# Dropped a bolt into the bell housing



## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

Oh man I f****ed up today. I was in the last stages of getting my car put back together after a HG job. I was reattaching the heater outlet on the cylinder head and I dropped one of the bolts that holds it on. The timing plug was out of the bellhousing, and I'm pretty sure it fell in there. I don't see it anywhere on my garage floor or in the engine compartment. Obviously if it is in there I can picture it doing all kinds of horrible damage if I try turning the engine over. I don't have the time tools or experience to pull the transmission and actually look for it in there. Would it be worth poking around in there with a magnetic pick up tool? I'm just totally beside myself, all the money and time I put into doing my head gasket and this one stupid mistake f****s everything up :banghead:. I'm gonna keep looking on the floor and the engine compartment for this bolt now, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Eric D (Feb 16, 1999)

Sucks that you don't have an engine support bar. They are quite cheap at Harbor freight.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-capacity-engine-support-bar-96524.html

Sometimes they are on sale for $50, I got mine at that price.


Remove the trans cover from under neath the car, make sure the car is on jack stands, and not the widow maker.

You can try and fish it out from there, or remove the starter, and fish it out with a retractable magnet.

Getting the bolts to start on the front mount bracket can be tricky, I find it easier to raise the motor and trans, tighten the bolts then lower motor onto the front mount.


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## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

Pulled the front cover off the trans, no help there. Tried pulling the starter and now I've run into a whole new headache. The Bentley fails to mention that the starter mounting is integral to the front engine mount. WTF? So now I'm dealing with trying to get the starter back in. The most frustrating part of this is that I'm not even sure the bolt fell in there, I've searched the whole engine compartment and can't find it but it could always be wedged in some weird place, wouldn't be the first time. 

EDIT: Upon re-reading your post I do see you mentioned the front mount, I was just in a hurry and didn't get the gist of what you were saying.


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## skip57 (Nov 7, 2008)

You are on the right track. Use a coat hanger and fish around at the bottom of the bell housing, turn the engine by hand. And do it again . a flexible magnet may get it from the starter hole or dust cover. Once you know it is not in there jack the engine up take the rubber mount loose and start the starter bolts. Right now time is the cheep way out and put the plug back in


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## contor (Sep 15, 2009)

honestly i wouldnt worry about the bolt. your fly wheel will chew it up and turn it to shavings, and there isnt anything in there that would recieve damage from the shavings. and you can jack up on your oil pan IF YOURE ONLY LIFTING THE MOTOR. or just get a pry bar and try to shift the motor so the bolt will begin to thread (did this on my diesel)


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## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

> honestly i wouldnt worry about the bolt. your fly wheel will chew it up and turn it to shavings, and there isnt anything in there that would recieve damage from the shavings. and you can jack up on your oil pan IF YOURE ONLY LIFTING THE MOTOR. or just get a pry bar and try to shift the motor so the bolt will begin to thread (did this on my diesel)



A couple of buddies down at the local watering hole told me the same thing, that it was pretty unlikely it can damage anything since all that's down there is the flywheel and the input shaft. Does anybody second contor's opinion?


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## mozcar78 (Nov 30, 2003)

this may sound a lil sketchy but, i had this happen to me. I ended up using a dremel and made a hole in the housing . True story bro. Came out thru the bottom of the bell housing.opcorn:


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## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

hey mozcar, where exactly did you make the hole? did you just use the grinding attachment? I am very interested in this solution.


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## thesumof41is5 (Aug 6, 2009)

ahh check it i just had a great idea at work. The case is aluminum. and the flywheel steel. Go to walmart or your kitchen fridge and grab a brick magnet like an inch wide and a half inch deep and doesnt matter how thick. stick it to the flywheel through the inspection hole, turn motor over by hand or put in gear and push forward or back, it will turn to the bottom of the case , pick it up, and bring it back up


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## mozcar78 (Nov 30, 2003)

DuncanDonutz said:


> hey mozcar, where exactly did you make the hole? did you just use the grinding attachment? I am very interested in this solution.


I did it at the lowest point but also as close as possible toward the block. We started out by making a small pilot like hole and we used a stick magnet to keep it in location. Drill little by little. :beer:


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## Gin (Feb 19, 2004)

I would just leave it. Prolly run without the lower bell housing cover for a while hoping it escapes.


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## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

I tried thesumof41is5's magnet trick today...and almost wound up with a magnet in my bellhousing as well! It was an excellent idea though man. I think I'm just gonna let it be, I've turned the engine over at least a dozen times by hand, listening for the little bolt grinding on anything or waiting for it to jam the fly wheel...but nothing happened. I think I'm just gonna pretend it never happened and start the car up anyway, I've done everything short of dropping the tranny and had no results. Besides, there is a small chance it never fell in there in the first place. I will take Gin's advice and leave the lower cover off for a while. That way if the flywheel does shred it up it will just fall out the bottom.


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## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

Well I got everything back together today and tried startin her up. I think my battery is toast, also think I might be off by a tooth or two on the timing belt, but she turns over just fine and there doesnt seem to be any problems from that bolt. Thanks for all the suggestions guys!


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## Seax_Smith (Jun 1, 2007)

Found that bolt yet?


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## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

Naw, I just said f*** it. I've driven it at least 40 miles so far without a problem. I'm starting to think it never fell down in there and is instead wedged somewhere in my engine bay.


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## SlamDayMk2 (Dec 20, 2010)

I also was panicking and come to find out the bolt that dropped while doing the headgasket had actually dropped behind the tranny.


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## twinair (May 12, 2008)

For those wondering, a stray bolt in the bell housing can do serious damage. I replaced a clutch and flywheel because of one bouncing around in there. The inside of the bell housing looked like someone took a ball peen hammer to it. Cover those timing holes!!!


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## Seax_Smith (Jun 1, 2007)

twinair said:


> For those wondering, a stray bolt in the bell housing can do serious damage. I replaced a clutch and flywheel because of one bouncing around in there. The inside of the bell housing looked like someone took a ball peen hammer to it. Cover those timing holes!!!


Ever see the inside of a bell housing when a clutch spring breaks loose at 80?


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## wantacad (Apr 4, 2003)

Seax_Smith said:


> Ever see the inside of a bell housing when a clutch spring breaks loose at 80?


 Ever seen a grown man naked?


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## DuncanDonutz (Nov 17, 2009)

Just an update, have driven the car almost 2000 miles since dropping that bolt and no problems yet. Starting to wonder if it is still just wedged in the engine bay somewhere haha.


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