dropped spring retainer in head

[lotta hp]

I was changing the springs and valve seals on my talon and dropped a valve lock in one of the oil ports in the head. I drained the oil and the valve lock did not come out. Do you guys think it's stuck in the oil pan?

Would there be a problem if I left the valve lock in there?

edit: it fell through the driver side oil port hole.

 

[toppertopper]

Drop the oil pan , Get it out or you might have bigger problems down the road

 

[IceMinion]

I've dropped worse down there and never had a problem. Do you think It will get sucked through the oil uptake screen or something?

 

[68442]

Drag a magnet around on the bottom of the pan, you might be able to get it that way.

 

[gabytech]

I was changing the springs and valve seals on my talon and dropped a valve lock in one of the oil ports in the head. I drained the oil and the valve lock did not come out. Do you guys think it's stuck in the oil pan?

Would there be a problem if I left the valve lock in there?

edit: it fell through the driver side oil port hole.

Remove the oil pan and pressurre air blow the oil ports. Good luck.

I've dropped worse down there and never had a problem. Do you think It will get sucked through the oil uptake screen or something?

Not to curse you, but sooner or later its going to cause a disaster and a Why didn't I remove what dropped ??? question...

 

[My1GLaser]

If it actually fell thru the port and made it to the oil pan, it will most likely stay down there forever. Have you seen the oil pick-up tube screen before? The pump won't suck up a keeper thru a 1-1.5mm hole.

Nevertheless, I would probably retrieve it if it was my car.

 

[gabytech]

Its not a matter of the pick-up tube screen, but a matter of oil movement and splash throwing it around and possibly at the wrong time wrong place causing crankshaft catastrophic failure or clogging the turbo drain line. Better safe than sorry...

 

[IceMinion]

Its not a matter of the pick-up tube screen, but a matter of oil movement and splash throwing it around and possibly at the wrong time wrong place causing crankshaft catastrophic failure or clogging the turbo drain line. Better safe than sorry...

yeah........but no. catastrophic failure? Not happening. The odds of it getting stuck in the journals is 1,000,000 to 1. Try winning the lottery first.

 

[lotta hp]

I've dropped worse down there and never had a problem. Do you think It will get sucked through the oil uptake screen or something?

Yeah wasent sure if it would get sucked through or not. I am thinking of just getting a oil drain bolt with a magnet for now.

I really do not feel like dropping the dp and transfer case right now.

 

[gabytech]

yeah........but no. catastrophic failure? Not happening. The odds of it getting stuck in the journals is 1,000,000 to 1. Try winning the lottery first.

You never know when you'll win the lottery, or deal with catastrophic engine failure especially in this case... To each their own... I WOULD NEVER NEGLECT SCENARIOS LIKE THIS...

 

[bryanwheat]

It will sit on the bottom of the oil pan for the life of the engine. It will never cause any problems. You can get it out if you want, but it will be just fine.

 

[HIGHPSI4]

I will second that. It will not be picked up by the oil pump and nothing is going to throw it around.

 

[dsmornothing]

It wont hurt anything, When I dropped my oil pan on my first DSM there was an ARP washer down there from some point well before I had the car.

 

[gabytech]

Guess everyone voted to leave it there.. I wonder what those ppl do for a living ????? To each their own, their opinion, and their decision. Ask a pro engine builder what would they do ????? If its nowhere to be found, it might be stuck in the oil passage. HOW ARE YOU SURE IT DIDNT GOT STUCK THE OIL PASSAGE IF ITS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND IN THE OIL PAN ????

GOOD LUCK LEAVING IT THERE !!!! NOT TO CURSE YOU, BUT I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR POST ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE AND HOW I DROPPED A VALVE KEEPER 6 MONTHS AGO AND HOW EVERYONE SAID IT WONT MATTER...

 

[evileagleawd]

Similar issue happen on a Toyota at my old shop. Tech dropped a small bolt and did not feel like removing the pan. Eventually the bolt got kicked up and hit the crank. The crank shot the bolt threw the pan like a bullet. Need less to say the customer blew the motor up. If it were me just remove the oil pan and get the keeper out.

 

[bryanwheat]

Guess everyone voted to leave it there.. I wonder what those ppl do for a living ????? To each their own and their opinion. "Ask any racer, any real racer" what would they do ?????

BTW, if its nowhere to be found, it might be stuck in the oil passage. HOW ARE YOU SURE IT DIDNT GOT STUCK THE OIL PASSAGE IF ITS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND IN THE OIL PAN ????

GOOD LUCK LEAVING IT THERE !!!! NOT TO CURSE YOU, BUT I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR POST ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE AND HOW I DROPPED A VALVE KEEPER 6 MONTHS AGO AND HOW EVERYONE SAID IT WONT MATTER...

You don't have to be a racer as you say to be a good mechanic. I work on cars for a living and have been doing so for around 15 year if you would like to know. As far as the keeper being stuck in an oil passage, it is just an oil drain into the pan, it won't hurt anything. The keeper isn't big enough to block the drain off. Did you know that back in the day some car manufacturers used to use a plug in the oil dipstick hole when the engine was put together. When the dipstick was installed the plug was just pushed into the oil pan, and it sat there for the life of the vehicle, or at least until the pan was dropped and someone removed them.

 

[dsmornothing]

Guess everyone voted to leave it there.. I wonder what those ppl do for a living ????? To each their own, their opinion, and their decision. Ask a pro engine builder what would they do ????? If its nowhere to be found, it might be stuck in the oil passage. HOW ARE YOU SURE IT DIDNT GOT STUCK THE OIL PASSAGE IF ITS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND IN THE OIL PAN ????

GOOD LUCK LEAVING IT THERE !!!! NOT TO CURSE YOU, BUT I'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR POST ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE AND HOW I DROPPED A VALVE KEEPER 6 MONTHS AGO AND HOW EVERYONE SAID IT WONT MATTER...

You post on here like you know everything. Then you tell us all off. Tell me how a spring lock is going to get sucked into a passage.... Its not going to happen. Yes it is best to remove it, but there is a reason the pick up tube has a screen on it. I have seen way worse in an engine that never had an issue because of said object.

 

[bryanwheat]

Similar issue happen on a Toyota at my old shop. Tech dropped a small bolt and did not feel like removing the pan. Eventually the bolt got kicked up and hit the crank. The crank shot the bolt threw the pan like a bullet. Need less to say the customer blew the motor up. If it were me just remove the oil pan and get the keeper out.

If said bolt was shot thru the pan like a bullet than i am sure you never found it to verify that it was indeed a bolt that actually went thru the pan. Sounds kind of like an assumption.

 

[gabytech]

You post on here like you know everything. Then you tell us all off. Tell me how a spring lock is going to get sucked into a passage.... Its not going to happen. Yes it is best to remove it, but there is a reason the pick up tube has a screen on it. I have seen way worse in an engine that never had an issue because of said object.

I don't know everything, on the contrary, I only know I know nothing, and every new day I learn something new in the auto industry which is my carrer. Nothing personal against anyone, but fix cars is what I do for a living. He can as he pleases, either take my advice or others advice, its not my engine. Im a very blunt guy, take it or leave it, Im not going to sugar coat my opinions, and those who listen to my opinion and advice Im more than willing to give them as well as I'm open to everyones advice when I need help in certain topics. Those who don't listen and take advice in life, learn the hard knock way...

 

[bryanwheat]

but fix cars is what I do for a living.

As do I, and many other people on this site.

 

[My1GLaser]

I like his idea of a magnetic drain plug. I'm sure it will make it there eventually and can be retrieved during an oil change.

 

[fallenauthority]

You don't have to be a racer as you say to be a good mechanic. I work on cars for a living and have been doing so for around 15 year if you would like to know. As far as the keeper being stuck in an oil passage, it is just an oil drain into the pan, it won't hurt anything. The keeper isn't big enough to block the drain off. Did you know that back in the day some car manufacturers used to use a plug in the oil dipstick hole when the engine was put together. When the dipstick was installed the plug was just pushed into the oil pan, and it sat there for the life of the vehicle, or at least until the pan was dropped and someone removed them.

Agreed, nothing is going to make it up through the motor to cause harm, it will just sit at the bottom of the pan until one day it happens to be close to the drain plug when you change your oil and it will come out. The pickup screen will keep it from going anywhere important until then.
And BTW I am a diesel truck tech, if you are that scared about him leaving a keeper in his oil pan you would shit yourself with some of the shit I see sitting in pans on a weekly basis.

 

[gabytech]

As do I, and many other people on this site.

To each their own, maybe I was taught different than most techs out there.

BTW, the only sure thing in life is death, who can be 200% sure that will never move and squeeze its way up the pan, getting stuck in the crank and cause catastrophic failure ???? Why not take a few hours and look for it. BECAUSE LAZY !!!! Isnt it better safe than sorry ???? Atleast thats what I would do, and I bet any PRO engine builder would say the same thing. Because there is no way to tell if the keeper came to rest in a 'safe' place, isn't really hard to recommend anything BUT LOOK FOR IT. I don't get why other "techs" say it'll be safe...

I guess the same so called auto techs here that say leave it, it will be alright; are probably the same techs that hammer the shit out of a control arm to remove the balljoint and impact gun the shit out of the wheel nuts when putting the wheels back on that I see in 99% of the shops.

 

[bryanwheat]

To each their own, maybe I was taught different than most techs out there.

BTW, the only sure thing in life is death, who can be 200% sure that will never move and squeeze its way up the pan, getting stuck in the crank and cause catastrophic failure ???? Why not take a few hours and look for it. BECAUSE LAZY !!!! Isnt it better safe than sorry ???? Atleast thats what I would do, and I bet any PRO engine builder would say the same thing.

I guess the same techs here that say leave it, it will be alright are the same techs that hammer the shit out of a balljoint and impact gun the shit out of the wheel nuts when putting the wheels back on that I see in 99% of the shops.

There is no reason to start trying to offend people here. I can assure you that there is no way that the keeper is going to somehow squeeze it's way up somewhere into the crank some how. That is not possible. It would have to go thru the oil pump screen, oil pump, oil filter, oil filter housing, oil passages than thru the bearings into the crank. As i said, it will sit in the bottom of the pan until it either falls out when you drain the oil, or until the pan is pulled.

 

[Firsts tuner]

It wont hurt anything, When I dropped my oil pan on my first DSM there was an ARP washer down there from some point well before I had the car.

Did you leave the washer? Or did you pull it out and think to yourself " Man I'm glad I caught that before it made a problem for me later" I am a newbie to DSM's but I still think an oil pan gasket is a lot cheaper than an engine rebuild no matter how slim the possibilities.