It's 3 AM. My fiancee is pissed at me so I'm working on the car. I'm making great time too. I buttoned up the intake, opti, and water pump. I go to put my TB on. Mind you, it's a BBK 58MM and I have the IAC Pipe mod done. CAN YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING???

Yup, you guessed it. As I'm putting the TB on, the pipe slips out and aparrently falls into the intake manifold, where it seemingly went down into a head. So, guess what I'm taking off again.

I'm not 100% sure that's where it is, but I've spent the last 45 minutes seaching in vain for this little 1" long 1/2" diameter piece of copper tubing.

Anyone know how I can fish it out of the head without taking off the manifold?? It went down cylinders 1-2-3-4 if any at all.

 

sorry man. i know what its like when it seems the car doesn't want to go back together. Just pull the intake again. I thought someone told me the IAC passage isn't directly connected to the runners. I was sure they told me the IAC passage tapered down to small holes that fed each runner. So maybe you can just leave it in there. I don't have a spare intake to look at to see if this is true.

 

No, I mean it aparrently fell down the intake into a head runner. I can't find it anywhere, but I heard it bounce about three times, and it for sure didn't hit the floor.

 

How did it slip out? Cant help you find it but, JB WELD that sucker in there.

 

I don't understand why there is a mod where something can come loose and fall into the engine.

 

If its metal, try a magnet on a stick. Don't turn the motor over at all, as with any luck, its sitting agains a valve.

 

THIS is the mod that I did. Once the TB is on the car the tube isn't going anywhere. It's actuallly pretty tight in the TB. I just happened to bump it at the right angle and popped it out of there.

 

Yeah, I have seen that and when I did I thought of the very thing that happened to you. It didn't look too foolproof.

 

Funny part is that I've pulled and replaced the TB more times than I can count, and this is the first time that thing has fallen out.

I did some feeling around with a coat hanger, and couldn't feel anything, but I'm quite sure it's in the manifold as it's nowhere to be found on the outside of the car, and I never heard it hit the floow when it fell.

 

A magnet is not going to work on a piece of copper.


Have you tried looking for it with an inspection mirror and a flashlight (if that is even possible)?

 

No I haven't, but that's a great idea! Gives me a reason to go buy another tool too! Too bad it's got to wait until tomorrow. I'm off to OC MD for the night.

 

Looks like it's time for the vacuum

 

Not a bad idea. A strong shop vac might do the trick.

 

Well, just took a look, and couldn't see anything. I'm going to take one last look, and then strip the exterior stuff, and if I still don't come up with it, I'm going to pull the manifold because I'm NOT taking a chance.

 

Try this attach a piece of old heater hose to your shop vac via duct tape and they stick that sucker in there and move it around. You might want to clean out the shop vac before you do this so it will make it easier to find the copper tube if you suck it up. You could also use clear milk tube in the 1/2" variety.