Fell into engine

OP
alexanderfoti

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #61
If you have s borescope can you tie it to a coat hanger and still get it down the plug hole?

Yes, but its hard to describe, becuase the end of the boroscope has no steering, it ends up in the cylinder and I have to keep rotating it to get a proper view. I then use the other sparkplug hole to get the tube into it and attempt to retrieve. The camera keeps shifting about then I loose it.

Probably because the plug holes are on either side (twin spark) so I can only see half the piston top at once.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
That's why I suggested tieing the borescope to the coathanger. On the end of the coathanger you have your blob of blutack. That way you can direct and see what you're picking up.
 

M80

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
5,931
Reaction score
2,735
Location
Derbyshire
Your Mercedes
2014 639 Viano- 651, 5sp Auto. 2009 S211- 646, 5sp Auto.
I see concern here of the possibility of leaving some of the rescue material behind.
I've not had to rescue bits in the engine innards like this, and I feel for you, but have had 'some' success with one of these
24" FLEXIBLE SPRING BENDY LONG REACH THIN CLAW PICK UP TOOL LIFTING GRAB GRABBER | eBay

No good for the plastics here but I been glad of one of these many times
Telescopic Magnet with LED Torch Light/ 32" Telescopic Magnetic Pick Up Tool | eBay
and looking for that saw this that might get added to my tool kit
3 LED Telescopic Flexible Magnetic Pick Up Tool Torch Flexi Lamp Flashlight | eBay
 
OP
alexanderfoti

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #64
I see concern here of the possibility of leaving some of the rescue material behind.
I've not had to rescue bits in the engine innards like this, and I feel for you, but have had 'some' success with one of these
24" FLEXIBLE SPRING BENDY LONG REACH THIN CLAW PICK UP TOOL LIFTING GRAB GRABBER | eBay

No good for the plastics here but I been glad of one of these many times
Telescopic Magnet with LED Torch Light/ 32" Telescopic Magnetic Pick Up Tool | eBay
and looking for that saw this that might get added to my tool kit
3 LED Telescopic Flexible Magnetic Pick Up Tool Torch Flexi Lamp Flashlight | eBay

Thanks Martin, have lots of experience dropping things in engine bays, so I already have all 3 funnily enough!
 
  • Like
Reactions: M80
OP
alexanderfoti

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #65
That's why I suggested tieing the borescope to the coathanger. On the end of the coathanger you have your blob of blutack. That way you can direct and see what you're picking up.

I did try that already but the flattened brake pipe limited the moment of the bore scope to the point where I couldn't find the plastic piece.
 

DREAMER NO2

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Messages
4,903
Reaction score
1,296
Age
79
Location
Kidderminster in Worcestershire
Your Mercedes
W124 2.6E M103 1989
Well one member said to turn the car upside down.
It would help but not a possible work around . This is not very helpful .And the problem is very upsetting for the owner .
 
OP
alexanderfoti

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #67
Well one member said to turn the car upside down.
It would help but not a possible work around . This is not very helpful .And the problem is very upsetting for the owner .
It's OK, all in good fun!

It is what it is!
 

00slk

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2012
Messages
9,594
Reaction score
9,289
Location
Cambridgeshire UK
Your Mercedes
2002 SL55 AMG, 2005 E320 CDi, 2014 SLK250 CDi, 2003 SLK200
Gosh, this brings back memories............I dropped a washer down the inlet when I removed my Carburettor from my Ford Executive V6, I took the washers off as I undid the nuts, one washer I forgot and it slide off and went down the inlet hole. I had nothing but a screw driver and tried to extract it but couldn't get to it. When I had finished servicing the carby. I thought that the washer was small enough to go out the exhaust. I started the car and the darn washer went into the inlet instead and made horrible noises in resulting in a bent the conrod :shock: £25 bought me a brand new conrod, piston and cap which I duly fitted on the side of the road outside our house. The car lived to travel the depths of the England with its new owner before breaking down somewhere up North and being scrapped :(
 

John Laidlaw

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
26,373
Reaction score
9,163
Location
Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
^ If it’s amusement you’re after I had a Peugot 407SW once (no THAT’S NOT the funny part, it was NEVER funny), and approaching the M6 Toll booth I had my credit card already in the cubby near the gear lever, and ash tray, then managed at that exact time to somehow contrive to push it down a very very thin open space between the ash tray and the dash , right down into the internal!! Had to take the car apart to get to it, and saw Frenchness in the electrical in there I cannot unsee....:(:eek:
 

Naraic

Moderator
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
10,686
Reaction score
1,274
Your Mercedes
2005 CL500.
Well one member said to turn the car upside down.
It would help but not a possible work around . This is not very helpful .And the problem is very upsetting for the owner .
Having a bad day? Is it the thought of losing the penny?
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
^ If it’s amusement you’re after I had a Peugot 407SW once (no THAT’S NOT the funny part, it was NEVER funny), and approaching the M6 Toll booth I had my credit card already in the cubby near the gear lever, and ash tray, then managed at that exact time to somehow contrive to push it down a very very thin open space between the ash tray and the dash , right down into the internal!! Had to take the car apart to get to it, and saw Frenchness in the electrical in there I cannot unsee....:(:eek:
Did exactly the same in the 129.
Had the bright idea putting the peage ticket Inthe slot where the lower cubby door closes Inthe centre console (just in front of the gear selector). Somehow it slid between the liner and the wood veneer. I went to pull it out and accidentally knocked it into the area behind the cubby. Had to stop on the edge of the road before the peage and dismantle the car to get it out!
 
OP
alexanderfoti

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #73
Yes I am, and no it wont :(
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
Can you get the boroscope to the point where it’s just through the plug hole and so can see the bits from “on high”? If so, get someone to keep them in view while you poke the bit of copper wire through the other plug hole. If you use Vaseline then any remnants will be harmless to the engine.
 

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,467
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
Can you blow compressed air in one hole to jostle the o ring around and then use the Hoover on the other Hole to suck it out ?
 

Botus

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
6,287
Reaction score
2,475
Location
UK
Your Mercedes
S500/2010/500
its not got direct injection has it? in which case how did it go from inlet manifold to cylinder

I'd be very wary about introducing any other stuff that may be harder and more damaging to get out. As for poking about with metal scratching stuff is a really bad idea. the most sensible one posted by a country mile is the vacuum idea, can't introduce anything nasty, the amount of vaccum required to pick up a tiny thing weighing less than 1g bit will be NOTHING. You basically can't go wrong with a bit of rubber pipe. Only thing is to use a new vac bag or clean bag less so you can work out what you captured

good luck
 
OP
alexanderfoti

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #77
its not got direct injection has it? in which case how did it go from inlet manifold to cylinder

I'd be very wary about introducing any other stuff that may be harder and more damaging to get out. As for poking about with metal scratching stuff is a really bad idea. the most sensible one posted by a country mile is the vacuum idea, can't introduce anything nasty, the amount of vaccum required to pick up a tiny thing weighing less than 1g bit will be NOTHING. You basically can't go wrong with a bit of rubber pipe. Only thing is to use a new vac bag or clean bag less so you can work out what you captured

good luck

No, but the injectors are seated in the inlet manifold and spray their fuel directly at the back of the inlet valves.

The vacuum idea is the one I will be trying the most.
 

Oldspanners

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2017
Messages
1,487
Reaction score
1,598
Location
Normandy
Your Mercedes
C CLASS 2004 C180
Is there any way of getting the piston near TDC with the valves closed and using compressed air in one plug hole to blow it out the other?
 
OP
alexanderfoti

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • Moderator
  • #80
Update.

One pintle shim removed from number 6 cylinder. Success was had with a engineers hoover (never heard of it) and a flexible pvc tube, smaller than the one I was using first time round to allow for easier movement.

The missing O ring was found stuck next to the vac reservoir in the head. I thought I had dropped it into the inlet when I was retrieving it from a partially open inlet valve on number 6 but apparently not.

I am however, unable to locate the second missing pintle.

I will have to check all the piston tops carefully. I marked which pistons had open valves when I removed the rail - number 6 and number 7 so have only been checking those cylinders.

I did look in number 10 as a matter of interest to see if the bores looked ok. AOK on that front.

That is, unless it had already fallen off and been consumed in the past (appears that this happens on BMW's quite a bit)
 

Peter Best Insurance is a leading specialist in Mercedes-Benz insurance. All MBO members are eligible for exclusive rates on all our classic car policies.
Call now for our 'BEST' quote. Tel: 01376 573033
Top Bottom