, then stopped and wouldn't turn over. Off with its head again, and there was the nut, sitting on no 3 piston. Fortunately no obvious damage, so put it all back together and it ran fine until the tinworm got the car. I can't see a modern engine surviving that!
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Thread drift sorry ...

Ford ... 1.3 + 1.6 engines .... if cam belt went ... it meant pistons / valves .. maybe even a cylinder rebore ... due to the stroke length. But the 2.0ltr and above being longer stroke usually survived it.

Ask how I know !!
 
Refueler said:
Thread drift sorry ...

Ford ... 1.3 + 1.6 engines .... if cam belt went ... it meant pistons / valves .. maybe even a cylinder rebore ... due to the stroke length. But the 2.0ltr and above being longer stroke usually survived it.

Ask how I know !!
Click to expand...
Safe and not safe engines and cam belts, it’s a thing, you can check it out on line easily enough. One might say ’stick with the makers‘ cam belt replacement schedule’, but I’m not quite that much of a smartarse. Shit happens.

Best of luck to the OP, I’ve done similar on a motorbike, that all got difficult. Hopefully theres a bit more room inside your engine for fishing about.
 
Update:
Got it!

removes the engine side cover, luckily there’s a hole big enough between the crank case and timing case under the crank big enough to squeeze a few fingers in.
Found it right at the back of the timing case, about to go on holiday into the gearbox.
Note: if you try this, DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FIRST. I had to position the crank with the aft piston counterweight horizontal - there isn’t enough room for a spinning weight and a hand in there at the same time!
 
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