Dropped a cable tie into the inlet manifold!

[zed4]

Hi,

I've gone and dropped a cable tie into a trumpet in the plenum on the TVR. I'm removing the inlet manifold to renew the gasket and dropped a damn cable tie into the trumpet, down the inlet manifold and into the cylinder head or maybe cylinder. Bugger.

What do you think? I'm trying to get hold of a little inspection camera to see exactly where it is. I've poked my fingers into the inlet with the manifold removed, but I can't feel it. I've also put the Dyson on the port but nothing came up

Thanks,

Dan

[phazed]

This is the site that keeps on giving!

Just lost a league TT match and returned home a bit jaded. Read this and all is well in the world.

In all seriousness, get one of those mini claw type things on a flexi cable, (I have 2 if your around Surrey or sarf London).
You should be able to nab it with one of those.

[phazed]

http://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Claw-Pick-Automotiv...

[e600]

I have a mini camera on a flexi you could borrow if around west Surrey

[fausTVR]

Ha! I dropped a soft bottle top sealing disc into the rocker cover a few weeks ago, when topping up oil. Saw it happen luckily but no luck trying to pierce it with sharp things. It was barely visible and I was chasing it away with my attempts to retrieve. I rigged up a small pipe taped to the end of my domestic vacuum and very carefully managed to ease it out, childhood use of 'operation' finally paying off. phew!

Might be worth a try for you OP, if you cant see it. Good luck.

[TVR Beaver]

as above.. tape a small pipe onto the normal vac so you can get it in the head.
(I'm assuming the valve is open?)

[zed4]

I'll give it a go. I did hold the Dyson up against the port last night but couldn't see anything come up.

Thanks for the offer of the camera. I'm down in Hampshire, on the coast, so it's a bit far to travel. I know I can hire them from HSS, but I think I've found one I can borrow now. If I can see it, that's half the battle done!

I'll try a spider gripper thing in through the inlet port or spark plug hole if I can see it and the vacuum is no good.

Fingers crossed.

[zed4]

In other news, I got on really well last night.

Removed the plenum, plenum base, inlet manifold, fuel rail, power steering reservoir, power steering hoses, started fitting the new power steering and coolant hoses and fitted the new ACT induction hose kit.

Annoyingly I checked the offside rocker cover and it had allen bolts so I didn't bother ordering that special socket. But the nearside rocker has the original bolts! So I need the socket after all. I want to get the rocker covers painted, so need to get them removed.

[phazed]

If you can establish that the tie is in the cylinder, slowely turn the engine over and bring the piston up so you can grab it if using the grabby tool.

[zed4]

I must admit, seeing as it’s so far apart already, I’m tempted to take the heads off and take them to Brett Sims to have them gas flowed, along with the inlet manifold.

http://www.brettsimsmotorsport.co.uk/cylinder_head...

He's across the road from my house.

What’s involved in removing the heads? The only issue is would I need different trumpets if I ported the head? I’ve just bought the carbon superflare trumpets, but wonder if I’d need larger ones.

[phazed]

Proper ported heads need ported manifolds for best results.

If you go down that route you'll need the larger short trumpets matched to the manifold.

While you're there, put on the 72mm plenum.

[zed4]

Hmm, having just bought a new plenum elbow and carbon trumpets, I might leave it then.

[portzi]

zed4 said:

In other news, I got on really well last night.

Removed the plenum, plenum base, inlet manifold, fuel rail, power steering reservoir, power steering hoses, started fitting the new power steering and coolant hoses and fitted the new ACT induction hose kit.

Annoyingly I checked the offside rocker cover and it had allen bolts so I didn't bother ordering that special socket. But the nearside rocker has the original bolts! So I need the socket after all. I want to get the rocker covers painted, so need to get them removed.

try long nose pliers on the screw heads mine came undone using this method as they were only finger tight :0. lf that fails screw fix do a set of torqux Allen keys which should do the job.

[phazed]

Not metric Allen keys, you want imperial.

[zed4]

phazed said:

Not metric Allen keys, you want imperial.

Yep, the offside was an imperial allen key.

[zed4]

phazed said:

If you can establish that the tie is in the cylinder, slowely turn the engine over and bring the piston up so you can grab it if using the grabby tool.

Right, I’ve found a cable tie on the floor and I reckon that’s it. I’m pretty sure the cable tie was lodged within the inlet manifold, further down than my finger would reach. When I removed the inlet manifold it was full of coolant and fuel so I quickly pulled it off and put it on the ground next to the car on a bucket to drain out. I reckon this is when the cable tie dropped out the inlet manifold. This would explain why I couldn’t find it in the manifold or in the head!

There’s no way a curled up cable tie could make it past the inlet valve in the head, and it’s definitely not in the port, so I’m happy!

Panic over!

[snorky]

Lidl and aldi do colour insp cameras for about £60 well worth it...loads of uses !