Big time scare with engine assembly.

[Duke]

First of all, I am a dumba$$ for not plugging all open ports with tape.

I was installing the RRFPR on the fuel rail when it happened. While messing with the bolt and washer, I lost control of the washer and watched it drop onto the manifold slide down and make a hole in one in the #2 fuel injection port. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What immediately went through my mind was, is that intake valve open??????? Shit..shit.SHIT.
I had lost my magnetic retriever a while back and bought a really nice one from the local German auto parts store. It has a small head with the tool being about 14 long and very flexible. As luck would have it, the washer was just inside of the hole and did not slip down to the valve. It was like Xmas when I pulled that sucker out with the tool. I then did not pass go but went directly to tapeing up all of the open ports.

Wheeeew.



[Edit by Duke M535Ti on [TIME]1108043934[/TIME]]

[TT]

Wow!, you got lucky on that one! I can remember a time sorta like yours, we were working on an E28 race car (euro 528i with 3.5 dirty motor installed), a washer was dropped into the open cylinder head (valve cover removed for work) and it was nowehere to be seen. We did not have time to keep looking for it and had to button it up to get on the track. Car ran fine, no problems. We we got it back in the pits and removed the valve cover again, there it was plain as day, stuck to the side of the cylinder head. We also got lucky.

Glad it worked out for you!

[Tjn182]

When I was removing my old injectors to install my new 30#/hr injectors -- The plastic cap snapped off and went into the intake manifold. I almost shit a brick until everyone said that the cheap plastic will just be destroyed by the engine and spat out that other end.

[booker]

[QUOTE="Tjn182"]When I was removing my old injectors to install my new 30#/hr injectors -- The plastic cap snapped off and went into the intake manifold. I almost shit a brick until everyone said that the cheap plastic will just be destroyed by the engine and spat out that other end.[/QUOTE]

The exact same thing happened when we were putting new injectors in "RodericB in NOLA" car. We fished it off the top of a valve using super glue on the end of a coat hanger. Whew!

[Dinan 5er]

Oh, yeah, BTDT.

was installing a carb on a freshly rebuilt small block
Chevy when ooops, down the drain it went. Being a dumba@# kid at the time, I didn't know magnetic retrievers existed, so I removes the intake manifold to fish it out. Of course, now I have both a magnetic retriever and a flexible, four pronged retriever as well. I use 'em all to often but sure am glad I've got 'em.

Mike C.
'88 535i Dinan Stage 3, euro bumperd, big braked, chipped, NA hipo motored, etcetera'd, etcetera'd... :p

[itruns]

2 summers ago, I had the upper intake off of my TT 5.0, serval guys were over horsing around and long story short, alittle washer nobody noticed cost me a piston and another out & in engine job. It took several weekends to fix that little slipup.

[Madhungarian]

Well, at least you all know where it went.... I have tried to take out one of the wrist pin retainers in the garage and yes, it flew off somewhere. All I heard is a"clump" sound and it is like finding a needle in the haystack in my garage. In the meantime I am screwd, project on hold! CRAPPP! !@#$

[Dave_in_VA]

I have at least one piston pic retaining clip in the grass by my garage door.

It went "sprang" and bounced once off the concrete. I ended up just buying all new ones.