The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Plastic "Spout "in my Cylinder

A knuckhead act and I did it! While fogging my '47 PU for winter, to make the 'reach' easier I put on the long plastic spout on the aerosol fogger. Apparently wasn't secured and the darn thing shot into the cylinder! The only way other than pulling the head is to raise that piston to the top and fish in the cylinder via the spark plug opening. Any suggestions? Don't think I wanna fire the engine up with that short plastic spout in the cylinder. I'm disappointed in my dumbness! Time to sooth my sorrow in demon rum!

You've got the right idea- - - -carefully roll the engine over until the piston gets close to the top, and use a bright light to shine into the spark plug hole. Once you see the tube, snag it with a piece of stiff wire with a hook bent into the end. A borescope would help, but most folks don't have one handy!
Jerry

.... and patience, don't forget to take your time. Did I mention patience!
Let us know how you come out. Maybe Santa will be good to ya.

hehehehe.....I've learned that word from the many posts here. With 66 years of rust to deal with on this vehicle....I'm hearing and appreciating the word more and more. Thank you both for your input.

Get one of those little grabbers in a cable. They sell them at the dollar store.

Grabbers and allso mag on a stick.Have three of each at places I work on stuff.Barn,basement,and garage.Old clean rags and plastic to stuff in holes so I don't need them allso.ha ha
Allso the push pull tops are really handy off dishwash soap.They fit about all the plastic qt.oil bottles.On my motorcycles if going on a real long trip like Alaska last year all ways throw one in the saddle bag.If the small fill hole is were the bottle will fit up side down you don't need a funnel.Allso handy on the cars some time.One with gas is good to prime a old carb that leaks off when not run in awhile.

Unfortunately I've done this several times on different occasions. I just use my shop vac with a small attachment and a piece of wire.

Good Luck

Pull the plugs and turn it by hand. I flood my motor at least once a week. And I have 8 of them to yank out and headers to contend with

This is turning out to be quite a chore. Can't seem to find the darned thing using a light, a wire or using air to move the plastic spout around/loose. That spark plug hole doesn't allow too much light in for sure. Gonna now try getting a small hose and attach it to my shop vac and see if I can coax that little bug*** out of there. it would seem that the plastic spout would be just laying on top of the piston head and be somewhat ez to see. I may learn a few new words before I'm done! Anyone have any other suggestions I might try??

If sucking it out doesn't work I'd try blowing it out.
Make sure the exhaust valve is open all the way and apply air at the spark plug. Then let that sucker burn in... the exhaust somewhere, if it doesn't make it through the muffler.
Either way it's plastic. It won't last but a few revs if you start it and I doubt you could find a mark if you tore it down.

On second thought maybe not "start" but just crank it to keep the heat down till it's in the manifold or beyond and hopefully break it into smaller sections...

Put a gob of grease on a wire or something and fish around. It should stick to the grease.
As someone else said, I think it would just burn up and not hurt anything. Might have to clean the spark plug.

Take something flexible like a like a long thin spring.
Wrap about an inch wide strip of duct tape around the bottom 1/2 inch. put a vertical slice in the 1/2 inch of tape below the spring and fold it back over it's self so the sticky side is out.
Slowly fish around with that. The plastic piece will stick to the surface and you can get it to the hole where you can see it and grab it with something.

Ok. But since I'm a newbie.......how do I find out if the exhaust valve is open? That would when the piston is at the bottom of the stoke? The exhaust valve would then be fully open? What I was trying to do was bring it to TDC and either suck it out (doesn't seem to be working) or loosen it up with air from the compressor. I can't see it thru the spark plug opening either way. Going back to tackle this again for a while. Thanks for your input, I'll give that a try.

For fishing things out in general I like Jim's idea!

And then in the future don't bother fogging it before winter. I never have fogged any of mine that I store long-term and never had issues.

I blew the darned thing out again......manufactured a small nozzlw for my shop vac but I've got to get the hose deeper into the cylinder.

I will work on the grease/tape suggestions next. I might even consider cranking over/briefly starting/running the engine.However I am reluctant as the 3-4 inch 'straw' may not break up and thus would melt inside the cylinder. I wouldn't think that would be good. Any ideas out there what the worst case scenerio would be if I did start the engine? Might be time to step away and let my brain digest this situation.

Besides, my rear shackles and spring eys are crying for my attention too! hehe

Again guys, thanks for the many suggestions. Believe me, I'm trying them all!!

Contact a sailor, they have extra cuss words and creative combinations of same.

I did go through the vac/air routine once again. Faoiled again. "Remember Jim, have patience." I will try the tape/grease suggestions later, maybe tonight. I may have to stay away from this problem for a bit togive my head a chance to clear. (and time to practice those new cuss words!) Besides my rear shackles and spring eyes have been begging for my attention.

as an authentic sailor, (navy, and merchant marines) As well as 15 seasons of Alaska fisherman, I can't give you the actual words to speak. I can tell you however you need to immediately start questioning it's parentage, and close personal habits.

they have those little borescope camera things at home depot for looking inside walls, but I'm not sure if it would fit through the hole. Not sure how much they cost...Not sure how badly you want it out. I do know the borescope we have at work was $25,000, but it is a couple of steps up from the "home version"

As a Martini drinker…. I have used my trusty olive grabber for many
automotive uses….
A little plastic housing with 4 wire spring "claws" that will protrude from the housing when you press the plunger … should fit down the hole

mike

Might try taking the coil wire off and trying to crank it out the exhaust valve without starting the engine.

Once sucked a carb mounting nut into the intake and didn't know it until I started the motor. Loud knocking for sure. I was quite a ways from home so I just finished my business and started home. After about 75 miles the knock went away. Kept an eye on the oil pressure and water temp. No problems. When I pulled the heads (305 V6) I found the nut nicely melted into the top of a piston.

I personally would not be too concerned about starting the motor and letting it melt away. JMO

If it were mine I would start the engine and burn it out. I cannot imagine something that small, made of a highly inflammable (proper word for 'it burns readily') material could possibly harm anything. Think of it as thick fuel.

Thanks guys! Your comments all have made me feel a little better about my gaff. I am still working on the spouts removal. Needless to say no luck. Wish I could somehow see that little &^&**70! if i am unsuccessful, I probably will try cranking it over and/or outright starting it up and "burn that sucka!"

It's -15 windchill, +1 Temp and I'm going to fire the garage furnace and begin the rear spring shackle replacement. I'll come back to my 'problem' throughout the day! THANKS AGAIN for your many suggestions. I surely do appreciate them!!

Plastic? I agree with this guy. I don't think it will hurt a thing.

It may be plastic but if it gets stuck under a valve and get mashed it could cause damage to the valve job, it is worse than carbon and carbon can burn valves if its under the seat and valve. just my opinion, if it was mine(and its not) I would get it out before you try and turn over. Dan

getting smashed by the valve is the idea isn't it?
That valve won't know what it hit... running or just cranked.

I would suspect that if it were to hang up between the exhaust valve and the valve seat, it would be for an instant as the temperature in that area is extreme. Besides, if he doesn't try it, how will we ever know if it works. I'll tell you what, if Jim doesn't try it, I will drop one in my freshly rebuilt 235 and fire it up, all in the name of science. Its up to you now, Jim. Do you want me to steal your thunder, or do you want to be the true pioneer? It may gain back our respect for you in spite of you dropping it in spark plug hole to begin with.

Are you sure it fell in the spark plug hole and not down the side of the motor ?

Now that would be doubly embarrassing! Reminds me of a buddy who took his muzzle loader to a gunsmith after 3 successive misfires on a deer. Just the cap went off. The gunsmith informed him that my he neglected to load powder and a bullet. DOH!

Jim,
You might try taking out all the plugs and giving the engine a short spin with the starter to jostle the straw into a position where it can be seen and fished out.
If all else fails and since the truck is down for the winter, bite the bullet, order a top end gasket set and do what ya gotta do.
My $.02 worth.

experience can be a HARD teacher.

Two schools of thought on this. Fairly even to. Opinion to follow.

If you are one that worry's, do what 51 1 ton suggested. Pull it apart and quit the worry.

If you are OK with a less that perfect universe, well then fire it up and get on with it.

I don't think the risk to an EX valve is very high. But I have been wrong many times. Still, I would choose option #2..:)

No matter what you do , Please let all of us know what happens , I think everybody wants to know. It could and will happen again to somebody else, Thank you, Dan

I still vote for the grease. That is what you pull pilot bearings out with you know. Besides the grease ain't gonna hurt nothing. You may wind up with more foreign objects in there. Then what we gonna do??
Heck, it's just gonna burn up if left in there.

Is this spout like what comes with carb spray, brake clean ect? If its one of those tiny tubes I'd just start it up and let things warm up. It will be gone in no time.

Just an FYI. There's been more a few folks that when fuel system troubleshooting, have discovered the throttle plate either loose or completely off the shaft due to the two mounting screws backing out and getting sucked into the cyl's. ( due to a poor rebuild job no doubt).
Some didn't case any damage and just exited through the exhaust where some others either embedded into the piston and/or damaged the cyl it was in.
I can recall reading of it at least 10 times.

Looks like it's a calculated gamble. Course plastic is much softer than metal screws....

You could try to to let the starter spin the engine over (with the coil wire disconnected) to see if compression will push it out the plug hole. I haven't read back enough to see if this was mentioned btw..
Good luck
Dave

while I did mention your suggestions early on I neglected (yeah right) to mention my own verification of your readings back when Terry Bradshaw was the best QB ever.
Those carb nuts do indeed pass through and a couple small marks were left in the chamber.

Now I haven't tried this on my GMC but I know some spark plugs are the same size as a 3/8" male threaded air fitting... Got Air?
Hook up air to that cyl and start it. No fire forced air..

If you can see part of the piston top thru the spark plug hole, maybe with a little air pressure the straw would move to where you could get it out with a pair of these. Got them from a doc friend years ago. They have saved the day for me many times. Don't know what they are called, I just call them grabbers.... [URL=http://s1348.photobucket.com/user/capnduane/media/55Chev682_zpsd9f6b18c.jpg.html][/url]

For Bonneville record cars they measure the engine volume by fluid displacement. Can you not put a light oil in the cylinder to float the tube out, and then suck the oil out after?