oh no,help

woosterken

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May 18, 2005
Messages
1,431
When fogging my engine (1974 merc.120hp I/O)
the little red tube off the can went in the plug hole.
Is there any way to get it out,without takeing the head off?

woosterken
kralyon@sssnet.com
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: oh no,help

You could use a small piece of wire bent back on itself into a tight "V"

Put a bend in it in such a way so you can fish around in there. You might get lucky.

It's just plastic. I'll bet it will eventually come out and not hurt much. The downside is that it could stay in there and end up being a burnt piece of carbon that will eventually glow and cause pre-ignition and detonation.

I'll bet you can get it with a piece of stiff wire.

Another thing to try is one of those push-button steel cable-type things used for fishing a screw or bolt out of a tight place. They have them small enough to fit in through a spark plug hole....

I'll bet you hang onto the tube the next time you try that!

Regards,


Rick
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
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Messages
62,321
Re: oh no,help

Start it up, it's only a small piece of plastic and will find it's way out the exhaust (in small unrecognizable pieces).
If it was a screw, it would be a different story.
 

Deanrw3

Seaman
Joined
Nov 1, 2007
Messages
71
Re: oh no,help

I have done similar things to this before. There is one way that i used. Get a wrench and rotate the engine slowly until the piston that you dropped the tube into reaches TDC (top dead center). At this point you should be able to see the red tube.. I hope! and maybe you can grab it with some needle nose pliers.

that would be my only suggestion.

Good luck, let us know what happens in the end.

Dean

Ps It is about time to be "unfogging" that motor, not fogging it.(-: Hope to get mine out in the next 2 months...(eh, it is Michigan)
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
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Messages
10,083
Re: oh no,help

You know....I'm kinda with Don,

I think it'll just get busted up and blow out the exhaust in the first few hundred RPM..
 

Pierutrus

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 25, 2007
Messages
721
Re: oh no,help

It's only plastic.
Put it back together and fire it up.
It'll be burned off by the time the engine is warmed up!
 

Shawn_floats

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
35
Re: oh no,help

With plastic, I'd be much more concerned with tiny plastic pieces plugging an oil galley somewhere.

I'm pretty OCD about this kind of thing - I'd stop at nothing until I had it out of there. That's just me though.
 

HT32BSX115

Supreme Mariner
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Dec 8, 2005
Messages
10,083
Re: oh no,help

I am wondering how it could get from the combustion chamber into the oil.......He didn't drop it into the oil fill...
 

Lou C

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Nov 10, 2002
Messages
11,802
Re: oh no,help

I actually had one of those stupid things fly off and get lodged in the throttle body of my 89 Toyota and unlike a combustion chamber, I had to get it out (cleaning the throttle body) I was able to pull it out with the 3 jaw mechanical grabber.
Years ago, I was doing a tune up for my uncle on his wife's 1965 Plymouth Satellite, with a Mopar 318. The spark plug wires needed to be changed, the boots were literally crumbling. One got lodged in the spark plug well and no way that we could get it out. So I took a chance and let it fall in the spark plug hole. Replaced plugs and wires, fired her up and must have blown out the exhaust, no problems at all!!
 

Bondo

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Re: oh no,help

With plastic, I'd be much more concerned with tiny plastic pieces plugging an oil galley somewhere.

Ayuh,......

It'll be hard pressed to find it's way to any oil galleys if dropped into the Intake........

I Agree with Don,...... Just Light It,... It'll pass thru just Fine.........
 

Don S

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Re: oh no,help

It'll be hard pressed to find it's way to any oil galleys if dropped into the Intake........

It dropped into a plug hole, not even in the intake, no way in ell it's going to find an oil passage from the cylinder.
 

cbavier

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Messages
1,363
Re: oh no,help

I have done similar things to this before. There is one way that i used. Get a wrench and rotate the engine slowly until the piston that you dropped the tube into reaches TDC (top dead center). At this point you should be able to see the red tube.. I hope! and maybe you can grab it with some needle nose pliers.
that would be my only suggestion.
Good luck, let us know what happens in the end.
Dean

Ps It is about time to be "unfogging" that motor, not fogging it.(-: Hope to get mine out in the next 2 months...(eh, it is Michigan)

I think I agree with Dean. Let me share an experience I had with a Mercruiser 4.3 185 HP

Let me tell you what happened to me. I had a miss last year (2007) at idle so I decided to change the plugs that were only three years old. All looked good until I got to Cylinder #5 . When I pulled the plug the tip the Electrode had Burnt/broken off and was in the cylinder because I could hear it tinkling or so I thought. I bought magnets and tried for hours to fish the tip out and had volunteers help too. Then as suggested I left the plug out and tried to blow the Teeny tip out the plug hole as several Mechanics and friends suggested. That didn't work. Finally we pulled a compression check and there was no compression in the #5 cylinder. So I took the Boat to a Marina and they wanted $3,000 to replace engine Block. They stated internal damage. I then took it to a friend and neighbor who runs an Engine shop and he said. He would tear it down and do a complete valve job, Replace any bad valves for $250 a head. Of course if the cylinder wall was damaged it would be a lot more. That was the biggest fear a scored cylinder wall. I had him tear it down and there was no damage done to the cylinder wall. PTL! The Spark Plug Tip. THE ELECTRODE had gotten caught in the Intake valve and damaged the Intake valve. The valve lost it's seet. So he replaced both the intake and exhaust valves #5 cylinder and milled both heads and ground the valves on both heads. Done a Compression test and FOUND ALL CYLINDERS EVEN AND IN SPECS.Total $550 .

He stated though this scenario is rare.it is not unheard of and he showed me about four he had kept that he had worked on off Automobile engines. Why it happened we do not know? It had the correct plugs according to my Engine Owners manual. The manual stated I could use either Ac or Champion plugs.

Well I have came to a Three conclusions.
(ONE)I think the reason the tip burnt/ broke off was because the plug reached a hair farther Champion than the AC Spark Plugs do into the cylinder wall even though owners manual says both will work. I think the plug tip got too hot and that caused it to Burn/Break off.
(TW0) Spark plugs cost $2.00 each. That's a whole lot cheaper than a valve job. So I'm going to change them every other year no matter what they look like from now on.
(THREE) The engine is a 4.3 Leader GM Block. Champion is Ford. I will never run Champion or any Ford product in a GM Engine again regardless of what any book says I may do.

Now I suppose I've opened a can of worms but still $12-$15 for plugs is a whole lot cheaper and less stressful than a top half engine overhaul. By the way the plugs only had about Lets see 35 hours the first year, 50 hours the second and 80 hours this last year. A total of 165 hours on them. NEXT YEAR IT"s ALL NEW PLUGS FOR ME! You BET Cha!

We (several Mechanics) didn't think the engine could be rotated with a wrench since there wasn't anything we could see to put a wrench on and the fact it was hooked to an outdrive. Even if it could have been possible. It wouldn't have solved my problem. Point is the little plastic cap is big enough not to get caught. we Hope! and second it's too big to pass through the exhaust so even if he can undo Coil wire SO ENGINE CANNOT START and bump the cyclinder to the top. I think he can get the plastic out. DO NOT START THIS ENGINE until you get the plastic out.


By the way the tinkling sound apparently was just the water passing through the manifold because it is still tinkling. The Mechanic said he checked the manifolds and they were clear and clean.

For all that work, Tune up and pull lower unit and replace impeller. That's a pretty fair price.
__________________
Chuck

"OWN-IT"
 

marada1

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Messages
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Re: oh no,help

Have you thought about using a vacuum cleaner? A good shop vac should suck her right out.
 

cbavier

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Re: oh no,help

Have you thought about using a vacuum cleaner? A good shop vac should suck her right out.

He can't get a vacuum cleaner in there big enough...with enough suction to do the job. A shop vac with the power is too big. You can't reduce the 3 inch hose small enough. A small vacuum cleaner won't have enough power. We tried that too, both options.
Read my post above. Believe me I spent five days and talked to dozens of people and spent hours trying different ideas. Run the cylinder to the top and use a coat hanger or wire is the best chance. Again DO not start the engine!
 

Bondo

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Re: oh no,help

the little red tube off the can went in the plug hole.

Ayuh,..... cbavier I think you're Way Over Reacting......

We're talking about the Little Tube, Not the Cap.....
And,.... Most Certainly Not a piece of Metal like you had.......

If the motor is Started,.... It'll pass the Little Tube,.. Without Problems.....


Btw,.....
A shop vac with the power is too big. You can't reduce the 3 inch hose small enough. A small vacuum cleaner won't have enough power. We tried that too, both options.
A piece of cardboard,+ a drinking straw will Suck Alot, using a ShopVac....
At 3/8",.... That's Alot of Power in a Small package......
 

cbavier

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Re: oh no,help

Ayuh,..... cbavier I think you're Way Over Reacting......

We're talking about the Little Tube, Not the Cap.....
And,.... Most Certainly Not a piece of Metal like you had.......

If the motor is Started,.... It'll pass the Little Tube,.. Without Problems.....

Bond-o
Sorry, I was thinking the cap not the little Tube.
 

Bondo

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Re: oh no,help

Ayuh,.... No Problem......

I Misread these things ALL the time......
And,....
Don is Always right there to Correct me............:D
 

Don S

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Re: oh no,help

Don is Always right there to Correct me............:D

I mentioned that not so much to correct but to add to the comments about something getting into an oil gallery from the cylinders OR the intake.


There, I corrected you on that point :p :p ;)
 

Bondo

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Re: oh no,help

Ayuh,.... I wasn't particularly implying this particular thread,......

Just commenting on the several Thousand Other Times........:D

'ell,... It was You who taught me to Never be Too Sure of my answers,..
But to use words like "Probably",... "Usually",..."Sometimes",... etc.....
Just to have an "Excape Clause".......:D ;)
 
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