guys,

i need your help and or opinions.

i dropped an 8mm 1/4" drive deep socket on top of the motor and i cannot get it back. i dropped it when i was doing my pcv reroute.

i dropped it to the right side of the turbo. it landed under the right side fuel rail. i initially was able to see it, in fact, i just about had it back when using needle nose pliers and a long screw driver. my screw driver ended up pushing it somewhere?? i was trying to slide the socket back towards the firewall so i could reach my hand down there and grab it.

i have no idea where the socket ended up. i cannot see it or feel it for the life of me. i did not hear it fall. i have searched several times today in different lights, using different lights. i cannot find the damn thing:mad:

i think it is below the fuel rail in a spot i cannot see. i don't think it fell into the heat shield for the exhaust pipe, or into the one for the turbo.


what should i do? should i not worry about it, or should i start taking things off until it is found?:(

Lost a tiny "ignition set" wrench working on the Tahoe once. Several years later I took a bunch of stuff apart and was amazed to find that (now slightly rusty) wrench....never missed the wrench and it didn't damage anything....

You might want to go off-roading to see if you can shake it loose; if it doesn't, does it matter? Do you really want the socket back or are you mostly worried that it might hurt something?

You can get a variety of flexible shaft magnetic and/or "claw" styled recovery tools pretty cheap at Northern or Harbor Freight...

buy a new one and dont worry there is nothing it can hurt. I have found and lost lots of tools this way.

i recently lost a 10mm socket and a swivel in valley of my motor and its probably gonna be there till i put a new turbo on. i wouldn't worry about it if i were you. I've pulled some old motors apart and found damn near a whole socket and wrench set buried in the bowles of the valley of diesels

Occassionally have to sacrifice a tool or 2 to the truck gods

Get some buddies together and flip the truck over and shake it a few times. It should fall out then.

Get some buddies together and flip the truck over and shake it a few times. It should fall out then.

you will be fine ,just drive your truck :cool:

As long as iot did not go into the turbo -- then nothing to worry about! :)

As long as iot did not go into the turbo -- then nothing to worry about! :)

no, the socket is on top of the motor. No where near moving or internal parts.

Some one will find it some day and they will be happy if it's a Snappy!!

i lost fitting for boost gage on top of motor and no problems.

thanks guys.

i am not concerned about getting the socket back. i was just more concerned about it possibly causing some sort of issue.

it may have ended up in the valley below the turbo. i guess i will never see it again unless i change the turbo.

i will take another look tomorrow. if i don't find, i will forget about it:rolleyes:

When I was in high school I worked at a gas station and was repairing a flat tire on a truck. It had a screw driver sticking out of it, I mean the business end was on the outside of the tire and I couldn't pull it out. I thought WTF. Took it off the rim and the handle was inside the tire. It was a Craftsman so I took it to Sears and got a new one. You never know where you might find a tool ya know.

A magnetic stick, or flexible wand could help you find it...

A magnetic stick, or flexible wand could help you find it...

I agree. I have a few magnets of different sizes for stuff like this. I always seem to drop something.:(

As a matter of fact, it was only this morning when I dropped a flashlight while changing my T-stats. I had to remove the skid plate to get at it.:mad:

Try using one of those small extendable mirror's and a magnet.

Harbor Freight has flexible magnet light retreval tool... $6.99 in stores, maybe less online.

guys,

i need your help and or opinions.

i dropped an 8mm 1/4" drive deep socket on top of the motor and i cannot get it back. i dropped it when i was doing my pcv reroute.

i dropped it to the right side of the turbo. it landed under the right side fuel rail. i initially was able to see it, in fact, i just about had it back when using needle nose pliers and a long screw driver. my screw driver ended up pushing it somewhere?? i was trying to slide the socket back towards the firewall so i could reach my hand down there and grab it.

i have no idea where the socket ended up. i cannot see it or feel it for the life of me. i did not hear it fall. i have searched several times today in different lights, using different lights. i cannot find the damn thing:mad:

i think it is below the fuel rail in a spot i cannot see. i don't think it fell into the heat shield for the exhaust pipe, or into the one for the turbo.


what should i do? should i not worry about it, or should i start taking things off until it is found?:(

If it is truly in the valley then all you will need is a magnetic parts grabber, they can be had at O'reilly relatively cheap. Fish it around in the valley and the socket will appear.

I have dropped too many sockets and wrenches where you are talking about, and it is a true biatch to find them. With that said 95% of the time I find them on top of the allison somewhere, crawl under the truck and feel around all over both sides of the allison, bring a flashlight with you too and you will likely find your socket.

shulte i bought that tool haha...works great

Years ago the father in law was fixing something on his old truck with my tool box, no big deal, the 7/16 came up missing again not a big deal. He replaced after it no showing up for a while. Well a few months go by and the truck has a nasty squeaky rattle sound like something is rubbing. Well a few years later I bought that truck an was in the process of putting a new cap , rotor an ing module in it, an low an be hold there is my 7/16 wedged long wise between th back of the block an the fire wall just above the tranny the removal of which made all the squeaky noise go away.

Man you guys are silly. If the magnet doesn't work, pull out the big SHOP VAC!

It works every time with the concentrator nozzle.

If you have an air compressor what I use is an air nozzle, buy a 1/8 to #4 sae fitting and a foot of 1/4 copper tubing drill out the fitting 1/2 way threw. solder the tube into the fitting and install in the nozzle. you can bend it to any shape and will not damage anything. Put down a magnet and blow it towards the magnet. The shop vac idea is a good one if it has enough power. About finding tools in engines I worked at a Detroit dealership and found pry bars under the blower, sockets and adapters in the oil pan, Timing tools, All top notch stuff. PLAY SAFE!

If you have an air compressor what I use is an air nozzle, buy a 1/8 to #4 sae fitting and a foot of 1/4 copper tubing drill out the fitting 1/2 way threw. solder the tube into the fitting and install in the nozzle. you can bend it to any shape and will not damage anything. Put down a magnet and blow it towards the magnet. The shop vac idea is a good one if it has enough power. About finding tools in engines I worked at a Detroit dealership and found pry bars under the blower, sockets and adapters in the oil pan, Timing tools, All top notch stuff. PLAY SAFE!


Never thought of that one. Great tip!

Get some buddies together and flip the truck over and shake it a few times. It should fall out then.


That's what I do. Quick and very effective! :D

Glad to see that some remember some of the old tricks to tool recovery that have been around since I was a kid. Mag sticks, compressed air, flex gips and 8 or 10 ga. copper wire.

Might have an annoying rattle when it starts moving around but other than that you will be fine..

The most expensive tool I ever found under hood was a pair of Snap-on Pilstol grip needle nose pliers. I found them a few days after I had my Nissan Hardbody in shop getting the spark plug hole heli-coiled. Because I know how aggrivating it is to loose tools I took them back to the mechanic, but they were nice and I was tempted to keep them. :D