Dropped Nut Into Intake!!!!!!!

[JoshBarber]

Originally Posted by Markgc

I like the idea of a vacuum cleaner. I would try and fashion some clear thin bore plastic tubing onto the shop vac and give it a try. You may need to put a few holes in the tube to allow the vacuum cleaner to pull enough air but you should still get enough suck that way.

Is the nut stainless, brass or aluminum. Annoying that the magnet doesn't work. I think that you have a good chance with a vacuum pipe. Worth spending a couple of hours on that method I think.


Mark

I actually had tried the vacuum cleaner before reading this. Several different sizes of clear surgical tubing that I'd taped to a household vacuum with electrical tape to seal it off. I did this many many times in an attempt to retrieve it. I'd tried a flexable grabber as well. None of which worked. Although I knew my lower intake gasket needed to be replaced, I really didnt want to get into it at this point. I was still dealing with the fuel problem...which is how this all happened. I'd dropped the 8mm nut for the fuel lines and hadnt blocked up the intake holes. I think I may have pushed the nut in further, when I tried to retrieve it with a magnet...as I said before...it wasnt magnetic....FIGURES!
So, today I pulled it all apart. And found the nut. It had entered the intake port just above the 4th injector, and when I pulled it apart, found the nut sitting just ontop of the piston. I was lucky, as the piston beside it was lower and the nut would have surely disappeared for good inside.
Anyway, lower intake is back on as well as a new gasket...so hopefully nomore leak over the back edge near the firewall.

Here you see the port it entered (arrow), and where the nut ended up (top in green)


Amazing huh!? I retrieved it with the vaccuum at this point


Heres the moral to that story~!

[Rmbodie]

Lucky you that the valve was closed on that piston . Pulling the head would have been a lot of extra work . Don't you hate it when something like this forces you to do what you want to put off. Rob

[Southern Comfort]

I hate to say it, you're going to have to remove the lower intake to retrieve the nut. Like old master said, It will damage your engine if you hit the starter or turn
the crank by hand. The nut can fall into the cylinder through a valve opening and not only will it damage the cyclinder walls, it will bust a hole into the piston as well as bend the valves in that cylinder and lock your engine up. I too have been working on engines for 35 years. You can try to use a vacuum if you want. But what if you retrieve a nut and there was something else had fallen in there and you didn't see it. The only way to know for sure, is to remove the intake and make sure there isn't any thing else in there. It's not readlly that much more to take off, especially for a piece of mind. I have a 99, 4.3 cd. It contants ever thing about tear down a rebuild for it. I'm not sure if it will help you, but I can email it to you if you would like me to. Just email me at [email protected].
SC

[JoshBarber]

Originally Posted by Southern Comfort

I hate to say it, you're going to have to remove the lower intake to retrieve the nut. Like old master said, It will damage your engine if you hit the starter or turn
the crank by hand. The nut can fall into the cylinder through a valve opening and not only will it damage the cyclinder walls, it will bust a hole into the piston as well as bend the valves in that cylinder and lock your engine up. I too have been working on engines for 35 years. You can try to use a vacuum if you want. But what if you retrieve a nut and there was something else had fallen in there and you didn't see it. The only way to know for sure, is to remove the intake and make sure there isn't any thing else in there. It's not readlly that much more to take off, especially for a piece of mind. I have a 99, 4.3 cd. It contants ever thing about tear down a rebuild for it. I'm not sure if it will help you, but I can email it to you if you would like me to. Just email me at [email protected].
SC

uhm.................what?
did you read the last post by me?
As stated, I already did the job. I took the pictures in the post. Thats my engine apart.

[OverBoardProject]

I see that all the ports are filled in at that point, so I imagine that you've learned a valuable lesson out of it. One That I'm sure you'll teach many people in the future.

Good to hear that everything went well, and that you fixxed a problem that you weren't planning to yet.
You really don't want to let those lower intake gaskets go. More than 1 person on this board has had to replace the bearings on their motor because of them leaking.

[JoshBarber]

Originally Posted by OverBoardProject

I see that all the ports are filled in at that point, so I imagine that you've learned a valuable lesson out of it. One That I'm sure you'll teach many people in the future.

Good to hear that everything went well, and that you fixxed a problem that you weren't planning to yet.
You really don't want to let those lower intake gaskets go. More than 1 person on this board has had to replace the bearings on their motor because of them leaking.

yea, it wasnt part of the plan......and it was a lot of aggrevation.....such a tiny little nut causing hours of frustration and labor. but its done....should have taken care of the leak. And most importantly as you mentioned, it was a valuable lesson that I won't forget. The upper intake has the cover off at this point awaiting the new injectors that should arrive Tuesday......you bet your ass the ports on the upper intake are now filled snuggly with clean shop rags.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you are going to take the upper intake cover off, for even a second, block the intake ports immediately or you may find yourself doing a lot more than you bargained for. I was lucky the nut ended up in a place that was easy to retrieve it.

[blazee]

I hope that you installed the intake bolts in the proper sequence and torque. If not it could cause your engine to fail.


What kind of injectors did you get? I would recommend getting the new updated MFI assmebly. The entire assembly with all the injectors is less than $200. It is direct bolt in replacement and more reliable than the old systems.

[JoshBarber]

Originally Posted by blazee

I hope that you installed the intake bolts in the proper sequence and torque. If not it could cause your engine to fail.


What kind of injectors did you get? I would recommend getting the new updated MFI assmebly. The entire assembly with all the injectors is less than $200. It is direct bolt in replacement and more reliable than the old systems.

Yes sir. Had the torque pattern open in front of me. Torqued them to 132inch lbs
or 11ft lbs

Blazee, where in the WORLD did you get that price of $200 for the updated MFI assembly? Please get back to me asap, because if thats really the case, I need to cancel my order immediately. I paid $299 + $100 (core) for the rebuilt assembly, and I didnt see anywhere else that sold it all together....cheapest I saw for new was $90 PER injector....and you couldnt get it together. Please get back to me

[blazee]

The assembly is available though www.GMPartsDirect.com for less than $200. You could also get it through your local GM dealer but you can expect to pay more.

Here's the part numbers:
12568332 - MFI Assembly
88894355 - Bracket
17113215 - Seal kit

[skyzend]

Glad to see that the nut was found .... was following but had nothing to add that wasn't already said.

Once finished the lower intake installation keep a good eye on your oil level and quality. An oil change is warranted anyway to ensure that no coolant ended up down there after the lower intake came off. But its equally important to ensure that you didn't muck up the seal procedure when putting it back together. Its easy to get coolant leaking internally and not notice it right away .... until you throw a rod or lose a main.

This advise is is born from experience. I had the lower intake gasket replaced by the dealer last week. They blew my engine and are replacing it right now because of incompetance that resulted from a lack of checks as I described above. I'd be very cautious until you are sure things are solid.

Cheers and best of luck

[blazee]

Here's a TSB with the MFI procedure and part numbers:
http://www.savefile.com/files3.php?fid=1709708

[JoshBarber]

Originally Posted by blazee

Here's a TSB with the MFI procedure and part numbers:
http://www.savefile.com/files3.php?fid=1709708

where can I get it Blazee?

[blazee]

see post 24 above

[JoshBarber]

Originally Posted by blazee

The assembly is available though www.GMPartsDirect.com for less than $200. You could also get it through your local GM dealer but you can expect to pay more.

Here's the part numbers:
12568332 - MFI Assembly
88894355 - Bracket
17113215 - Seal kit

Do you need to get the bracket and seal kit, or does it fit into the original?

[JoshBarber]

Originally Posted by JoshBarber

Do you need to get the bracket and seal kit, or does it fit into the original?

Thanks Blazee. I just paid by phone for it...the local dealer has it in stock for a bit more, but he gave me a discount since I complained about the price difference. It'll cost me around $315-320 for the assembly, seal, and bracket.
I read that it replaces the original one.

Unfortunatly the other order was already placed/sent....to I'll have to send it back when I receive it Tuesday.

On the bright side, I can put everything back together tonight/tomorrow!