Hi all -- My 18 year old son was in the process of putting a new intake manifold and carb on his '78 Mustang II 302. A part [sensor] fell down into the distributor shaft hole in the top of the engine before he got that hole covered up. Please save the shaming about not immediately covering that hole, he's young and the lesson was learned, hopefully.
At first he could see the part that fell into the hole and tried to retrieve it with a small magnet on an extendable shaft. As he was attempting to retrieve the part with the magnet it was pulled toward it but then fell deeper. I've been checking some forums to try to determine how to go about trying to find and extract the part and I'm trying to help him with a plan.
When the part fell it was toward the front of the car rather than toward the rear. We are thinking that it fell all the way down into the oil pan vs. back into the engine. I can put the extendable magnet all they way down to the bottom of the oil pan, and have tried to fish around a bit, but no luck 'hooking' the loose part. So, what next?
Is the best bet to start with removing the oil pan? It seems somewhat involved to be able to remove it completely. Can the pan be dropped down far enough without other disassembly to fit the extendable magnet into the pan and fish around in the bottom of the pan? Or does it need to be removed completely? Other suggestions?
Thanks in advance.
At first he could see the part that fell into the hole and tried to retrieve it with a small magnet on an extendable shaft. As he was attempting to retrieve the part with the magnet it was pulled toward it but then fell deeper. I've been checking some forums to try to determine how to go about trying to find and extract the part and I'm trying to help him with a plan.
When the part fell it was toward the front of the car rather than toward the rear. We are thinking that it fell all the way down into the oil pan vs. back into the engine. I can put the extendable magnet all they way down to the bottom of the oil pan, and have tried to fish around a bit, but no luck 'hooking' the loose part. So, what next?
Is the best bet to start with removing the oil pan? It seems somewhat involved to be able to remove it completely. Can the pan be dropped down far enough without other disassembly to fit the extendable magnet into the pan and fish around in the bottom of the pan? Or does it need to be removed completely? Other suggestions?
Thanks in advance.